At a glance
How 4,168 first tests went in 2025.
- Passed first time
- 50 in every 100
- Did not pass first time
- 50 in every 1002,092 failed first-attempt tests
- The typical car
- 16 yearsabout 75,980 miles
- First tests counted
- 4,168
What failed most often
- Petrol emissions (with catalyst)14 in every 100 failed tests
- Windscreen washers12 in every 100 failed tests
- Anti-roll bar linkage ball joint dust cover (front)11 in every 100 failed tests
How we count this. Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Only Class 4 cars on their first MOT of the year are counted. A car that fails and is fixed at the test station still counts as a fail in the first-attempt rate. These are raw results, not adjusted for age, mileage, or peer mix. The MOT does not test engine or gearbox internals.
These are patterns across 2009 Volkswagen Fox vehicles in 2025, not a prediction that any one car will have them. Faults are grouped by part of the car. They come from MOT defect codes, not manufacturer bulletins, recalls or a diagnosis of any one car.
Suspension
Three faults. The strongest is the shock absorbers (rear): 3.8 times as often as on similar cars.
Figures below are measured across the 2,091 of 2,092 failed first attempts that recorded an odometer reading in 2025. Mileage is needed to compare like with like.
We only list faults with at least 20 failures and a rate of about 2.0 times that of similar cars, which keeps one-off results out of the list.
Shock absorbers (rear)
What it means
Slight seepage that leaves a film of fluid on a shock absorber does not fail it. Severe leakage, or damage so that it does not function, is Major. A shock absorber missing or likely to become detached is graded Dangerous, though a missing one is only rejected if shock absorbers were fitted as standard.
Also noted as an advisory
Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 158 first tests, 2.4 times as often as on similar cars.
Anti-roll bar ball joint dust cover (front)
Anti-roll bar linkage ball joint dust cover (front)
What it means
A suspension joint dust cover that is severely deteriorated is Minor. It becomes Major once it is missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt, so what matters is whether it still keeps dirt out. DVSA words this for any suspension joint dust cover, and files it here under anti-roll bars.
Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage. Advisories count notes recorded on failed first tests only.
Noise, emissions and leaks
Two faults. The strongest is the petrol emissions (with catalyst): 3.3 times as often as on similar cars.
Petrol emissions (with catalyst)
What it means
Emissions levels over the manufacturer's specified limits are Major, as are levels over default limits, which apply when no exact match is found for the vehicle. Dense blue or clearly visible black smoke at idle, held for a set period, is Major, except for certain older vehicles and two stroke engines where smoke is unavoidable. An induction or exhaust leak that could affect emissions levels is Major too.
Petrol emissions not tested
What it means
On a petrol car, an emissions test recorded as not tested or unable to be completed is failed as Major. DVSA's wording gives no reason why.
Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage.
Brakes
One fault: handbrake lever, 2.7 times as often as on similar cars.
Handbrake lever
Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage.
Visibility
One fault: windscreen washers (front), 2.2 times as often as on similar cars.
Windscreen washers (front)
What it means
Windscreen washers that are not working, or do not provide sufficient fluid to clear the windscreen, are graded Major. They must provide enough fluid for the wipers to clear the windscreen effectively. Vehicles with an opening windscreen, or some other adequate view to the front, left and right, are not inspected for washers.
Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage.
Body and structure
Two faults. The strongest is the drive shaft joints and boots (front): 2.1 times as often as on similar cars.
Drive shaft joints and boots (front)
Exhaust system (front)
What it means
Exhaust fumes causing a danger to health of persons on board are graded Dangerous, and so is a silencer likely to become detached. Fumes entering the cabin are Major. One or more missing or defective mountings does not necessarily make the exhaust insecure, since testers assess the overall security of the system.
Also noted as an advisory
Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 172 first tests, 2.3 times as often as on similar cars.
Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage. Advisories count notes recorded on failed first tests only.
Lamps and electrical
One fault: headlight (front), 2.0 times as often as on similar cars.
Headlight (front)
What it means
On vehicles first used on or after a set date, a halogen headlamp unit converted to take HID or LED bulbs fails for light source and lamp not compatible, which is Major. A complete unit built with those light sources is not failed for that. The precise position of the lamps is not part of the inspection beyond a visual look to see that they sit at about the same height and distance from each side.
Also noted as an advisory
Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 65 first tests, 2.0 times as often as on similar cars.
Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage. Advisories count notes recorded on failed first tests only.
Advisories
Other things testers noted as worn or close to failing, more often than on similar cars.
An advisory is a note from the tester about something that has not failed yet. It is an early warning, not a fail. Advisories for the faults above are shown with those faults.
Power steering pipes and hoses
Seat belt condition (front)
Individual direction indicators (front)
Swivel pins and bushes (rear)
Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Counts cover advisories recorded on failed first tests only, compared with cars of the same age and mileage.
MOT pass rates
How first tests ended, and how the pass rates are counted.
- Passed first time
- 50in every 100
- Passed on the first test.
- Fixed at the station
- 9in every 100
- Failed, then fixed at the test station the same day.
- Failed
- 41in every 100
- Did not pass, and were not fixed at the test station.
First-attempt pass 49.8% of 4,168 first tests (2025): only cars that passed first time count. Official-style pass 58.5%: cars fixed at the test station also count as a pass. The 9 fixed and the 41 not fixed make the 50 in every 100 that did not pass first time.
Same model, other years
Passed first time in every 100, all tested in 2025.
Newer cars are younger, so look for a jump rather than the climb. A year earlier (2024), when these cars were a year younger, 51 in every 100 passed first time.
| Year | Passed first time | First tests |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | 51 in every 100 | 2,091 |
| 2007 | 49 in every 100 | 3,723 |
| 2008 | 48 in every 100 | 3,615 |
| 2009 This car | 50 in every 100 | 4,168 |
| 2010 | 50 in every 100 | 6,571 |
| 2011 | 54 in every 100 | 2,136 |
If you are buying one
What this year's MOT record means for the decision in front of you.
Mileage matters most on a 2009 Volkswagen Fox.
Of 2009 Volkswagen Fox vehicles with under 48,000 miles, 64 in every 100 passed their 2025 MOT first time. With 105,000 miles or more, 43 in every 100 did.
What to check at your mileage
How often each fault turned up on a failed first test, by the car's mileage. Read it as: what is likely to need looking at on a car like the one in front of you.
| Under 48,000 | 68,000–85,000 | 105,000 and over | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Petrol emissions (with catalyst) | 2.1 | 6.7 | 12.2 |
| Windscreen washers | 4.0 | 6.2 | 6.6 |
| Anti-roll bar linkage ball joint dust cover (front) | 4.7 | 5.4 | 4.8 |
| Shock absorbers (rear) | 2.6 | 4.8 | 7.8 |
| Drive shaft joints and boots (front) | 1.8 | 6.2 | 5.9 |
Faults per 100 first tests, by the car's mileage at the test.
When a car fails
of failed cars had one item to fix.
of failed cars had three or more items to fix.
of all first tests had a defect the tester marked dangerous (unsafe to drive away).
Every figure here is a first-attempt MOT rate from DVSA open data for this model line, for cars of this model year tested in 2025. Each mileage band holds a fifth of the tests. MOTs do not test engine or gearbox internals, so this is a pre-purchase checklist, not a full reliability score.
FAQs
Short answers about how to read this model-year guide.
About this data
How this page is built and what it can (and can't) say.
These figures come from UK MOT open data for this model year. We surface common failure patterns against similar cars, not a full reliability score, and not a pass/fail verdict on any individual vehicle.
What we include
UK Class 4 cars only. Normal MOT tests (not retests); first test per vehicle per calendar year; results pass, PRS, or fail.
Same-day repairs
PRS means the car failed items that were fixed at the test station and then passed the same day. We count PRS as a first-attempt fail in headline rates so same-day repairs do not hide problems.
How we compare
We compare this model year with other Class 4 cars of similar age and mileage in the same test year. This model family is left out of the peer group so the car is not measured against itself.
What this does not cover
- MOTs do not cover engine internals, gearboxes, or many electronics; this is not a full reliability score.
- Common faults come from MOT defect stats, not manufacturer TSBs or recalls.
- Age and mileage matching reduces, but does not remove, differences in how cars were used and maintained.
- If the data for a car is too thin to say anything useful, we say so rather than guess.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
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