Volkswagen Golf 2007: reliability & common MOT faults

At a glance

How 32,607 first tests went in 2025.

Passed first time: 57 in every 100
Did not pass first time: 43 in every 10013,925 failed first-attempt tests
The typical car: 18 yearsabout 123,299 miles
First tests counted: 32,607

What failed most often

Drive shaft joints and boots (front)14 in every 100 failed tests
Anti-roll bar linkage ball joint dust cover (front)10 in every 100 failed tests
Headlight aim9 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.

Note:

These are patterns across 2007 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.

Lamps and electrical

One fault: side repeater indicators, 3.5 times as often as on similar cars.

Figures below are measured across the 13,886 of 13,925 failed first attempts (99.7%) 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.

Side repeater indicators

Failed on 657 first tests3.5 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

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.

Brakes

One fault: electronic stability control, 3.3 times as often as on similar cars.

Electronic stability control

Failed on 337 first tests3.3 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

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.

Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage.

Suspension

Two faults. The strongest is the anti-roll bar linkage ball joint dust cover (front): 2.3 times as often as on similar cars.

Anti-roll bar linkage ball joint dust cover (front)

Failed on 1,446 first tests2.3 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

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.

Anti-roll bar ball joint dust cover (front)

Failed on 526 first tests2.1 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

A missing anti-roll bar ball joint dust cover is Major, and so is one that no longer prevents the ingress of dirt. A cover that is only severely deteriorated is Minor. DVSA uses one wording for the dust cover on any suspension joint.

Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage.

Noise, emissions and leaks

One fault: diesel emissions test (pre-reg turbo rules before 01/07/2008), 2.2 times as often as on similar cars.

Diesel emissions test (pre-reg turbo rules before 01/07/2008)

Failed on 553 first tests2.2 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage.

Body and structure

One fault: drive shaft joints and boots (front), 2.0 times as often as on similar cars.

Drive shaft joints and boots (front)

Failed on 1,928 first tests2.0 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

A constant velocity boot that is only severely deteriorated is Minor. It is Major once it is missing, split or insecure so that it no longer prevents the ingress of dirt. A transmission joint excessively worn is Major, and graded Dangerous when it is so worn it is likely to fail.

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.

Anti-roll bar linkage ball joints (rear)

Noted on 523 first tests3.5 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Anti-roll bar ball joint (rear)

Noted on 99 first tests3.4 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

Noise-suppression undertray

Noted on 26 first tests2.8 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Suspension arm pins and bushes (rear)

Noted on 942 first tests2.6 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Suspension arm (front)

Noted on 632 first tests2.5 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Brake performance (plate test, rear)

Noted on 213 first tests2.5 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

Anti-roll bar (front)

Noted on 73 first tests2.3 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Suspension arm (rear)

Noted on 790 first tests2.1 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

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: 57in every 100; Passed on the first test.
Fixed at the station: 7in every 100; Failed, then fixed at the test station the same day.
Failed: 36in every 100; Did not pass, and were not fixed at the test station.

First-attempt pass 57.3% of 32,607 first tests (2025): only cars that passed first time count. Official-style pass 64.5%: cars fixed at the test station also count as a pass. The 7 fixed and the 36 not fixed make the 43 in every 100 that did not pass first time.

Petrol and diesel

First testsTypical mileagePassed first time, as testedPassed first time, same mileage

Petrol18,002110,763 miles5958

Diesel14,604141,447 miles5556

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.

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	51 in every 100	9,088
2005	55 in every 100	14,756
2006	56 in every 100	22,937
2007 This car	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 2007 Golf.

Of 2007 Golf vehicles with under 90,000 miles, 66 in every 100 passed their 2025 MOT first time. With 158,000 miles or more, 53 in every 100 did.

Under 90,0006,419 tests

66

90,000–113,0006,440 tests

58

113,000–134,000 Typical car6,718 tests

56

134,000–158,0006,407 tests

54

158,000 and over6,545 tests

53

Petrol or diesel?

	Typical mileage	Passed first time, as tested	Passed first time, same mileage
Petrol	110,763 miles	59	58
Diesel	141,447 miles	55	56

Figures are in every 100 first tests. Petrol cars look better on the raw figures only because diesel cars have done more miles (typically 141,447 against 110,763). 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 90,000	113,000–134,000	158,000 and over
Drive shaft joints and boots (front)	4.4	6.1	6.6
Anti-roll bar linkage ball joint dust cover (front)	4.2	4.8	3.5
Headlight aim	2.8	4.1	4.9
Coil spring (front)	2.8	3.2	4.7
Handbrake efficiency below minimum (roller test)	1.4	3.3	6.2

Faults per 100 first tests, by the car's mileage at the test.

When a car fails

23in every 100

of failed cars had one item to fix.

54in every 100

of failed cars had three or more items to fix.

10in every 100

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.

Is the 2007 Volkswagen Golf reliable?

The 2007 Volkswagen Golf follows the pattern of the model years either side. Its main cause of failure was Drive shaft joints and boots (front), about 14 in every 100 failed tests. In 2025, 57.3% of 32,607 first MOTs on the 2007 Volkswagen Golf passed first time (PRS: items fixed at the station the same day, counted as a fail). The official-style rate including PRS is 64.5%. Among 13,925 failed first-attempt MOT tests (test year 2025), Side repeater indicators appears more often than on similar cars (4.7% of those tests; 657 observed failures; about 3.5× more often than similar cars). There is no single reliability score here; this is a pre-purchase checklist built from DVSA open data, not a guarantee for any individual car.

What is most likely to fail on a 2007 Volkswagen Golf?

Ranked by how often they were actually recorded, the items that most often failed a 2007 Volkswagen Golf at the first attempt were Drive shaft joints and boots (front) (13.9%), Anti-roll bar linkage ball joint dust cover (front) (10.4%) and Headlight aim (9.3%), each as a share of the year's failed first attempts. That is what goes wrong most often on the car. The common faults table shows a different measure: faults that are unusual compared with similar cars.

What common MOT faults stand out on the Volkswagen Golf 2007?

Among failed first-attempt tests we highlight patterns that appear more often than on similar cars. Top example: Side repeater indicators (4.7% of those tests; 657 observed failures; about 3.5× more often than similar cars). These are statistical signals, not a diagnosis of any individual car.

Why does Side repeater indicators stand out?

Side repeater indicators shows up more often than on similar cars (4.7% of those tests; 657 observed failures; about 3.5× more often than similar cars). That does not prove a design fault. Age, mileage, and how the car was used still matter. Treat it as a pre-purchase checkpoint, not a manufacturer service bulletin.

What are common problems with the 2007 Volkswagen Golf?

Common MOT problem areas for the 2007 Volkswagen Golf include Side repeater indicators, Electronic stability control, Anti-roll bar linkage ball joint dust cover (front). These are the faults that stand out compared with similar cars, not a complete list of what can go wrong on any individual car.

How should I read advisories vs fails?

Advisories flag issues noted at the test and are not a fail rate. We show advisory patterns that appear more often than on similar cars among failed first-attempt tests, separate from common failure rows. Use them as early-warning checks, not as a pass/fail score.

What does this Volkswagen Golf 2007 MOT report cover?

This page highlights MOT failure patterns for the 2007 Volkswagen Golf (registration year) using UK DVSA open data for the selected test year. Patterns are compared with cars of a similar age and mileage. It is a buyer checklist from MOT defect statistics, not a full service history or manufacturer service-bulletin list.

Does this include engine and gearbox problems?

No. MOT tests do not cover engine internals, gearboxes, or many electronic modules. Patterns here come from MOT defect statistics only and should not be read as engine or gearbox reliability scores.

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.

2024 2025

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.

At a glance

What failed most often

Lamps and electrical

Side repeater indicators

What it means

Brakes

Electronic stability control

What it means

Suspension

Anti-roll bar linkage ball joint dust cover (front)

What it means

Anti-roll bar ball joint dust cover (front)

What it means

Noise, emissions and leaks

Diesel emissions test (pre-reg turbo rules before 01/07/2008)

Body and structure

Drive shaft joints and boots (front)

What it means

Advisories

Anti-roll bar linkage ball joints (rear)

Anti-roll bar ball joint (rear)

Noise-suppression undertray

Suspension arm pins and bushes (rear)

Suspension arm (front)

Brake performance (plate test, rear)

Anti-roll bar (front)

Suspension arm (rear)

MOT pass rates

Petrol and diesel

Same model, other years

If you are buying one

Mileage matters most on a 2007 Golf.

Petrol or diesel?

What to check at your mileage

When a car fails

FAQs

About this data

What we include

Same-day repairs

How we compare

What this does not cover

Check any vehicle’s MOT history