Volkswagen Sharan 2020: reliability & common MOT faults

At a glance

How 1,428 first tests went in 2025.

Passed first time: 86 in every 100
Did not pass first time: 14 in every 100204 failed first-attempt tests
The typical car: 5 yearsabout 45,210 miles
First tests counted: 1,428

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 2020 Volkswagen Sharan 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.

Suspension

One fault: suspension arm pins and bushes (front), 6.8 times as often as on similar cars.

Figures below are measured across the 204 failed first attempts in 2025 that had a mileage recorded, which allows a like-for-like comparison.

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.

Suspension arm pins and bushes (front)

Failed on 22 first tests6.8 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

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.

Also noted as an advisory

Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 35 first tests, 6.8 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.

Non-component advisories (rear)

Noted on 25 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: 86in every 100; Passed on the first test.
Fixed at the station: 2in every 100; Failed, then fixed at the test station the same day.
Failed: 12in every 100; Did not pass, and were not fixed at the test station.

First-attempt pass 85.7% of 1,428 first tests (2025): only cars that passed first time count. Official-style pass 88.1%: cars fixed at the test station also count as a pass. The 2 fixed and the 12 not fixed make the 14 in every 100 that did not pass first time.

Petrol and diesel

First testsPassed first time, as tested

Diesel98587

Petrol44384

Figures are in every 100 first tests.

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, 83 in every 100 passed first time.

Year	Passed first time	First tests
2005	52 in every 100	437
2006	50 in every 100	430
2007	49 in every 100	489
2008	50 in every 100	416
2009	50 in every 100	363
2010	55 in every 100	568
2011	67 in every 100	2,005
2012	67 in every 100	1,945
2013	68 in every 100	2,027
2014	71 in every 100	2,551
2015	75 in every 100	2,773
2016	78 in every 100	2,683
2017	79 in every 100	2,828
2018	83 in every 100	2,662
2019	85 in every 100	4,526
2020 This car	86 in every 100	1,428
2021	84 in every 100	1,050

FAQs

Short answers about how to read this model-year guide.

Is the 2020 Volkswagen Sharan reliable?

The 2020 Volkswagen Sharan follows the pattern of the model years either side. In 2025, 85.7% of 1,428 first MOTs on the 2020 Volkswagen Sharan passed first time (PRS: items fixed at the station the same day, counted as a fail). The official-style rate including PRS is 88.1%. Among 204 failed first-attempt MOT tests (test year 2025), Suspension arm pins and bushes (front) appears more often than on similar cars (10.8% of those tests; 22 observed failures; about 6.8× 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.

What common MOT faults stand out on the Volkswagen Sharan 2020?

Among failed first-attempt tests we highlight patterns that appear more often than on similar cars. Top example: Suspension arm pins and bushes (front) (10.8% of those tests; 22 observed failures; about 6.8× more often than similar cars). These are statistical signals, not a diagnosis of any individual car.

Why does Suspension arm pins and bushes (front) stand out?

Suspension arm pins and bushes (front) shows up more often than on similar cars (10.8% of those tests; 22 observed failures; about 6.8× 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.

What are common problems with the 2020 Volkswagen Sharan?

Common MOT problem areas for the 2020 Volkswagen Sharan include Suspension arm pins and bushes (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.

How should I read advisories vs fails?

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.

What does this Volkswagen Sharan 2020 MOT report cover?

This page highlights MOT failure patterns for the 2020 Volkswagen Sharan (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.

Does this include engine and gearbox problems?

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.