At a glance
How 5,678 first tests went in 2025.
- Passed first time
- 54 in every 100
- Did not pass first time
- 46 in every 1002,609 failed first-attempt tests
- The typical car
- 24 yearsabout 177,248 miles
- First tests counted
- 5,678
What failed most often
- Suspension mounting area (rear)15 in every 100 failed tests
- Horn11 in every 100 failed tests
- Headlight aim10 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 2001 Volkswagen Transporter 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.
Lamps and electrical
One fault: horn, 5.4 times as often as on similar cars.
Figures below are measured across the 2,600 of 2,609 failed first attempts (99.7%) 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.
Horn
What it means
A horn that does not work, or is likely to be confused with an emergency vehicle siren, is graded Major. Gongs, bells, sirens and anything with more than one tone, which includes a horn that alternates between its notes, are not allowed, except a gong, bell or siren on vehicles first used before a set date. Sound defects are Minor for named cases such as a bell or harsh sound, and Major under a general row.
Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage.
Steering
One fault: steering rack (front), 4.0 times as often as on similar cars.
Steering rack (front)
What it means
Steering gear casing retaining devices dangerously loose, or visible relative movement to the chassis or bodywork, is graded Dangerous. A casing not properly attached, or fractured, is Major, but a fracture that affects the stability or attachment of the casing is Dangerous. A gaiter damaged but still keeping dirt out is Minor, and Major once missing or no longer doing so.
Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage.
Brakes
Three faults. The strongest is the brake efficiency below minimum (roller test): 3.3 times as often as on similar cars.
Brake efficiency below minimum (roller test)
Flexible brake hoses (front)
What it means
Testers reject a flexible brake hose for being excessively damaged or chafed only if it is severe enough to expose the reinforcement. Slight damage, chafing or twisting is graded Minor. A leak is graded Dangerous on a hydraulic braking system and Major on an air system, and a hose damaged and likely to fail is also Dangerous.
Also noted as an advisory
Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 249 first tests, 2.8 times as often as on similar cars.
Flexible brake hoses (rear)
What it means
Testers reject a flexible brake hose for being excessively damaged or chafed only if it is severe enough to expose the reinforcement. Slight damage, chafing or twisting is graded Minor. A leak is graded Dangerous on a hydraulic braking system and Major on an air system, and a hose damaged and likely to fail is also Dangerous.
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
Two faults. The strongest is the diesel emissions test (pre-reg turbo rules before 01/07/2008): 3.2 times as often as on similar cars.
Diesel emissions test (pre-reg turbo rules before 01/07/2008)
Also noted as an advisory
Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 43 first tests, 5.1 times as often as on similar cars.
Diesel emissions not tested
What it means
An emissions test on a diesel that is unable to be completed is graded Major. The failure wording 'not tested' carries the same Major grade.
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: vehicle structure condition (front), 2.4 times as often as on similar cars.
Vehicle structure condition (front)
What it means
Structure that is fractured, deformed, corroded, modified or inadequately repaired is failed on rigidity only if the overall structural rigidity of the vehicle is significantly reduced. Structure that is likely to affect steering or braking adversely is graded Dangerous. Prescribed areas are not covered here, as they are checked under other sections, including brakes and steering.
Also noted as an advisory
Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 107 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
One fault: suspension arm ball joint dust cover (front), 2.1 times as often as on similar cars.
Suspension arm ball joint dust cover (front)
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.
Steering column
Brake cable
Brake load-sensing valve
Other suspension component ball joint (front)
Rigid brake pipes (front)
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
- 54in every 100
- Passed on the first test.
- Fixed at the station
- 5in every 100
- Failed, then fixed at the test station the same day.
- Failed
- 41in every 100
- Did not pass, and were not fixed at the test station.
First-attempt pass 54.1% of 5,678 first tests (2025): only cars that passed first time count. Official-style pass 58.8%: cars fixed at the test station also count as a pass. The 5 fixed and the 41 not fixed make the 46 in every 100 that did not pass first time.
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, 53 in every 100 passed first time.
| Year | Passed first time | First tests |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 59 in every 100 | 414 |
| 1986 | 63 in every 100 | 668 |
| 1987 | 61 in every 100 | 586 |
| 1988 | 64 in every 100 | 751 |
| 1989 | 62 in every 100 | 1,014 |
| 1990 | 63 in every 100 | 1,024 |
| 1991 | 62 in every 100 | 696 |
| 1992 | 53 in every 100 | 915 |
| 1993 | 54 in every 100 | 880 |
| 1994 | 55 in every 100 | 1,547 |
| 1995 | 53 in every 100 | 1,828 |
| 1996 | 53 in every 100 | 2,153 |
| 1997 | 55 in every 100 | 2,564 |
| 1998 | 54 in every 100 | 3,263 |
| 1999 | 54 in every 100 | 3,621 |
| 2000 | 54 in every 100 | 4,114 |
| 2001 This car | 54 in every 100 | 5,678 |
| 2002 | 55 in every 100 | 5,811 |
| 2003 | 54 in every 100 | 6,356 |
| 2004 | 54 in every 100 | 8,432 |
| 2005 | 55 in every 100 | 9,265 |
| 2006 | 55 in every 100 | 10,567 |
| 2007 | 57 in every 100 | 12,554 |
| 2008 | 58 in every 100 | 11,988 |
| 2009 | 59 in every 100 | 8,628 |
| 2010 | 63 in every 100 | 10,394 |
| 2011 | 65 in every 100 | 11,699 |
| 2012 | 67 in every 100 | 12,064 |
| 2013 | 70 in every 100 | 14,083 |
| 2014 | 69 in every 100 | 15,453 |
| 2015 | 71 in every 100 | 17,534 |
| 2016 | 74 in every 100 | 19,427 |
| 2017 | 75 in every 100 | 19,561 |
| 2018 | 77 in every 100 | 19,427 |
| 2019 | 79 in every 100 | 18,198 |
| 2020 | 80 in every 100 | 14,018 |
| 2021 | 81 in every 100 | 17,468 |
| 2022 | 84 in every 100 | 12,292 |
If you are buying one
What this year's MOT record means for the decision in front of you.
Mileage matters most on a 2001 Transporter.
Of 2001 Transporter vehicles with under 125,000 miles, 66 in every 100 passed their 2025 MOT first time. With 225,000 miles or more, 48 in every 100 did.
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 125,000 | 161,000–192,000 | 225,000 and over | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Suspension mounting area (rear) | 2.1 | 7.3 | 10.0 |
| Horn | 2.8 | 5.2 | 7.0 |
| Headlight aim | 3.0 | 5.9 | 5.0 |
| Drive shaft joints and boots (front) | 2.7 | 4.5 | 5.2 |
| Individual sidelight or tail light (front) | 2.9 | 3.4 | 4.0 |
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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