At a glance
How 8,432 first tests went in 2025.
- Passed first time
- 54 in every 100
- Did not pass first time
- 46 in every 1003,857 failed first-attempt tests
- The typical car
- 21 yearsabout 177,666 miles
- First tests counted
- 8,432
What failed most often
- Handbrake efficiency below minimum (roller test)12 in every 100 failed tests
- Drive shaft joints and boots (front)10 in every 100 failed tests
- Individual sidelight or tail light (front)10 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 2004 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
Three faults. The strongest is the rear reflectors: 13 times as often as on similar cars.
Figures below are measured across the 3,854 of 3,857 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.
Rear reflectors
What it means
A missing rear reflector, or one reflecting white to the rear, is graded Major, as is a reflector with more than half of its reflecting surface defective or damaged. Damage to up to half of the surface is Minor, and so is a reflector that is insecure or not red in colour. Reflective tape is not an acceptable substitute for a rear reflector.
Headlight levelling device
What it means
A headlamp levelling device that is inoperative is graded Major, and so is a manual levelling device that cannot be operated from the driver's seat. Vehicles with high intensity discharge or LED dipped beam headlamps may have a self-levelling system, and if fitted it must work. Where it is not easy to tell, testers give the benefit of the doubt, and motor caravans are not checked.
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.
Suspension
One fault: anti-roll bar pins and bushes (front), 3.2 times as often as on similar cars.
Anti-roll bar pins and bushes (front)
What it means
An anti-roll bar pin or bush that is excessively worn is Major, and one likely to become detached is graded Dangerous. The wording is DVSA's general rule for a suspension pin, bush or joint.
Also noted as an advisory
Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 127 first tests, 2.3 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.
Brakes
One fault: flexible brake hoses (front), 3.2 times as often as on similar cars.
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 215 first tests, 2.2 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.
Noise, emissions and leaks
One fault: diesel emissions test (pre-reg turbo rules before 01/07/2008), 2.2 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 38 first tests, 2.6 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.
Suspension arm (rear)
Brake cable (rear)
Power steering pipes and hoses (front)
Seat belt condition (front)
Suspension mounting area (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
- 6in every 100
- Failed, then fixed at the test station the same day.
- Failed
- 40in every 100
- Did not pass, and were not fixed at the test station.
First-attempt pass 54.3% of 8,432 first tests (2025): only cars that passed first time count. Official-style pass 60.2%: cars fixed at the test station also count as a pass. The 6 fixed and the 40 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.
| 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 | 54 in every 100 | 5,678 |
| 2002 | 55 in every 100 | 5,811 |
| 2003 | 54 in every 100 | 6,356 |
| 2004 This car | 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 makes a modest difference on a 2004 Transporter.
Of 2004 Transporter vehicles with under 132,000 miles, 60 in every 100 passed their 2025 MOT first time. With 225,000 miles or more, 54 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 132,000 | 163,000–191,000 | 225,000 and over | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Handbrake efficiency below minimum (roller test) | 3.7 | 5.8 | 6.7 |
| Drive shaft joints and boots (front) | 2.0 | 5.7 | 6.1 |
| Individual sidelight or tail light (front) | 2.7 | 4.2 | 5.0 |
| Headlight aim | 3.1 | 4.5 | 4.2 |
| Track rod end (front) | 3.1 | 4.9 | 4.2 |
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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