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

164,465 Volkswagen Caddys are licensed in the UK. In 2025 they passed 68.4% of initial MOT tests, 3.9 points below the 72.3% UK average.

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

Volkswagen Caddy at the MOT

68.4% of 148,620 initial tests passed in 2025, ranking the Caddy 377th of 575 models. Volkswagen Caddys aged 3 to 5 years passed 81% of MOT tests in 2025; for examples aged 11 years and over that fell to 61.6%.

First-time pass rate, 2025

Share of initial tests passed, retests excluded.

  • Volkswagen Caddy68.4%
  • All Volkswagen modelsThe Caddy is 4.7 pts behind73.1%
  • All cars72.3%

Pass rate by age at test

Volkswagen Caddy tests in 2025.

  • 3 to 5 years18,831 tests81%
  • 6 to 10 years56,918 tests71.4%
  • 11 years and over68,556 tests61.6%

Where Caddys fail

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

  • Suspension29.2%
  • Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment19%
  • Brakes14.6%
  • Tyres12.6%
  • Visibility9.1%

The items testers recorded most often were pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn (11%), tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm (4.4%) and coil spring fractured or broken (3.7%).

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

Full Volkswagen Caddy MOT record

What to look at on a viewing

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

  1. Suspension

    Listen for knocks over bumps, check the car sits level, and look for leaking shock absorbers and split rubber gaiters.29.2% of Caddy 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.19% of Caddy failure items

  3. 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.14.6% of Caddy failure items

Volkswagen Caddys in the UK

164,465 were licensed at the end of June 2026. The number licensed has grown 51% since the end of 2014.

Change since 2014
+51%from 108,812 licensed
First registered in 2025
8,364against 14,599 in 2016
Declared off the road
17,0599.4% of those registered, under SORN

Licensed Volkswagen Caddys since 2014

Licensed at each year end and in the latest quarter.

Show the figures
DateLicensed
End of 2014108,812
End of 2015117,848
End of 2016129,284
End of 2017137,468
End of 2018145,333
End of 2019151,699
End of 2020155,822
End of 2021157,695
End of 2022159,989
End of 2023160,541
End of 2024159,823
End of 2025163,228
End of June 2026164,465

Caddy engines and fuel

2.0 litre engines made up 51% of Volkswagen Caddy MOT tests in 2025, followed by 1.6 litre at 34%. Diesel accounts for 96% of licensed Caddys and petrol for 3.9%.

Engine size at MOT, 2025

Share of 148,604 initial MOT tests in 2025.

  • 2.0 litre51%
  • 1.6 litre33.8%
  • 1.9 litre11.4%
  • 1.7 litre1.4%

Fuel type, licensed Caddys

DfT licensing statistics, June 2026.

FuelLicensedShare
Petrol6,4654%
Diesel157,08796%
Plug-in hybrid8860.5%
Hybrid electric1<0.1%
Gas26<0.1%

Volkswagen Caddy recalls

16 DVSA safety recalls launched from 1992 to October 2026 name the Volkswagen Caddy. The 8 most recent are below. Each covers vehicles built in a set period, so a recall does not mean every Caddy is affected.

  1. Dec 2024 R/2024/496

    Brake line botled connection

    Caddys built Aug 2024 · 35 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    On affected vehicles the rear right brake line may have been tightened incorrectly leading to loss of brake fluid adversely affecting braking performance.
    Remedy
    Replace the brake line.

  2. Sep 2024 R/2024/343

    Brake line bolted connection

    Caddys built Aug 2024 · 117 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    On Caddy vehicles of a limited production period a fault when tightening the rear left brake line can cause leaks from the brake hose connection. A leak can lead to a gradual loss of brake fluid. The resulting too low brake fluid level is shown with the illumination of a warning lamp or display in instrument cluster. The loss of brake fluid level can adversely affect the braking performance.
    Remedy
    The affected rear left brake line bolted connection at the connection to the brake hose must be checked and modified.

  3. Jul 2024 R/2024/289

    Brake line botled connection

    Caddys built May 2024 to Jun 2024 · 93 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    On affected vehicles a fault when tightening the rear left brake line can cause leaks from the brake hose connection leading to a gradual loss of brake fluid.
    Remedy
    Check and secure the affected connection. Replace affected parts if leaking.

  4. Apr 2023 R/2023/177

    Seat belt webbing was damaged during production

    Caddys built Apr 2023 · 2 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Remedy
    Affected seat belts to be replaced

  5. Apr 2023 R/2023/129

    On Caddy vehicles of a limited production period tyres by manufacturer Maxxis were fitted that can result in cracks or dents on the inside of the tyre bead

    Caddys built Oct 2022 to Feb 2023 · 194 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Remedy
    On the affected vehicles the tyres by manufacturer Maxxis belonging to the vehicle are to be replaced.

  6. Nov 2022 R/2022/320

    On vehicles of a limited production period there is a very small probability that one or two incorrectly welded transverse links to the front axle have been fitted

    Caddys built Apr 2021 to Jul 2022 · 335 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Remedy
    On the affected vehicles the two front transverse links have to be checked and if necessary replaced.

  7. May 2018 R/2018/134

    Head restraint may be insecure

    Caddys built Mar 2018 · 61 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    On a limited production period a burr may have developed on the locking bar of the head restraint guide.
    Remedy
    On affected vehicles the left head restraint guide on both front seats must be replaced.

  8. Sep 2016 R/2016/206

    CNG tank may burst

    Caddys built May 2005 to Sep 2011 · 32 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    Overtime external damage on the paint coat leads to corrosion on the gas tanks. A tank can burst when being filled if it has been weakened by corrosion which remained undiscovered fo many years. A bursting gas tank can cause serious or fatal injuries.
    Remedy
    Recall the vehicles that are likely to be affected and check the paint syatem. If necessary the gas tanks will be replaced.
How to check a specific Caddy for recalls

Caddy vs similar cars

Head-to-head comparisons on the same 2025 DVSA data.

Other Volkswagen models

The most-tested Volkswagen models in 2025, against the Caddy's 68.4% MOT pass rate.

All 31 Volkswagen models

Volkswagen Caddy FAQs

How many Volkswagen Caddys are there in the UK?

164,465 Volkswagen Caddys were licensed in the UK at the end of June 2026, with a further 17,059 declared off the road (SORN), according to DfT vehicle licensing statistics.

Is the Volkswagen Caddy 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 68.4% first-time pass rate for the Volkswagen Caddy across 148,620 tests in 2025, below the 72.3% average for all cars.

Has the Volkswagen Caddy had any recalls?

16 DVSA safety recalls launched from 1992 to October 2026 name the Volkswagen Caddy. The most recent was published in December 2024. 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 Caddy?

On the car itself, start with the areas it most often fails on: suspension, lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment and brakes. 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 Caddy'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 a Caddy?

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 Caddy 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.