71.6%
Volkswagen Crafter pass rate
Used Volkswagen Crafter buying guide
In 2025, Volkswagen Crafter cars passed 71.6% of 8,428 initial MOT tests, 0.7 points below the 72.3% UK average. Here is where it fails and what to check before you buy.
Looking at a specific Crafter? Check its finance, write-off, stolen, mileage and keeper history. £15, no account needed.
Volkswagen Crafter MOT record in brief
Initial MOT tests in 2025, retests excluded.
72.3%
UK average, all cars
−0.7
percentage points below average
Ranked on pass rate the Crafter sits 321st of 575 models in the data. Volkswagen as a brand averaged 73.1%, so this model runs 1.5 points behind its own brand. Volkswagen Crafter cars aged 3 to 5 years passed 83.5% of MOT tests in 2025; for examples aged 11 years and over that fell to 64%.
A pass rate is not a reliability score. The full Volkswagen Crafter MOT record has the pass rate by age, every common failure and how the Crafter compares with similar cars.
Crafter fuel types
Diesel made up 100% of Volkswagen Crafter MOT tests in 2025, against 39.3% across all models in this data. Almost every used example you look at will be a diesel.
Where the Crafter fails its MOT
Where Volkswagen Crafter 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 rbt (sp) efficiency below requirements (7.3%), malfunction indicator lamp inoperative or indicates a malfunction (5.2%) and rigid brake pipes excessively corroded (4.9%). See every common Crafter MOT failure.
These are DVSA failure records across every Volkswagen Crafter that failed, not a claim that every Crafter has these problems.
What should you check when buying a used Crafter?
The areas above, most common first, and what an MOT tester looks at 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. 33.2% of Crafter 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. 21.8% of Crafter failure items.
3
Suspension
Listen for knocks over bumps, check the car sits level, and look for leaking shock absorbers and split rubber gaiters. 10.1% of Crafter failure items.
4
Noise, emissions and leaks
Listen for a blowing exhaust, watch for smoke on start-up and look under the car for oil or fluid leaks. 8% of Crafter failure items.
5
Visibility
Check the windscreen for chips or cracks in the driver's view, and that the wipers and washers clear it properly. 7.5% of Crafter 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 Crafter failures cluster around brakes and lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 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 Crafter 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 Crafter.
- 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 Crafter FAQs
Is the Volkswagen Crafter 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 71.6% first-time pass rate for the Volkswagen Crafter across 8,428 tests in 2025, below the 72.3% average for all cars.
Do older Volkswagen Crafter cars fail their MOT more often?
Volkswagen Crafter cars aged 3 to 5 years passed 83.5% of MOT tests in 2025; for examples aged 11 years and over that fell to 64%. On an older example, the car's own MOT history tells you more than the model average.
What should I check before buying a used Volkswagen Crafter?
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 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 Crafter'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.