At a glance
How 36,830 first tests went in 2025.
- Passed first time
- 62 in every 100
- Did not pass first time
- 38 in every 10013,938 failed first-attempt tests
- The typical car
- 12 yearsabout 75,562 miles
- First tests counted
- 36,830
What failed most often
- Suspension arm pins and bushes (front)9 in every 100 failed tests
- Headlight aim9 in every 100 failed tests
- Coil spring (front)8 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 2013 Volkswagen Polo vehicles in 2025, not a prediction that any one car will have them. Faults are grouped by part of the car. A wear pattern follows age and use more than the way the car was built. They come from MOT defect codes, not manufacturer bulletins, recalls or a diagnosis of any one car.
Brakes
Four faults. The strongest is the brake hand lever: 6.5 times as often as on similar cars.
Figures below are measured across the 13,934 of 13,938 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 34 first tests, 3.3 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.
Brake performance (roller test, rear)
Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage. Advisories count notes recorded on failed first tests only.
Tyres
One wear pattern: tyre pressure monitoring system, 4.5 times as often as on similar cars.
Tyre pressure monitoring system
What it means
A tyre pressure monitoring system that is obviously inoperative is graded Major, and so is one listed as malfunctioning or obviously inoperative. The Minor row uses the word malfunctioning too, but its detail is a warning lamp indicating a fault, and it also covers a tyre that is obviously under-inflated.
Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage.
Suspension
Two faults. The strongest is the shock absorbers (rear): 2.4 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.
Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage.
Lamps and electrical
Two faults and one wear pattern. The strongest is the individual sidelight or tail light (rear): 2.4 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.
Headlight aim not tested (front)
What it means
Headlamp aim recorded as not tested, or unable to be tested, is a Major failure. These results must only be used where it becomes apparent during the test that the item cannot be tested, and this could not have been identified before starting. The reason must be included in the additional information box.
Number plate lights (rear)
What it means
Registration plate lamps must light up the rear registration plate and operate at the same time as the position lamps. A missing or inoperative lamp is Major when the plate has only one lamp or all its lamps are not working, and Minor when the plate has several lamps or light sources and not all have failed. A lamp throwing direct white light to the rear is also Minor.
Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage.
Body and structure
One fault: exhaust system, 2.3 times as often as on similar cars.
Exhaust system
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.
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.
Power steering pipes and hoses (front)
Vehicle structure condition (front)
Steering drag link end (front)
Steering ball joint (front)
Chassis condition (front)
Steering rack play
Brake performance (plate test, 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
- 62in 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
- 30in every 100
- Did not pass, and were not fixed at the test station.
First-attempt pass 62.2% of 36,830 first tests (2025): only cars that passed first time count. Official-style pass 70.2%: cars fixed at the test station also count as a pass. The 8 fixed and the 30 not fixed make the 38 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, 63 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 | 57 in every 100 | 36,544 |
| 2012 | 60 in every 100 | 35,425 |
| 2013 This car | 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 2013 Polo.
Of 2013 Polo vehicles with under 51,000 miles, 75 in every 100 passed their 2025 MOT first time. With 102,000 miles or more, 53 in every 100 did.
Petrol or diesel?
| Typical mileage | Passed first time, as tested | Passed first time, same mileage | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Petrol | 73,470 miles | 63 | 62 |
| Diesel | 100,349 miles | 57 | 61 |
Figures are in every 100 first tests. Petrol cars look better on the raw figures only because diesel cars have done more miles (typically 100,349 against 73,470). 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 51,000 | 68,000–83,000 | 102,000 and over | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Suspension arm pins and bushes (front) | 2.1 | 3.9 | 4.8 |
| Headlight aim | 2.0 | 4.1 | 4.6 |
| Coil spring (front) | 2.6 | 3.3 | 2.8 |
| Handbrake efficiency below minimum (roller test) | 0.6 | 2.4 | 5.6 |
| Headlight (front) | 1.7 | 2.8 | 3.4 |
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.
Check any vehicle’s MOT history
Full MOT history, mileage records, and reliability insights for any UK vehicle.
Run a free check