At a glance
How 9,088 first tests went in 2025.
- Passed first time
- 51 in every 100
- Did not pass first time
- 49 in every 1004,470 failed first-attempt tests
- The typical car
- 21 yearsabout 122,377 miles
- First tests counted
- 9,088
What failed most often
- Petrol engine warning light16 in every 100 failed tests
- Drive shaft joints and boots (front)11 in every 100 failed tests
- Petrol emissions (with catalyst)9 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 2004 Volkswagen Golf 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.
Seat belts and restraints
Two faults. The strongest is the seat belt mounting area (front): 4.1 times as often as on similar cars.
Figures below are measured across the 4,441 of 4,470 failed first attempts (99.4%) 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.
Seat belt mounting area (front)
What it means
A seat belt anchorage likely to become detached in the event of a collision is graded Dangerous. The load bearing structure near an anchorage, called a prescribed area, is Major when its strength or continuity is significantly reduced or it is inadequately repaired. Anchorage points are inspected for all seat belts fitted, except a belt with no corresponding seat.
Airbag warning light
What it means
The airbag warning lamp (SRS MIL in DVSA's wording) is failed only if it indicates a system malfunction, which is Major. A lamp lit to show the passenger airbag is disabled is not to be regarded as a defect. Dashboard messages are not a defect in their own right, though they can help the tester confirm a malfunction.
Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage.
Noise, emissions and leaks
Two faults. The strongest is the diesel engine warning light: 3.4 times as often as on similar cars.
Diesel engine warning light
What it means
An engine malfunction indicator lamp that is illuminated to show a malfunction is graded Major on a diesel, but only on the diesels the test covers, which depends on the vehicle type and when it was first used. DVSA lists it under exhaust emissions for compression ignition engines, and the detail line for the row also names an inoperative lamp.
Petrol engine warning light
What it means
The malfunction indicator lamp (MIL) on a petrol engine is a Major failure when it is illuminated indicating a malfunction. The detail line DVSA gives for the same row also names an inoperative lamp. The test covers only certain petrol vehicles, depending on their age, size and fuel type.
Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage.
Brakes
Two faults. The strongest is the electronic stability control: 3.4 times as often as on similar cars.
Electronic stability control
What it means
An ESC warning lamp is failed only when the tester is certain it indicates an ESC malfunction, because the lamp takes various forms and the owner's handbook may need checking. The system is also called ESP, VDC or DSC, among many other names. Every failure row is Major, covering the lamp, wheel speed sensors, wiring, other components and the switch.
Flexible brake hoses (rear)
What it means
Testers reject a flexible brake hose for being excessively damaged or chafed only if it is severe enough to expose the reinforcement. Slight damage, chafing or twisting is graded Minor. A leak is graded Dangerous on a hydraulic braking system and Major on an air system, and a hose damaged and likely to fail is also Dangerous.
Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage.
Lamps and electrical
One fault: side repeater indicators, 2.9 times as often as on similar cars.
Side repeater indicators
What it means
Sequential or dynamic direction indicators are not a reason to fail. Where a side repeater is required, it is allowed to be part of the front direction indicator if it has a marked wraparound lens, or an amber light coming through the front lens when viewed from a set distance to the side of the rear bumper. A lens defect with no effect on the emitted light is Minor, and one that adversely affects the light is Major.
Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage.
Steering
One fault: steering rack (front), 2.2 times as often as on similar cars.
Steering rack (front)
What it means
Steering gear casing retaining devices dangerously loose, or visible relative movement to the chassis or bodywork, is graded Dangerous. A casing not properly attached, or fractured, is Major, but a fracture that affects the stability or attachment of the casing is Dangerous. A gaiter damaged but still keeping dirt out is Minor, and Major once missing or no longer doing so.
Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage.
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.
Suspension sub-frame (rear)
Suspension arm pins and bushes (front)
Flexible brake hoses (front)
Brake performance (plate test, rear)
Number plates
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
- 51in every 100
- Passed on the first test.
- Fixed at the station
- 8in 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 50.8% of 9,088 first tests (2025): only cars that passed first time count. Official-style pass 59.4%: cars fixed at the test station also count as a pass. The 8 fixed and the 41 not fixed make the 49 in every 100 that did not pass first time.
Petrol and diesel
Figures are in every 100 first tests. Cars with more miles usually fail more often, so the same-mileage figure gives every fuel the mileage mix of all the cars in this year.
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, 50 in every 100 passed first time.
| Year | Passed first time | First tests |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 69 in every 100 | 400 |
| 1996 | 65 in every 100 | 762 |
| 1997 | 67 in every 100 | 815 |
| 1998 | 58 in every 100 | 966 |
| 1999 | 57 in every 100 | 2,054 |
| 2000 | 57 in every 100 | 3,407 |
| 2001 | 58 in every 100 | 6,179 |
| 2002 | 58 in every 100 | 11,184 |
| 2003 | 56 in every 100 | 13,117 |
| 2004 This car | 51 in every 100 | 9,088 |
| 2005 | 55 in every 100 | 14,756 |
| 2006 | 56 in every 100 | 22,937 |
| 2007 | 57 in every 100 | 32,607 |
| 2008 | 58 in every 100 | 33,663 |
| 2009 | 62 in every 100 | 38,839 |
| 2010 | 62 in every 100 | 40,499 |
| 2011 | 63 in every 100 | 46,753 |
| 2012 | 67 in every 100 | 49,327 |
| 2013 | 75 in every 100 | 52,726 |
| 2014 | 79 in every 100 | 61,863 |
| 2015 | 82 in every 100 | 65,061 |
| 2016 | 84 in every 100 | 62,677 |
| 2017 | 85 in every 100 | 67,347 |
| 2018 | 86 in every 100 | 59,286 |
| 2019 | 87 in every 100 | 50,876 |
| 2020 | 90 in every 100 | 38,117 |
| 2021 | 91 in every 100 | 27,374 |
| 2022 | 92 in every 100 | 24,414 |
If you are buying one
What this year's MOT record means for the decision in front of you.
Mileage matters most on a 2004 Golf.
Of 2004 Golf vehicles with under 85,000 miles, 59 in every 100 passed their 2025 MOT first time. With 164,000 miles or more, 47 in every 100 did.
Petrol or diesel?
| Typical mileage | Passed first time, as tested | Passed first time, same mileage | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Petrol | 105,762 miles | 51 | 49 |
| Diesel | 150,023 miles | 51 | 53 |
Figures are in every 100 first tests. At the same mileage there is no clear difference between the two.
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 85,000 | 111,000–135,000 | 164,000 and over | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Petrol engine warning light | 8.7 | 10.6 | 4.2 |
| Drive shaft joints and boots (front) | 3.8 | 5.3 | 6.2 |
| Petrol emissions (with catalyst) | 4.5 | 5.5 | 2.5 |
| Headlight aim | 3.2 | 5.5 | 4.3 |
| Individual sidelight or tail light (front) | 1.6 | 4.3 | 6.2 |
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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