Model Reports 4 min read Updated 18 Oct 2026

Volkswagen Scirocco 2016: reliability & common MOT faults

In 2025, 78 in every 100 first MOTs on a 2016 Volkswagen Scirocco were passes. Most common reason for a fail: Tyre condition (front).

Summary

The 2016 Volkswagen Scirocco follows the pattern of the model years either side.

At a glance

How 5,022 first tests went in 2025.

Passed first time
78 in every 100
Did not pass first time
22 in every 1001,084 failed first-attempt tests
The typical car
9 yearsabout 68,146 miles
First tests counted
5,022

What failed most often

  1. Tyre condition (front)16 in every 100 failed tests
  2. Coil spring (front)9 in every 100 failed tests
  3. Tyre tread depth (front)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.

Note:

These are patterns across 2016 Volkswagen Scirocco 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

Two faults. The strongest is the anti-lock braking system (ABS): 5.0 times as often as on similar cars.

Figures below are measured across the 1,083 of 1,084 failed first attempts (99.9%) 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.

Anti-lock braking system (ABS)

Failed on 54 first tests5.0 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

What it means

ABS is failed as removed only where it has obviously been removed, because not every vehicle in the age range where removal is not permitted has ABS. A warning lamp that does not light or shows an ABS fault is Major, as is a missing or excessively damaged wheel speed sensor. Every failure row for this component is Major.

Electronic stability control

Failed on 33 first tests3.5 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.

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.

Suspension arm (rear)

Noted on 102 first tests18 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Shock absorbers (rear)

Noted on 60 first tests2.6 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Shock absorbers (front)

Noted on 70 first tests2.2 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Wheel condition (front)

Noted on 21 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
78in every 100
Passed on the first test.
Fixed at the station
4in every 100
Failed, then fixed at the test station the same day.
Failed
18in every 100
Did not pass, and were not fixed at the test station.

First-attempt pass 78.4% of 5,022 first tests (2025): only cars that passed first time count. Official-style pass 81.7%: cars fixed at the test station also count as a pass. The 4 fixed and the 18 not fixed make the 22 in every 100 that did not pass first time.

Petrol and diesel

First testsTypical mileagePassed first time, as testedPassed first time, same mileage
Petrol2,71063,361 miles8180
Diesel2,31275,207 miles7576

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.

40608010020102016Older carsNewer cars
40608010020102016Older 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, 80 in every 100 passed first time.

YearPassed first timeFirst tests
200860 in every 100814
200960 in every 1004,559
201061 in every 1005,567
201162 in every 1005,434
201265 in every 1004,016
201366 in every 1004,133
201468 in every 1003,519
201574 in every 1005,153
2016 This car78 in every 1005,022
201780 in every 1004,427
201884 in every 100614

If you are buying one

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

Mileage matters most on a 2016 Scirocco.

Of 2016 Scirocco vehicles with under 50,000 miles, 84 in every 100 passed their 2025 MOT first time. With 89,000 miles or more, 71 in every 100 did.

Under 50,0001,019 tests
84
50,000–63,000998 tests
80
63,000–74,000 Typical car1,005 tests
79
74,000–89,000981 tests
77
89,000 and over1,017 tests
71

Petrol or diesel?

Typical mileagePassed first time,
as tested		Passed first time,
same mileage
Petrol63,361 miles8180
Diesel75,207 miles7576

Figures are in every 100 first tests. Petrol cars look better on the raw figures only because diesel cars have done more miles (typically 75,207 against 63,361). 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 50,00063,000–74,00089,000 and over
Tyre condition (front)2.84.03.2
Coil spring (front)2.31.52.0
Tyre tread depth (front)0.72.42.9
Brake pads (rear)1.31.52.3
Windscreen washers0.61.02.6

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

When a car fails

49in every 100

of failed cars had one item to fix.

24in every 100

of failed cars had three or more items to fix.

8in 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.

The 2016 Volkswagen Scirocco follows the pattern of the model years either side. Its main cause of failure was Tyre condition (front), about 16 in every 100 failed tests. In 2025, 78.4% of 5,022 first MOTs on the 2016 Volkswagen Scirocco passed first time (PRS: items fixed at the station the same day, counted as a fail). The official-style rate including PRS is 81.7%. Among 1,084 failed first-attempt MOT tests (test year 2025), Anti-lock braking system (ABS) appears more often than on similar cars (5.0% of those tests; 54 observed failures; about 5.0× 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 2016 Volkswagen Scirocco at the first attempt were Tyre condition (front) (15.9%), Coil spring (front) (9.4%) and Tyre tread depth (front) (9.1%), 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: Anti-lock braking system (ABS) (5.0% of those tests; 54 observed failures; about 5.0× more often than similar cars). These are statistical signals, not a diagnosis of any individual car.
Anti-lock braking system (ABS) shows up more often than on similar cars (5.0% of those tests; 54 observed failures; about 5.0× 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 2016 Volkswagen Scirocco include Anti-lock braking system (ABS), Electronic stability control. 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 2016 Volkswagen Scirocco (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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