82%
Volkswagen California
Volkswagen California MOT pass rate and common problems
The Volkswagen California passed 82% of its initial MOT tests in 2025, 9.7 percentage points above the 72.3% UK average. The item testers recorded most often was coil spring fractured or broken.
Checking a specific car? Its own results, advisories and recorded mileages are in a free MOT history check.
How the California compares
Initial MOT tests in 2025, retests excluded. A car that failed and was repaired at the test station counts as a fail.
73.1%
Volkswagen average
72.3%
UK average, all cars
The California runs 8.9 points ahead of the Volkswagen average. It is 9th of the 31 Volkswagen models in the data. The average California arrived at its test 8.1 years old with 51,752 miles recorded.
A pass rate records whether cars met the roadworthiness standard on test day. It is not a reliability score, and part of any gap reflects how old the tested cars were.
California MOT pass rate by age
The same 2025 tests split by the car's age at test.
Volkswagen California cars aged 3 to 5 years passed 87.4% of MOT tests. For cars aged 11 years and over that fell to 73.7%, a drop of 13.7 percentage points.
| Age at test | Tests | Pass rate | vs UK average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 to 5 years | 2,840 | 87.4% | 15.1 pts above |
| 6 to 10 years | 4,987 | 80.6% | 8.3 pts above |
| 11 years and over | 2,564 | 73.7% | 1.4 pts above |
That is a steep decline with age, so the headline rate flatters older examples. The UK average of 72.3% covers cars of every age, so compare like with like.
Where California failures cluster
Every failure item recorded on Volkswagen California cars in 2025, grouped into the DVSA's test areas.
Suspension and tyres together account for 48.2% of recorded failure items. These are recorded failures across the model, not faults every car has.
The 10 most common California MOT failures
Specific items recorded on Volkswagen California cars that failed their 2025 MOT, as a share of all recorded failure items.
Together these 10 items make up 51.9% of everything testers recorded against failed Volkswagen California cars. The rest is spread across many smaller items, and one failed test often records several at once.
What to look at on a California
The recorded failures above, grouped by area, biggest first.
1
Suspension
Recorded most often: coil spring fractured or broken, pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn and shock absorbers has a serious fluid leak. 19.2% of failure items.
2
Tyres
Recorded most often: condition has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords, condition has ply or cords exposed and tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm. 17.1% of failure items.
3
Brakes
Recorded most often: anti-lock braking system warning lamp indicates an abs fault and brake pads less than 1.5 mm thick. 8.6% of failure items.
4
Visibility
Recorded most often: wipers does not clear the windscreen effectively. 3.8% of failure items.
The car's own MOT history matters more than any model average. A free MOT history check shows whether a specific California has failed on these items before, or had them noted as advisories. Buying one? See the used Volkswagen California buying guide.
Already found one?
Check its finance, write-off, theft, mileage and keeper history with a £15 vehicle history report.
Volkswagen California MOT FAQs
What is the Volkswagen California MOT pass rate?
82% of Volkswagen California cars passed their initial MOT first time in 2025, from 11,723 tests. That is 9.7 percentage points above the 72.3% average for all cars, and ranks 171st of 575 models.
What does a Volkswagen California most commonly fail its MOT on?
The item testers recorded most often on Volkswagen California cars failing their 2025 MOT was coil spring fractured or broken, on 11.6% of failure items. Next were condition has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords (7.3%) and condition has ply or cords exposed (6.3%).
Which area causes the most Volkswagen California MOT failures?
Across every recorded failure item, the largest area was suspension at 25.5%, followed by tyres at 22.7%.
Do older Volkswagen California cars fail their MOT more often?
Volkswagen California cars aged 3 to 5 years passed 87.4% of MOT tests in 2025, against 73.7% for cars aged 11 years and over.
Does this mean every Volkswagen California has these problems?
No. These are the items testers recorded across every Volkswagen California that failed in 2025. They show where the model most often needs attention, not the condition of any individual car.
How do I see a specific Volkswagen California's MOT history?
Enter its registration on the free Carpeep MOT history check to see that car's own test results, failures, advisories and recorded mileages.
MOT figures are aggregated from the DVSA MOT Anonymised data set for 2025: class 4 initial tests, retests excluded, with failure items from failed tests (advisories and minor defects excluded), licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. MOT results describe roadworthiness at test, not mechanical reliability.