At a glance
How 36,544 first tests went in 2025.
- Passed first time
- 57 in every 100
- Did not pass first time
- 43 in every 10015,741 failed first-attempt tests
- The typical car
- 14 yearsabout 86,332 miles
- First tests counted
- 36,544
What failed most often
- Suspension arm pins and bushes (front)11 in every 100 failed tests
- Headlight aim9 in every 100 failed tests
- Handbrake efficiency below minimum (roller test)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 2011 Volkswagen Polo 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.
Brakes
Three faults. The strongest is the brake hand lever: 6.2 times as often as on similar cars.
Figures below are measured across the 15,735 of 15,741 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.
Brake hand lever
What it means
A brake lever is failed for insufficient reserve only if it is touching the floor or handlebar. On motorcycle derived systems the lever may touch the handlebar, so the extent of reserve travel is assessed during the brake test. A lever not releasing correctly is Minor, and Major where the functionality of the brakes is affected.
Handbrake lever
Also noted as an advisory
Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 49 first tests, 3.2 times as often as on similar cars.
Brake imbalance across an axle (roller test, efficiency check, rear)
What it means
A wheel giving less than a set share of the maximum effort from the other wheel on the same axle is Major. On a steered axle, less than half is graded Dangerous. Testers disregard an imbalance if the lower effort is the result of a locked wheel, or if the higher effort from a wheel is at or below a low set figure.
Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage. Advisories count notes recorded on failed first tests only.
Body and structure
One fault: exhaust system (front), 3.3 times as often as on similar cars.
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 770 first tests, 2.9 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.
Suspension
Four faults. The strongest is the shock absorbers (front): 3.1 times as often as on similar cars.
Shock absorbers (front)
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 2,698 first tests, 4.7 times as often as on similar cars.
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.
Suspension arm pins and bushes (front)
What it means
Pins and bushes on suspension arms fail as Major when they are excessively worn. They are graded Dangerous when likely to become detached. DVSA uses the same wording for a suspension joint.
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
One fault: petrol emissions (with catalyst), 2.3 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.
Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage.
Lamps and electrical
One fault: individual sidelight or tail light (rear), 2.0 times as often as on similar cars.
Individual sidelight or tail light (rear)
What it means
A position lamp showing red light to the front or white light to the rear is Major. Rear lamps must show a steady red light, and front ones can show white, predominantly white with a blue tinge, or yellow if combined in a yellow headlamp. With a multiple light source, up to half not working is Minor and more than half is Major.
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. Advisories for the faults above are shown with those faults.
Seat belt mounting area (front)
Vehicle structure condition (front)
Chassis condition (front)
Power steering pipes and hoses (front)
Handbrake efficiency on trikes, quads and pre-1968 vehicles (decelerometer test)
Handbrake efficiency on trikes, quads and pre-1968 vehicles (roller test)
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 56.9% of 36,544 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
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, 58 in every 100 passed first time.
| Year | Passed first time | First tests |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 57 in every 100 | 347 |
| 1999 | 60 in every 100 | 710 |
| 2000 | 53 in every 100 | 1,908 |
| 2001 | 54 in every 100 | 2,969 |
| 2002 | 48 in every 100 | 4,711 |
| 2003 | 47 in every 100 | 8,132 |
| 2004 | 47 in every 100 | 10,245 |
| 2005 | 46 in every 100 | 12,446 |
| 2006 | 48 in every 100 | 16,464 |
| 2007 | 51 in every 100 | 19,945 |
| 2008 | 50 in every 100 | 22,110 |
| 2009 | 52 in every 100 | 20,959 |
| 2010 | 55 in every 100 | 34,091 |
| 2011 This car | 57 in every 100 | 36,544 |
| 2012 | 60 in every 100 | 35,425 |
| 2013 | 62 in every 100 | 36,830 |
| 2014 | 66 in every 100 | 42,662 |
| 2015 | 72 in every 100 | 49,512 |
| 2016 | 74 in every 100 | 49,981 |
| 2017 | 76 in every 100 | 44,389 |
| 2018 | 75 in every 100 | 42,231 |
| 2019 | 79 in every 100 | 35,183 |
| 2020 | 86 in every 100 | 25,440 |
| 2021 | 88 in every 100 | 29,050 |
| 2022 | 92 in every 100 | 21,988 |
If you are buying one
What this year's MOT record means for the decision in front of you.
Mileage matters most on a 2011 Polo.
Of 2011 Polo vehicles with under 59,000 miles, 72 in every 100 passed their 2025 MOT first time. With 114,000 miles or more, 48 in every 100 did.
Petrol or diesel?
| Typical mileage | Passed first time, as tested | Passed first time, same mileage | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Petrol | 83,402 miles | 58 | 57 |
| Diesel | 109,577 miles | 52 | 55 |
Figures are in every 100 first tests. Petrol cars look better on the raw figures only because diesel cars have done more miles (typically 109,577 against 83,402). 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 59,000 | 78,000–94,000 | 114,000 and over | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Suspension arm pins and bushes (front) | 2.8 | 5.2 | 5.6 |
| Headlight aim | 2.0 | 3.9 | 5.1 |
| Handbrake efficiency below minimum (roller test) | 0.6 | 4.0 | 7.0 |
| Shock absorbers (rear) | 1.3 | 3.6 | 4.9 |
| Anti-roll bar linkage ball joint dust cover (front) | 2.1 | 3.4 | 4.1 |
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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