Model Reports 4 min read Updated 18 Oct 2026

Volkswagen Up 2012: reliability & common MOT faults

In 2025, 74 in every 100 first MOTs on a 2012 Volkswagen Up were passes. Most common reason for a fail: Brake performance (roller test, rear).

Summary

A 2012 Volkswagen Up passed first time about 2 in every 100 less often than the 2013 model year next to it.

At a glance

How 13,477 first tests went in 2025.

Passed first time
74 in every 100
Did not pass first time
26 in every 1003,540 failed first-attempt tests
The typical car
13 yearsabout 69,568 miles
First tests counted
13,477

What failed most often

  1. Brake performance (roller test, rear)8 in every 100 failed tests
  2. Number plate lights7 in every 100 failed tests
  3. Tyre tread depth (front)6 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 2012 Volkswagen Up 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.

Body and structure

One fault: fuel cap, 14 times as often as on similar cars.

Figures below are measured across the 3,536 of 3,540 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.

Fuel cap

Failed on 153 first tests14 times as often as similar carsStrong evidence

What it means

A missing or ineffective fuel filler cap is Major, as is a plain fuel system leak, while a fuel system leaking excessively or a risk of fire has its own, separate wording. A fuel tank with a hole, or a split filler neck, from which fuel can leak must be failed for leaking even if the hole or split is above the fuel line.

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

Brakes

Five faults. The strongest is the brake hand lever: 5.5 times as often as on similar cars.

Brake hand lever

Failed on 82 first tests5.5 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

What it means

A brake lever is failed for insufficient reserve only if it is touching the floor or handlebar. On motorcycle derived systems the lever may touch the handlebar, so the extent of reserve travel is assessed during the brake test. A lever not releasing correctly is Minor, and Major where the functionality of the brakes is affected.

Handbrake lever

Failed on 130 first tests5.5 times as often as similar carsStrong evidence

What it means

A parking brake lever pivot or ratchet mechanism that is obviously worn is graded Minor. It is Major when worn to the extent that the brake may inadvertently release, and also when the ratchet is not holding correctly. A lever must have obvious excessive travel before being rejected.

Brake imbalance across an axle (roller test, efficiency check, rear)

Failed on 138 first tests5.2 times as often as similar carsStrong evidence

What it means

A wheel giving less than a set share of the maximum effort from the other wheel on the same axle is Major. On a steered axle, less than half is graded Dangerous. Testers disregard an imbalance if the lower effort is the result of a locked wheel, or if the higher effort from a wheel is at or below a low set figure.

Brake performance (roller test, rear)

Failed on 290 first tests3.6 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

What it means

A wheel with no recorded braking effort on the roller test is graded Dangerous. Inadequate effort, a brake grabbing severely, abnormal lag and excessive fluctuation in effort are each Major. So is significant brake effort recorded with no brake applied, which indicates a binding brake.

Also noted as an advisory

Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 201 first tests, 2.6 times as often as on similar cars.

Brake efficiency below minimum (roller test)

Failed on 88 first tests3.3 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

What it means

Service brake efficiency below the minimum requirement is Major, and efficiency less than half of the required value is graded Dangerous. On a roller brake tester, if more than half of the wheels of a brake system lock, the efficiency requirement for that system counts as met.

Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage. Advisories count notes recorded on failed first tests only.

Lamps and electrical

One fault: number plate lights (rear), 2.3 times as often as on similar cars.

Number plate lights (rear)

Failed on 249 first tests2.3 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

Registration plate lamps must light up the rear registration plate and operate at the same time as the position lamps. A missing or inoperative lamp is Major when the plate has only one lamp or all its lamps are not working, and Minor when the plate has several lamps or light sources and not all have failed. A lamp throwing direct white light to the rear is also Minor.

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

Seat belts and restraints

One fault: airbag warning light, 2.2 times as often as on similar cars.

Airbag warning light

Failed on 104 first tests2.2 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

The airbag warning lamp (SRS MIL in DVSA's wording) is failed only if it indicates a system malfunction, which is Major. A lamp lit to show the passenger airbag is disabled is not to be regarded as a defect. Dashboard messages are not a defect in their own right, though they can help the tester confirm a malfunction.

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.

Brake performance (plate test, rear)

Noted on 47 first tests2.7 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

Brake imbalance across an axle (roller test, rear)

Noted on 27 first tests2.6 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

Tyre condition

Noted on 45 first tests2.2 times as often as similar carsWear pattern

Exhaust system (front)

Noted on 111 first tests2.1 times as often as similar carsPossible 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
74in 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
20in every 100
Did not pass, and were not fixed at the test station.

First-attempt pass 73.7% of 13,477 first tests (2025): only cars that passed first time count. Official-style pass 80.1%: cars fixed at the test station also count as a pass. The 6 fixed and the 20 not fixed make the 26 in every 100 that did not pass first time.

Same model, other years

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

406080100201220152020Newer cars
40608010020122020Newer cars

Newer cars are younger, so look for a jump rather than the climb.

YearPassed first timeFirst tests
2012 This car74 in every 10013,477
201376 in every 10019,994
201477 in every 10021,144
201577 in every 10015,827
201676 in every 10012,502
201781 in every 10012,842
201885 in every 10012,552
201988 in every 1008,045
202090 in every 1003,391
202191 in every 1004,272
202291 in every 1003,203

If you are buying one

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

Mileage matters most on a 2012 Volkswagen Up.

Of 2012 Volkswagen Up vehicles with under 45,000 miles, 85 in every 100 passed their 2025 MOT first time. With 97,000 miles or more, 62 in every 100 did.

Under 45,0002,706 tests
85
45,000–62,0002,734 tests
78
62,000–77,000 Typical car2,585 tests
74
77,000–97,0002,804 tests
70
97,000 and over2,643 tests
62

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 45,00062,000–77,00097,000 and over
Brake performance (roller test, rear)0.42.33.3
Number plate lights0.21.34.6
Tyre tread depth (front)0.51.43.0
Windscreen washers0.81.82.2
Headlight aim0.81.22.7

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

When a car fails

42in every 100

of failed cars had one item to fix.

30in 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 2012 Volkswagen Up passed first time about 2 in every 100 less often than the 2013 model year next to it. In 2025, 73.7% of 13,477 first MOTs on the 2012 Volkswagen Up passed first time (PRS: items fixed at the station the same day, counted as a fail). The official-style rate including PRS is 80.1%. Among 3,540 failed first-attempt MOT tests (test year 2025), Fuel cap appears more often than on similar cars (4.3% of those tests; 153 observed failures; about 14× 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 2012 Volkswagen Up at the first attempt were Brake performance (roller test, rear) (8.2%), Number plate lights (7.0%) and Tyre tread depth (front) (6.2%), 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: Fuel cap (4.3% of those tests; 153 observed failures; about 14× more often than similar cars). These are statistical signals, not a diagnosis of any individual car.
Fuel cap shows up more often than on similar cars (4.3% of those tests; 153 observed failures; about 14× 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 2012 Volkswagen Up include Fuel cap, Handbrake lever, Brake imbalance across an axle (roller test, efficiency check, rear). 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 2012 Volkswagen Up (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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