Model Reports 4 min read Updated 18 Oct 2026

Volkswagen Up 2018: reliability & common MOT faults

In 2025, 85 in every 100 first MOTs on a 2018 Volkswagen Up were passes. Most common reason for a fail: Suspension arm pins and bushes (front).

Summary

The 2018 Volkswagen Up follows the pattern of the model years either side.

At a glance

How 12,552 first tests went in 2025.

Passed first time
85 in every 100
Did not pass first time
15 in every 1001,908 failed first-attempt tests
The typical car
7 yearsabout 33,081 miles
First tests counted
12,552

What failed most often

  1. Suspension arm pins and bushes (front)13 in every 100 failed tests
  2. Tyre condition (front)11 in every 100 failed tests
  3. Rear fog light7 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 2018 Volkswagen Up vehicles in 2025, not a prediction that any one car will have them. Faults are grouped by part of the car. A wear pattern follows age and use more than the way the car was built. They come from MOT defect codes, not manufacturer bulletins, recalls or a diagnosis of any one car.

Lamps and electrical

One fault: rear fog light, 12 times as often as on similar cars.

Figures below are measured across the 1,905 of 1,908 failed first attempts (99.8%) 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 fog light

Failed on 127 first tests12 times as often as similar carsStrong evidence

What it means

A missing obligatory rear fog lamp, one that is not working, or one that does not emit a steady red light is graded Major. A rear fog lamp adversely affected by the operation of any other lamp is Major too. The manual allows it to go out when main beam is switched on or when dipped beam headlamps are switched off.

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

Suspension

One fault: suspension arm pins and bushes (front), 5.5 times as often as on similar cars.

Suspension arm pins and bushes (front)

Failed on 253 first tests5.5 times as often as similar carsStrong 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 185 first tests, 2.7 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

Three faults and one wear pattern. The strongest is the handbrake lever: 5.2 times as often as on similar cars.

Handbrake lever

Failed on 43 first tests5.2 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 65 first tests3.2 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 52 first tests, 2.8 times as often as on similar cars.

Brake performance (roller test, front)

Failed on 39 first tests2.4 times as often as similar carsPossible 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 32 first tests, 2.3 times as often as on similar cars.

Brake discs (front)

Failed on 75 first tests2.1 times as often as similar carsWear pattern

What it means

A brake disc or drum must be significantly worn before it is rejected, and being worn below the manufacturer's recommended limits is not a reason in itself. Significantly and obviously worn is Major, as is contamination with oil or grease. A disc or drum that is fractured, insecure, seriously weakened or missing is graded 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

One fault: petrol emissions (with catalyst), 2.7 times as often as on similar cars.

Petrol emissions (with catalyst)

Failed on 77 first tests2.7 times as often as similar carsPossible 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.

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.

Number plates (rear)

Noted on 82 first tests3.3 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
85in every 100
Passed on the first test.
Fixed at the station
3in 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 84.8% of 12,552 first tests (2025): only cars that passed first time count. Official-style pass 88.2%: cars fixed at the test station also count as a pass. The 3 fixed and the 12 not fixed make the 15 in every 100 that did not pass first time.

Same model, other years

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

40608010020152018Older carsNewer cars
4060801002018Older carsNewer cars

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

YearPassed first timeFirst tests
201274 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
2018 This car85 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 2018 Volkswagen Up.

Of 2018 Volkswagen Up vehicles with under 19,000 miles, 92 in every 100 passed their 2025 MOT first time. With 51,000 miles or more, 75 in every 100 did.

Under 19,0002,471 tests
92
19,000–29,0002,627 tests
89
29,000–38,000 Typical car2,412 tests
86
38,000–51,0002,500 tests
82
51,000 and over2,533 tests
75

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 19,00029,000–38,00051,000 and over
Suspension arm pins and bushes (front)0.52.03.0
Tyre condition (front)1.11.72.2
Rear fog light0.20.92.5
Headlight aim0.31.02.0
Windscreen wipers (front)1.10.70.8

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

When a car fails

58in every 100

of failed cars had one item to fix.

17in 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.

The 2018 Volkswagen Up follows the pattern of the model years either side. Its main cause of failure was Suspension arm pins and bushes (front), about 13 in every 100 failed tests. In 2025, 84.8% of 12,552 first MOTs on the 2018 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 88.2%. Among 1,908 failed first-attempt MOT tests (test year 2025), Rear fog light appears more often than on similar cars (6.7% of those tests; 127 observed failures; about 12× 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 2018 Volkswagen Up at the first attempt were Suspension arm pins and bushes (front) (13.3%), Tyre condition (front) (11.0%) and Rear fog light (6.7%), 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: Rear fog light (6.7% of those tests; 127 observed failures; about 12× more often than similar cars). These are statistical signals, not a diagnosis of any individual car.
Rear fog light shows up more often than on similar cars (6.7% of those tests; 127 observed failures; about 12× 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 2018 Volkswagen Up include Rear fog light, Suspension arm pins and bushes (front), Handbrake lever. 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 2018 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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