Model Reports 5 min read Updated 18 Oct 2026

Volkswagen Up 2016: reliability & common MOT faults

In 2025, 76 in every 100 first MOTs on a 2016 Volkswagen Up were passes. Most common reason for a fail: Individual sidelight or tail light (front).

Summary

A 2016 Volkswagen Up passed first time about 3 in every 100 less often than the average of the 2015 and 2017 model years.

At a glance

How 12,502 first tests went in 2025.

Passed first time
76 in every 100
Did not pass first time
24 in every 1002,970 failed first-attempt tests
The typical car
9 yearsabout 43,767 miles
First tests counted
12,502

What failed most often

  1. Individual sidelight or tail light (front)15 in every 100 failed tests
  2. Suspension arm pins and bushes (front)12 in every 100 failed tests
  3. Petrol emissions (with catalyst)11 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 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, 32 times as often as on similar cars.

Figures below are measured across the 2,967 of 2,970 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 223 first tests32 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

Three faults. The strongest is the brake imbalance across an axle (roller test, efficiency check, rear): 5.6 times as often as on similar cars.

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

Failed on 65 first tests5.6 times as often as similar carsLikely 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.

Handbrake lever

Failed on 61 first tests3.5 times as often as similar carsLikely 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 performance (roller test, rear)

Failed on 154 first tests3.0 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 102 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.

Lamps and electrical

One fault: individual sidelight or tail light (front), 5.5 times as often as on similar cars.

Individual sidelight or tail light (front)

Failed on 445 first tests5.5 times as often as similar carsStrong evidence

What it means

A position lamp showing red light to the front or white light to the rear is Major. Rear lamps must show a steady red light, and front ones can show white, predominantly white with a blue tinge, or yellow if combined in a yellow headlamp. With a multiple light source, up to half not working is Minor and more than half is Major.

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

Noise, emissions and leaks

One fault: petrol emissions (with catalyst), 5.1 times as often as on similar cars.

Petrol emissions (with catalyst)

Failed on 317 first tests5.1 times as often as similar carsStrong evidence

What it means

Emissions levels over the manufacturer's specified limits are Major, as are levels over default limits, which apply when no exact match is found for the vehicle. Dense blue or clearly visible black smoke at idle, held for a set period, is Major, except for certain older vehicles and two stroke engines where smoke is unavoidable. An induction or exhaust leak that could affect emissions levels is Major too.

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

Suspension

One fault: suspension arm pins and bushes (front), 3.0 times as often as on similar cars.

Suspension arm pins and bushes (front)

Failed on 358 first tests3.0 times as often as similar carsLikely 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.

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 (roller test, front)

Noted on 68 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
76in 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
18in every 100
Did not pass, and were not fixed at the test station.

First-attempt pass 76.2% of 12,502 first tests (2025): only cars that passed first time count. Official-style pass 82.3%: cars fixed at the test station also count as a pass. The 6 fixed and the 18 not fixed make the 24 in every 100 that did not pass first time.

Same model, other years

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

40608010020162020Older carsNewer cars
40608010020162020Older carsNewer 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, 77 in every 100 passed first time.

YearPassed first timeFirst tests
201274 in every 10013,477
201376 in every 10019,994
201477 in every 10021,144
201577 in every 10015,827
2016 This car76 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 2016 Volkswagen Up.

Of 2016 Volkswagen Up vehicles with under 26,000 miles, 85 in every 100 passed their 2025 MOT first time. With 65,000 miles or more, 66 in every 100 did.

Under 26,0002,525 tests
85
26,000–38,0002,469 tests
80
38,000–50,000 Typical car2,559 tests
79
50,000–65,0002,423 tests
72
65,000 and over2,521 tests
66

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 26,00038,000–50,00065,000 and over
Individual sidelight or tail light (front)2.43.64.0
Suspension arm pins and bushes (front)1.12.83.8
Petrol emissions (with catalyst)1.92.04.0
Fuel cap1.31.81.9
Headlight aim1.01.11.9

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

When a car fails

46in every 100

of failed cars had one item to fix.

28in every 100

of failed cars had three or more items to fix.

4in 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 2016 Volkswagen Up passed first time about 3 in every 100 less often than the average of the 2015 and 2017 model years. In 2025, 76.2% of 12,502 first MOTs on the 2016 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 82.3%. Among 2,970 failed first-attempt MOT tests (test year 2025), Fuel cap appears more often than on similar cars (7.5% of those tests; 223 observed failures; about 32× 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 Up at the first attempt were Individual sidelight or tail light (front) (15.0%), Suspension arm pins and bushes (front) (12.1%) and Petrol emissions (with catalyst) (10.7%), 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 (7.5% of those tests; 223 observed failures; about 32× 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 (7.5% of those tests; 223 observed failures; about 32× 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 Up include Fuel cap, Individual sidelight or tail light (front), Petrol emissions (with catalyst). 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 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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