60.7%
Volkswagen Bora pass rate
Used Volkswagen Bora buying guide
In 2025, Volkswagen Bora cars passed 60.7% of 4,358 initial MOT tests, 11.6 points below the 72.3% UK average. Here is where it fails and what to check before you buy.
Looking at a specific Bora? Check its finance, write-off, stolen, mileage and keeper history. £15, no account needed.
Volkswagen Bora MOT record in brief
Initial MOT tests in 2025, retests excluded.
72.3%
UK average, all cars
−11.6
percentage points below average
Ranked on pass rate the Bora sits 485th of 575 models in the data. Volkswagen as a brand averaged 73.1%, so this model runs 12.3 points behind its own brand.
A pass rate is not a reliability score. The full Volkswagen Bora MOT record has the pass rate by age, every common failure and how the Bora compares with similar cars.
Bora fuel types
Diesel made up 70.5% of Volkswagen Bora MOT tests in 2025, against 39.3% across all models in this data. Most used examples you look at will be diesels.
Where the Bora fails its MOT
Where Volkswagen Bora cars that failed their 2025 MOT were marked down, as a share of all recorded failure items.
The specific items testers recorded most often were position lamp not working (5.2%), headlamp aim projected beam image is obviously incorrect (4.7%) and joints constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt (4.6%). See every common Bora MOT failure.
These are DVSA failure records across every Volkswagen Bora that failed, not a claim that every Bora has these problems.
What should you check when buying a used Bora?
The areas above, most common first, and what an MOT tester looks at in each.
1
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. 26.5% of Bora failure items.
2
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. 17.4% of Bora failure items.
3
Suspension
Listen for knocks over bumps, check the car sits level, and look for leaking shock absorbers and split rubber gaiters. 17.1% of Bora failure items.
4
Body, chassis, structure
Look underneath and along the sills for corrosion, and check for damaged or poorly repaired panels. 12.3% of Bora failure items.
5
Steering
Feel for play, knocking or stiffness in the steering, and check there is no steering warning light. 7.2% of Bora failure items.
None of this replaces the car's own record. Run a free MOT history check on the registration to see every test, advisory and recorded mileage for that car.
What the MOT record doesn't tell you
Knowing Volkswagen Bora failures cluster around lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment and brakes tells you what to inspect. It tells you nothing about whether the car is safe to buy. An MOT does not show money still owed on the car, a write-off, a theft record or a clocked odometer.
Check the exact Bora you are looking at. One £15 report, instant results, backed by a £30,000 data guarantee. More on the Volkswagen history check.
- Outstanding finance
- Write-off records
- Stolen markers
- Mileage history
- Previous keepers
Other used Volkswagen models
The most-tested Volkswagen models in 2025, with how their MOT pass rate compares with the Bora.
- Used Volkswagen Golf 75.1% MOT pass rate
- Used Volkswagen Polo 67.4% MOT pass rate
- Used Volkswagen Transporter 68.3% MOT pass rate
- Used Volkswagen Tiguan 81.4% MOT pass rate
- Used Volkswagen Passat 71.5% MOT pass rate
- Used Volkswagen Caddy 68.4% MOT pass rate
See all 31 Volkswagen models ranked by MOT pass rate.
Used Volkswagen Bora FAQs
Is the Volkswagen Bora 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 60.7% first-time pass rate for the Volkswagen Bora across 4,358 tests in 2025, below the 72.3% average for all cars.
What should I check before buying a used Volkswagen Bora?
On the car itself, start with the areas it most often fails on: lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment, brakes and suspension. Then check the individual car's history: outstanding finance, insurance write-off records, stolen markers, mileage and previous keepers. None of these appear in the MOT record or on the V5C.
How do I check a Volkswagen Bora'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.
MOT figures are aggregated from the DVSA MOT Anonymised data set for 2025 (class 4 initial tests, retests excluded), licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. MOT results describe roadworthiness at test, not mechanical reliability.