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Volkswagen Amarok, Buying guide, MOT record, UK numbers and recalls

29,690 Volkswagen Amaroks are licensed in the UK. In 2025 they passed 75.4% of initial MOT tests, 3.1 points above the 72.3% UK average.

Looking at a specific Amarok? Check its finance, write-off, stolen, mileage and keeper history. £15, no account needed.

Volkswagen Amarok at the MOT

75.4% of 19,695 initial tests passed in 2025, ranking the Amarok 261st of 575 models. Volkswagen Amaroks aged 3 to 5 years passed 84.4% of MOT tests in 2025; for examples aged 11 years and over that fell to 68.2%.

First-time pass rate, 2025

Share of initial tests passed, retests excluded.

  • Volkswagen Amarok75.4%
  • All Volkswagen modelsThe Amarok is 2.3 pts ahead73.1%
  • All cars72.3%

Pass rate by age at test

Volkswagen Amarok tests in 2025.

  • 3 to 5 years3,468 tests84.4%
  • 6 to 10 years11,660 tests75.6%
  • 11 years and over4,562 tests68.2%

Where Amaroks fail

Share of all failure items recorded on Volkswagen Amarok tests in 2025.

  • Brakes30.9%
  • Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment23.2%
  • Suspension16.5%
  • Tyres6.9%
  • Noise, emissions and leaks6.5%

The items testers recorded most often were pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn (5.8%), malfunction indicator lamp inoperative or indicates a malfunction (5.3%) and rbt (sp) efficiency below requirements (4.4%).

The MOT page lists every common Amarok MOT failure. For one car's own results and advisories, run a free MOT history check.

Full Volkswagen Amarok MOT record

What to look at on a viewing

The Amarok's most common failure areas, and what a tester checks in each.

  1. Brakes

    Make sure the pedal feels firm, the car stops in a straight line, the handbrake holds on a slope and no brake warning light is showing.30.9% of Amarok failure items

  2. Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment

    Walk round with every light on: headlights, brake lights, indicators, fog lights and the number plate lamp. Check no warning lights stay on after starting.23.2% of Amarok failure items

  3. Suspension

    Listen for knocks over bumps, check the car sits level, and look for leaking shock absorbers and split rubber gaiters.16.5% of Amarok failure items

Volkswagen Amaroks in the UK

29,690 were licensed at the end of June 2026. The number licensed has grown 275% since the end of 2014.

Change since 2014
+275%from 7,914 licensed
Typical year of first use
2018half of those licensed at the end of 2025 were first used in 2018 or earlier
First registered in 2025
3,012against 3,916 in 2024
Declared off the road
1,5444.9% of those registered, under SORN

Licensed Volkswagen Amaroks since 2014

Licensed at each year end and in the latest quarter.

Show the figures
DateLicensed
End of 20147,914
End of 201511,424
End of 201614,882
End of 201717,447
End of 201820,334
End of 201923,095
End of 202024,921
End of 202124,396
End of 202223,870
End of 202325,436
End of 202428,319
End of 202530,040
End of June 202629,690

How old they are

Licensed Volkswagen Amaroks by year of first use.

  • Licensed at the end of 2025
  • First registered that year
Show the figures
First usedLicensed, end 2025First registered that year
20252,9763,012
20243,7203,916
20232,2962,480
202204
20211524
20201,7092,103
20193,0353,583
20182,7723,450
20172,2532,936
20162,6073,585
20152,8603,900
20142,274
20131,807
20121,184
2011516

2,860 Amaroks first used in 2015 were still licensed at the end of 2025, roughly 73% of the 3,900 first registered that year.

Amarok engine sizes

2.0 litre engines made up 55% of Volkswagen Amarok MOT tests in 2025, followed by 3.0 litre at 45%. Diesel accounts for 100% of licensed Amaroks.

Engine size at MOT, 2025

Share of 19,695 initial MOT tests in 2025.

  • 2.0 litre54.7%
  • 3.0 litre45.2%

Volkswagen Amarok recalls

8 DVSA safety recalls launched from 1992 to October 2026 name the Volkswagen Amarok. Each covers vehicles built in a set period, so a recall does not mean every Amarok is affected.

  1. Sep 2025 R/2025/435

    ABS control unit

    Amaroks built Jan 2025 to Jun 2025 · 609 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    On affected vehicles there is a possibility of a loss of braking assistance caused by a fault with the electromechanical brake servo.
    Remedy
    Update the software for the electromechanical brake servo control unit.

  2. Nov 2024 R/2024/451

    Front seat belt

    Amaroks built Mar 2023 to Apr 2024 · 76 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    On affected vehicles there is a possibility the seat belt for the driver seat was incorrectly anchored.
    Remedy
    Check the seat belt fixing and reinstall correctly if needed.

  3. Oct 2023 R/2023/334

    On certain vehicles there is a possibility that because of a production problem the propshaft securing bolts for the final drive on gearbox side were not tightened with the correct tightening torque

    Amaroks built Mar 2023 to Apr 2023 · 2 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Remedy
    On the affected vehicles the propshaft bolted connection is retightened with the correct tightening torque. If bolts are found to be loose all 4 securing bolts must be replaced.

  4. Dec 2020 R/2020/360

    The lift cable of the spare wheel winch could snap under certain conditions

    Amaroks built Aug 2016 to Nov 2018 · 6,501 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    On affected vehicles the lift cable of the spare wheel winch could snap under certain conditions.
    Remedy
    Retrofit an anti-theft device.

  5. Dec 2017 R/2017/333

    Power steering return hose can become damaged and cause hydraulic fluid to leak and/or the power steering to fail

    Amaroks built Aug 2016 to Sep 2017 · 2,036 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    A hose clip can damage the power steering return hose for the steering rack. The power steering hose can also contact the wheel housing. If the hose is damaged hydraulic fluid can discharge and the power steering assistance could fail. In unfavourable cases the hydraulic fluid can get in contact with hot vehicle component or on the brake disc. This could create a danger of accident or fire.
    Remedy
    Recall the vehicles that are likely to be affected and fit a serrated ring. Fit or remove a spacer as appropriate.

  6. Aug 2015 R/2015/164

    Airbag may not deploy

    Amaroks built Jun 2013 · 7 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    The drivers air bag propellant cannister may not have been fitted correctly. This may affect the deployment of the airbag.
    Remedy
    Replace driver's air bag unit.

  7. Aug 2015 R/2015/117

    Front wheels may lock

    Amaroks built Sep 2014 to Apr 2015 · 1,032 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    The retaining bolts for the front calipers may not have been tightened to the specified torque. The caliper may loosen wedge against the wheel rim and lock the wheel. Detachment of the caliper may happen.
    Remedy
    On affected vehicles replace all front caliper retaining bolts.

  8. Dec 2013 R/2013/135

    Risk of fuel leak

    4,282 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    It is possible that fuel leaks could develop on the fuel pipes in the engine compartment. This could then leak onto the road surface or cause a risk of fire.
    Remedy
    Recall all affected vehicles and install protection devices.
How to check a specific Amarok for recalls

Other Volkswagen models

The most-tested Volkswagen models in 2025, against the Amarok's 75.4% MOT pass rate.

All 31 Volkswagen models

Volkswagen Amarok FAQs

How many Volkswagen Amaroks are there in the UK?

29,690 Volkswagen Amaroks were licensed in the UK at the end of June 2026, with a further 1,544 declared off the road (SORN), according to DfT vehicle licensing statistics.

Is the Volkswagen Amarok reliable?

MOT data does not measure reliability. It records whether a car met the roadworthiness standard on the day of its test. What it does show is a 75.4% first-time pass rate for the Volkswagen Amarok across 19,695 tests in 2025, above the 72.3% average for all cars.

Has the Volkswagen Amarok had any recalls?

8 DVSA safety recalls launched from 1992 to October 2026 name the Volkswagen Amarok. The most recent was published in September 2025. A recall applies to vehicles built in a set period, so check a specific car on the GOV.UK vehicle recall checker.

What should I check before buying a used Volkswagen Amarok?

On the car itself, start with the areas it most often fails on: brakes, lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment and suspension. Then check the individual car's own records. Outstanding finance, insurance write-offs and police stolen markers are not part of the MOT record, so they take a history check.

How do I check a Volkswagen Amarok's history?

Enter the registration of the specific car. A Carpeep car history check reports outstanding finance, write-off category, stolen markers, mileage history, previous keepers, MOT and tax status, import and export markers and scrapped status in one £15 report.

Already found an Amarok?

Check its finance, write-off, theft, mileage and keeper history with a £15 vehicle history report.

Across the 1,548 vehicles of every make Carpeep has checked since November 2025, 19% had outstanding finance recorded and 13% an insurance write-off. More on the Volkswagen Amarok history check. To confirm a car's identity, see the Volkswagen VIN check.

  • Outstanding finance
  • Write-off records
  • Stolen markers
  • Mileage history
  • Previous keepers

MOT figures are aggregated from the DVSA MOT Anonymised data set for 2025 (class 4 initial tests, retests excluded), which also gives the engine sizes. Licensed, SORN, fuel and registration figures are from the Department for Transport vehicle licensing statistics (VEH0120, VEH0124, VEH0160). Recalls are from the DVSA vehicle recalls data, with recalls launched up to October 2026. Government data is used under the Open Government Licence v3.0. MOT results describe roadworthiness at test, not mechanical reliability. History-check findings are anonymous counts from reports bought on Carpeep, each vehicle counted once, and are published only where at least 100 vehicles returned an answer.