Model Reports 8 min read Updated 11 Sep 2026 DVSA open data · 19,945 tests analysed

Volkswagen Polo 2007: reliability & common MOT faults

9,808 first-attempt MOT failures were recorded on the 2007 Volkswagen Polo in 2025. The items recorded most often on them were Drive shafts — Joints (front) and Position lamp (front). Figures are among first-attempt failed MOT tests, not among all tests.

2007 Polos break the Polo's own run — at 50.8% they land 1.8 pp above the midpoint of the 2006 and 2008 cars either side.

First-attempt pass

50.8%

of 19,945 first tests (2025)

First tests

19,945

test year 2025

Failed first attempts

9,808

failed first-attempt tests

Most common fail

17.8%

Drive shafts — Joints (front)

MOT pass rates

First-attempt and official-style rates among class 4 first tests of the year.

First-attempt pass

50.8%

of 19,945 first tests (2025)

Official-style pass

59.6%

incl. same-day PRS fixes

First tests

19,945

class 4 · first MOT of the year

Typical age 18.0 yrs · median mileage 94,845 mi

vs 2024: +0.0 pp first-attempt

Note:

  • Class 4 cars · first MOT of the year per vehicle · P/PRS/F outcomes (2025 data).
  • PRS (fixed at the station the same day) counts as a fail in the first-attempt rate.
  • Raw outcomes for this cohort — not adjusted for age, mileage, or peer mix.
  • MOT doesn't test engine or gearbox internals.

Common faults

Failure patterns that show up more often on this registration year than on similar cars.

These MOT failure patterns show up more often on this registration year than on similar cars of the same class, age, and mileage.

Shares below are measured across the 9,788 of 9,808 failed first attempts (99.8%) that recorded an odometer reading in 2025 — the subset the age-and-mileage comparison can be computed on.

Standout: Door condition (rear) — 3.0% of this year's failed first attempts

Recorded on 291 of those tests. It tops the table on elevation — about 8.4× more often than on similar cars of the same age and mileage. That is what makes it unusual for its class, which is a different question from what is most likely to fail; the buying checklist ranks by that. The full ranked list is in the table below.

Fault pattern Location Failures vs similar cars Share of fails Confidence
Door condition (rear)
Body, chassis, structure > Doors > Other passenger's door > Door condition
 Rear 291 ×8.4 3.0% Strong
Suspension arm (front)
Suspension > Suspension arms > Suspension arm
 Front 202 ×7.3 2.1% Strong
Side repeaters (front)
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment > Direction indicators > Flashing type > Side repeaters
 Front 592 ×5.0 6.0% Strong
Hand lever
Brakes > Service brake pedal or hand lever > Hand lever
 Any 203 ×4.9 2.1% Likely
Parking brake control — Lever
Brakes > Parking brake control > Lever
 Any 319 ×4.3 3.3% Likely
Service brake imbalance (rear)
Brakes > Brake performance > Service Brake Efficiency (sp) > Rbt (sp) > Service brake imbalance
 Rear 407 ×3.6 4.2% Likely
Exhaust system (front)
Body, chassis, structure > Exhaust system
 Front 291 ×3.2 3.0% Likely
Drive shafts — Joints (front)
Body, chassis, structure > Transmission > Drive shafts > Joints
 Front 1,740 ×2.9 17.8% Possible
Linkage ball joint dust cover (front)
Suspension > Anti-roll bars > Linkage ball joint dust cover
 Front 954 ×2.2 9.7% Possible
Ball joint dust cover (front)
Suspension > Anti-roll bars > Ball joint dust cover
 Front 359 ×2.0 3.7% Possible

Only patterns that clear minimum sample and elevation thresholds are shown (at least 20 failures and about 2.0× more often than similar cars).

Note: Rates and comparisons are among first-attempt failed tests, not all MOTs. Patterns come from MOT defect codes — not manufacturer service bulletins, recalls, or a diagnosis of any individual car. Failures and advisories are listed separately.

Advisories

Notes recorded at the test that appear more often than on similar cars.

Advisory notes recorded on failed first-attempt tests that appear more often than on similar cars.

Advisory pattern Location Notes vs similar cars Share Confidence
Pipes and hoses (front)
Steering > Power steering > Pipes and hoses
 Front 162 ×3.5 1.7% Elevated
Parking brake control — Lever
Brakes > Parking brake control > Lever
 Any 41 ×2.8 0.4% Likely
Brake fluid
Brakes > Hydraulic systems > Brake fluid
 Any 39 ×2.8 0.4% Possible
Individual direction indicators (front)
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment > Direction indicators > Flashing type > Individual direction indicators
 Front 242 ×2.7 2.5% Possible
Exhaust system (front)
Body, chassis, structure > Exhaust system
 Front 452 ×2.7 4.6% Likely
Suspension arm (front)
Suspension > Suspension arms > Suspension arm
 Front 496 ×2.4 5.1% Strong
Service brake imbalance (rear)
Brakes > Brake performance > Service brake performance > Rbt > Service brake imbalance
 Rear 81 ×2.3 0.8% Possible
Note: Advisories are not a fail rate — they flag issues noted at the test, often before they become failures.

If you are buying one

What this year's MOT record means for the decision in front of you.

This year outperforms the Polo's own age curve — it holds up better than its place in the model's run would predict.

Other Polo years worth knowing about

Newer cars always pass more often, so a plain "best year" list would just rank by age. These are the years that beat or miss the trend their own neighbouring years set — the only age-adjusted signal this data supports.

Year vs the years either side First-attempt pass (rises with newer cars) First tests
2008 Polo -1.1 pp worse 50.5% 22,110

What to check on a 2007 Polo

The items that failed 2007 Polos most often, as a share of the year's failed first attempts. This is what goes wrong, not what is unusual — the table further up the page covers that.

  • Drive shafts — Joints (front) — recorded on 17.8% of failed first attempts
  • Position lamp (front) — recorded on 10.5% of failed first attempts
  • Catalyst emissions — recorded on 10.5% of failed first attempts
  • Linkage ball joint dust cover (front) — recorded on 9.7% of failed first attempts
  • Visibility — Washers — recorded on 9.3% of failed first attempts

Every figure here is a first-attempt MOT rate from DVSA open data for this model line. 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.

2007 Polos break the Polo's own run — at 50.8% they land 1.8 pp above the midpoint of the 2006 and 2008 cars either side. In 2025, 50.8% of 19,945 first MOTs on the 2007 Volkswagen Polo passed first time (PRS — items fixed at the station the same day — counted as a fail). The official-style rate including PRS is 59.6%. Among 9,808 failed first-attempt MOT tests (test year 2025), Door condition (rear) appears more of…
Ranked by how often they were actually recorded, the items that failed 2007 Volkswagen Polos most often at the first attempt were Drive shafts — Joints (front) (17.8%), Position lamp (front) (10.5%) and Catalyst emissions (10.5%) — each as a share of the year's failed first attempts. That is what goes wrong on the car. It is a different question from which patterns are unusual for the class, which the common-faults…
Among failed first-attempt tests we highlight patterns that appear more often than on similar cars. Top example: Door condition (rear) (3.0% of those tests; 291 observed failures; about 8.4× more often than similar cars). These are statistical signals, not a diagnosis of any individual car.
Door condition (rear) shows up more often than on similar cars (3.0% of those tests; 291 observed failures; about 8.4× 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 check point, not a manufacturer service bulletin.
Common MOT problem areas for the 2007 Volkswagen Polo include Door condition (rear), Suspension arm (front), Side repeaters (front). These patterns show up more often than on similar cars after we filter out sparse noise — not a full list of every possible fault on an individual car.
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.
This page highlights MOT failure patterns for the 2007 Volkswagen Polo (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.
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.
  • We never invent pass rates, star scores, or ranks when those data marts are missing.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

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