Volkswagen Up MOT pass rates & common failures

Every completed first-attempt MOT on a Volkswagen Up in Great Britain in 2025 — 130,860 tests. Figures cover every Up first-tested in 2025, all trims grouped. How the Up ages, what it fails on, and what mileage is normal, computed directly from the official DVSA record of every test.

Pass rate 2025
79.7%
7.4 points above the class-4 average (72.3%); unadjusted for age — the age-matched comparison is below
Tests analysed
130,860
first tests, 2025
Arrived with a dangerous fault
4.3%
of Up first tests; national 7.3%
Typical mileage at 10 years
48,750
middle half: 33,750–68,750 miles (2,500-mile-band midpoints)

How many Volkswagen Up cars are still on the road?

At the end of 2025, DVLA's register held 133,233 Volkswagen Up cars that were taxed or on SORN: 131,635 taxed and 1,598 on SORN (Statutory Off Road Notification — kept, but declared off the road by the keeper). The MOT figures above count tests; these count cars, across the whole United Kingdom, cars only. Volkswagen Up vans, where they exist, are counted by DVLA as goods vehicles and are not in these figures.

Still taxed, end of 2025
131,635
98.8% of the 133,233 Up cars taxed or on SORN; 33 model variants grouped
On SORN, end of 2025
1,598
declared off the road by their keepers — 1.2% of that total

How the numbers are moving

The number of taxed Up cars is still rising: 131,635 at the end of 2025, up 281 (0.2%) on the end of 2024, and the highest in the years shown. Cars on SORN went from 146 at the end of 2014 to 1,598 at the end of 2025, up 994.5%. A car leaves the taxed count when it is scrapped, exported or declared off the road; the year-end counts do not say which.

Taxed Up cars, year by year

Cars of this model taxed and on the road at the end of each year, 2014–2025.

050k100k150k2014201620182020202220242025Year (count at the end of the year)Taxed Up cars, year 2014: 57kTaxed Up cars, year 2015: 73kTaxed Up cars, year 2016: 86kTaxed Up cars, year 2017: 99kTaxed Up cars, year 2018: 111kTaxed Up cars, year 2019: 119kTaxed Up cars, year 2020: 122kTaxed Up cars, year 2021: 126kTaxed Up cars, year 2022: 129kTaxed Up cars, year 2023: 132kTaxed Up cars, year 2024: 131kTaxed Up cars, year 2025: 132k132k
View this chart as a table
YearTaxed Up cars
201456,770
201572,924
201685,830
201798,571
2018111,264
2019119,453
2020121,661
2021126,405
2022129,344
2023131,520
2024131,354
2025131,635

Up cars on SORN, year by year

Cars of this model declared off the road at the end of each year, 2014–2025. Its own scale — SORN counts are a fraction of the taxed count.

05001k2k2k2014201620182020202220242025Year (count at the end of the year)Up cars on SORN, year 2014: 146Up cars on SORN, year 2015: 228Up cars on SORN, year 2016: 293Up cars on SORN, year 2017: 357Up cars on SORN, year 2018: 490Up cars on SORN, year 2019: 616Up cars on SORN, year 2020: 757Up cars on SORN, year 2021: 722Up cars on SORN, year 2022: 719Up cars on SORN, year 2023: 875Up cars on SORN, year 2024: 1kUp cars on SORN, year 2025: 2k2k
View this chart as a table
YearUp cars on SORN
2014146
2015228
2016293
2017357
2018490
2019616
2020757
2021722
2022719
2023875
20241,231
20251,598

Which model years survive

Taxed Up cars at the end of 2025 by year of manufacture, and each year's share of the 131,635 taxed in all. Every build year holding at least 1% has its own row; the rest share one. A build year's count depends on how many were sold that year as well as how many have lasted.

Year of manufacture Taxed, end of 2025Share of taxed Up cars
20232,5431.9%
20223,2452.5%
20214,2883.3%
20203,4262.6%
20198,1616.2%
201812,7429.7%
201713,0289.9%
201612,6629.6%
201516,07812.2%
201421,35116.2%
201320,27015.4%
201213,66010.4%
All other build years (two years, each under 1%)1810.1%

Population source: Department for Transport / DVLA vehicle licensing statistics, table VEH0124, updated 15 July 2026; counts of the cars on DVLA's register that were taxed or on SORN at the end of each year shown, United Kingdom, cars only, excluding cars recorded with no model name. SortedCars groups DVLA's model name UP under this model. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. SortedCars is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, DVLA or the Department for Transport.

How the Up ages

First-time pass rate by vehicle age, Up vs all cars, 2025.

Volkswagen UpAll cars
50%60%70%80%90%100%3579111315171920Vehicle age (years)Volkswagen Up, vehicle age 3: 90.9%Volkswagen Up, vehicle age 4: 90.8%Volkswagen Up, vehicle age 5: 90.4%Volkswagen Up, vehicle age 6: 88.4%Volkswagen Up, vehicle age 7: 84.8%Volkswagen Up, vehicle age 8: 81.4%Volkswagen Up, vehicle age 9: 76.3%Volkswagen Up, vehicle age 10: 77.5%Volkswagen Up, vehicle age 11: 77.5%Volkswagen Up, vehicle age 12: 76.3%Volkswagen Up, vehicle age 13: 73.9%All cars, vehicle age 3: 88.5%All cars, vehicle age 4: 87.2%All cars, vehicle age 5: 86%All cars, vehicle age 6: 83.5%All cars, vehicle age 7: 80.9%All cars, vehicle age 8: 78.2%All cars, vehicle age 9: 74.9%All cars, vehicle age 10: 71.9%All cars, vehicle age 11: 68.6%All cars, vehicle age 12: 65.8%All cars, vehicle age 13: 63.5%All cars, vehicle age 14: 61.2%All cars, vehicle age 15: 59.3%All cars, vehicle age 16: 58.3%All cars, vehicle age 17: 57.2%All cars, vehicle age 18: 57.4%All cars, vehicle age 19: 57%All cars, vehicle age 20: 57.6%Volkswagen Up 73.9%All cars 57.6%
View this chart as a table
Age (years)Up testsUp pass rateAll cars
33,34190.9%88.5%
44,36390.8%87.2%
53,48590.4%86.0%
68,29288.4%83.5%
712,87384.8%80.9%
813,20281.4%78.2%
912,82376.3%74.9%
1016,27377.5%71.9%
1121,71877.5%68.6%
1220,53776.3%65.8%
1313,83373.9%63.5%

Better or worse than the average car?

The Up's pass rate minus the all-cars pass rate at each age, in percentage points. Bars above zero: the Up beats the average car of that age. Below zero: it trails.

Up ahead
-12-6+0+6+12Age 3: +2.4 points vs the average car3Age 4: +3.6 points vs the average carAge 5: +4.4 points vs the average car5Age 6: +4.9 points vs the average carAge 7: +3.9 points vs the average car7Age 8: +3.2 points vs the average carAge 9: +1.4 points vs the average car9Age 10: +5.6 points vs the average carAge 11: +8.9 points vs the average car11Age 12: +10.5 points vs the average carAge 13: +10.4 points vs the average car13Vehicle age (years)
View this chart as a table
Age (years)Gap (points)
3+2.4
4+3.6
5+4.4
6+4.9
7+3.9
8+3.2
9+1.4
10+5.6
11+8.9
12+10.5
13+10.4

The Up fleet on the road, by age

How many took a first MOT in 2025 at each age — the shape of the Up fleet still in use.

07k15k22k30kAge 3: 3k3Age 4: 4kAge 5: 3k5Age 6: 8kAge 7: 12k7Age 8: 13kAge 9: 12k9Age 10: 16kAge 11: 21k11Age 12: 20kAge 13: 13k13Vehicle age (years)
View this chart as a table
Age (years)First tests
33,341
44,363
53,485
68,292
712,873
813,202
912,823
1016,273
1121,718
1220,537
1313,833

What an Up fails on

Where the failure items land when an Up fails or needs a fix at test, 2025. Use it as a pre-purchase checklist: these are the areas to look at first.

Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment24.7%
Brakes19.6%
Tyres14.9%
Suspension12.8%
Noise, emissions and leaks10.8%
Visibility9.4%
Body, chassis, structure5.5%
Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems1.2%

Share of all failure items, 2025 — the 8 biggest categories shown (98.8% of the items); smaller categories are not listed.

The advisories to watch

Where testers most often write "keep an eye on this" for a Up, 2025 — the faults in the post.

Tyres: 45.9% of advisories45.9%Brakes: 24.1% of advisories24.1%Suspension: 15.0% of advisories15.0%Non-component advisories: 7.0% of advisories7.0%Body, chassis, structure: 2.3% of advisoriesIdentification of the vehicle: 2.2% of advisories
TyresBrakesSuspensionNon-component advisoriesBody, chassis, structureIdentification of the vehicle
View this chart as a table
CategoryShare of advisories
Tyres45.9%
Brakes24.1%
Suspension15.0%
Non-component advisories7.0%
Body, chassis, structure2.3%
Identification of the vehicle2.2%

Petrol, diesel or hybrid Up?

First-time pass rate for the two most-tested Up fuel types, 2025, against the all-cars average. Fleet ages differ by fuel — newer fleets help the electrified bars.

50%60%70%80%90%100%all cars 72.3%Petrol: 79.5% of 128,152 tests79.5%Petrol128,152 testsElectric: 91.2% of 2,696 tests91.2%Electric2,696 tests
View this chart as a table
FuelTestsPass rate
Petrol128,15279.5%
Electric2,69691.2%

What mileage is normal for an Up?

Mileage recorded at test by vehicle age, 2025. The line is the typical (median) Up; the shaded band holds the middle half. A car far outside the band, in either direction, is worth questions the recorded history can answer.

Typical Up (median)
0k25k50k75k100k35791113Vehicle age (years)Age 3: typical 13,750 miles (middle half 8,750–21,250)Age 4: typical 18,750 miles (middle half 11,250–26,250)Age 5: typical 21,250 miles (middle half 13,750–31,250)Age 6: typical 28,750 miles (middle half 18,750–38,750)Age 7: typical 33,750 miles (middle half 21,250–46,250)Age 8: typical 38,750 miles (middle half 26,250–56,250)Age 9: typical 43,750 miles (middle half 28,750–61,250)Age 10: typical 48,750 miles (middle half 33,750–68,750)Age 11: typical 56,250 miles (middle half 38,750–76,250)Age 12: typical 61,250 miles (middle half 43,750–83,750)Age 13: typical 68,750 miles (middle half 48,750–91,250)68k mi

Mileage values are midpoints of 2,500-mile bands.

View this chart as a table
Age (years)Lower quarterTypical (median)Upper quarter
38,75013,75021,250
411,25018,75026,250
513,75021,25031,250
618,75028,75038,750
721,25033,75046,250
826,25038,75056,250
928,75043,75061,250
1033,75048,75068,750
1138,75056,25076,250
1243,75061,25083,750
1348,75068,75091,250

What fails at each age

The Up's failure mix by age band, 2025 — each band's top categories at their true share of that band's failure items; the pale remainder is everything else. How the mix shifts with age is the point of the chart.

TyresLamps, reflectors and electrical equipmentBrakesVisibilitySuspensionNoise, emissions and leaksEverything else
View this chart as a table
Age bandCategoryShare of the band's failure items
3-5 yrsTyres51.9%
3-5 yrsLamps, reflectors and electrical equipment14.5%
3-5 yrsBrakes13.4%
3-5 yrsVisibility6.3%
3-5 yrsSuspension6.2%
3-5 yrsEverything else7.7%
6-9 yrsBrakes20.6%
6-9 yrsTyres19.4%
6-9 yrsSuspension17.2%
6-9 yrsLamps, reflectors and electrical equipment16.9%
6-9 yrsNoise, emissions and leaks11.8%
6-9 yrsEverything else14.1%
10-13 yrsBrakes25.1%
10-13 yrsSuspension15.1%
10-13 yrsTyres15.0%
10-13 yrsLamps, reflectors and electrical equipment14.7%
10-13 yrsNoise, emissions and leaks13.7%
10-13 yrsEverything else16.4%

More vehicles we've checked

How these figures are computed. Every number on this page is calculated by SortedCars from the DVSA anonymised MOT results dataset (every MOT test in Great Britain — 2025 for single-year figures; trend figures state their span, currently 2023–2025). Where a figure comes from a sample or uses banded values (mileage is banded to 2,500 miles), the page says so beside the figure. Test class 4 only, first tests only — retests are excluded. Class 4 is the car MOT class and also covers car-derived vans, pickups and motorhomes tested to the same standard; where this page says "cars" it means class 4. Pass rate = passes ÷ (passes + failures + pass-after-rectification): a vehicle that failed and was fixed during the visit counts as a fail. Pass rates describe fleets, not individual machines: they reflect how cars were driven, maintained and used as well as how they were built, and beyond recorded mileage none of that is in the data. A well-kept example of a model with a weak average can still pass; a neglected example of a strong one can still fail. No figure is shown for any group with fewer than 500 tests. Alias spellings of a make in the DVSA file are counted under one make name, and all trims and variants of a model are grouped under one model name, using SortedCars' grouping tables. The taxed and SORN counts on this page are the one exception: they are not computed from MOT records but taken from the Department for Transport's vehicle licensing statistics (DfT/DVLA table VEH0124, updated 15 July 2026, Open Government Licence v3.0), which count the cars on DVLA's register that were taxed or on SORN at the end of each year shown, UK-wide, cars only. They describe a model as a whole, grouped under SortedCars' model names, and say nothing about any one car. “Dangerous” is DVSA's statutory defect category (in force since May 2018): a defect posing an immediate risk to road safety — driving the vehicle before repair is an offence. What these figures are for. These statistics are general information about groups of vehicles. They are not advice, a valuation or a recommendation to buy, avoid or price any particular vehicle, and no decision about one car should rest on them alone — check the car itself and its own records. We take care over the calculations, but we cannot guarantee they are complete, current or free of error, and we accept no liability for loss arising from reliance on them. This does not limit any liability that cannot lawfully be limited — see our Terms & Conditions. If you believe any figure on this page is inaccurate, contact us. SortedCars is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, the DVSA or DVLA. DVSA publishes the raw test records; the statistics on this page are SortedCars' own calculations from them. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.