Model Reports 4 min read Updated 18 Oct 2026

Volkswagen Polo 2018: reliability & common MOT faults

In 2025, 75 in every 100 first MOTs on a 2018 Volkswagen Polo were passes. Most common reason for a fail: Track rod end (front).

Summary

A 2018 Volkswagen Polo passed first time about 3 in every 100 less often than the average of the 2017 and 2019 model years.

At a glance

How 42,231 first tests went in 2025.

Passed first time
75 in every 100
Did not pass first time
25 in every 10010,728 failed first-attempt tests
The typical car
7 yearsabout 45,747 miles
First tests counted
42,231

What failed most often

  1. Track rod end (front)39 in every 100 failed tests
  2. Tyre tread depth (front)7 in every 100 failed tests
  3. Windscreen washers7 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 2018 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.

Steering

One fault: track rod end (front), 16 times as often as on similar cars.

Figures below are measured across the 10,726 of 10,728 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.

Track rod end (front)

Failed on 4,194 first tests16 times as often as similar carsStrong evidence

What it means

A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play is Major, and one worn to the extent there is a serious risk of detachment is graded Dangerous. A dust cover that is damaged but still keeps dirt out is Minor, and one missing or no longer keeping dirt out is Major. Testers must tell wear from a joint's built-in clearance or spring loading.

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

Suspension

One fault: shock absorbers (front), 4.8 times as often as on similar cars.

Shock absorbers (front)

Failed on 600 first tests4.8 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

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 1,030 first tests, 4.9 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.

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.

Handbrake lever

Noted on 69 first tests11 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Brake imbalance across an axle (roller test, rear)

Noted on 28 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
75in every 100
Passed on the first test.
Fixed at the station
3in every 100
Failed, then fixed at the test station the same day.
Failed
22in every 100
Did not pass, and were not fixed at the test station.

First-attempt pass 74.6% of 42,231 first tests (2025): only cars that passed first time count. Official-style pass 78.0%: cars fixed at the test station also count as a pass. The 3 fixed and the 22 not fixed make the 25 in every 100 that did not pass first time.

Petrol and diesel

First testsTypical mileagePassed first time, as tested
Petrol41,92945,678 miles75
Diesel30262,946 miles73

Figures are in every 100 first tests.

Same model, other years

Passed first time in every 100, all tested in 2025.

40608010020002005201020152018Older carsNewer cars
406080100200020102018Older cars

Newer cars are younger, so look for a jump rather than the climb. A year earlier (2024), when these cars were a year younger, 76 in every 100 passed first time.

YearPassed first timeFirst tests
199857 in every 100347
199960 in every 100710
200053 in every 1001,908
200154 in every 1002,969
200248 in every 1004,711
200347 in every 1008,132
200447 in every 10010,245
200546 in every 10012,446
200648 in every 10016,464
200751 in every 10019,945
200850 in every 10022,110
200952 in every 10020,959
201055 in every 10034,091
201157 in every 10036,544
201260 in every 10035,425
201362 in every 10036,830
201466 in every 10042,662
201572 in every 10049,512
201674 in every 10049,981
201776 in every 10044,389
2018 This car75 in every 10042,231
201979 in every 10035,183
202086 in every 10025,440
202188 in every 10029,050
202292 in every 10021,988

If you are buying one

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

Mileage matters most on a 2018 Polo.

Of 2018 Polo vehicles with under 30,000 miles, 81 in every 100 passed their 2025 MOT first time. With 63,000 miles or more, 69 in every 100 did.

Under 30,0008,490 tests
81
30,000–41,0008,552 tests
77
41,000–51,000 Typical car8,506 tests
74
51,000–63,0008,059 tests
72
63,000 and over8,618 tests
69

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 30,00041,000–51,00063,000 and over
Track rod end (front)9.110.410.6
Tyre tread depth (front)0.61.73.0
Windscreen washers0.71.72.5
Shock absorbers (front)0.00.54.6
Brake pads (front)0.31.61.9

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

When a car fails

47in every 100

of failed cars had one item to fix.

19in every 100

of failed cars had three or more items to fix.

5in 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.

A 2018 Volkswagen Polo passed first time about 3 in every 100 less often than the average of the 2017 and 2019 model years. In 2025, 74.6% of 42,231 first MOTs on the 2018 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 78.0%. Among 10,728 failed first-attempt MOT tests (test year 2025), Track rod end (front) appears more often than on similar cars (39.1% of those tests; 4,194 observed failures; about 16× 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.
Ranked by how often they were actually recorded, the items that most often failed a 2018 Volkswagen Polo at the first attempt were Track rod end (front) (39.1%), Tyre tread depth (front) (6.9%) and Windscreen washers (6.7%), 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.
Among failed first-attempt tests we highlight patterns that appear more often than on similar cars. Top example: Track rod end (front) (39.1% of those tests; 4,194 observed failures; about 16× more often than similar cars). These are statistical signals, not a diagnosis of any individual car.
Track rod end (front) shows up more often than on similar cars (39.1% of those tests; 4,194 observed failures; about 16× 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.
Common MOT problem areas for the 2018 Volkswagen Polo include Track rod end (front), Shock absorbers (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.
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 2018 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.
  • 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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