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

9,296 Volkswagen Eoses are licensed in the UK. In 2025 they passed 63.3% of initial MOT tests, 9 points below the 72.3% UK average.

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

Volkswagen Eos at the MOT

63.3% of 10,826 initial tests passed in 2025, ranking the Eos 455th of 575 models. Volkswagen Eoses aged 6 to 10 years passed 78.3% of MOT tests in 2025; for examples aged 11 years and over that fell to 62.7%.

First-time pass rate, 2025

Share of initial tests passed, retests excluded.

  • Volkswagen Eos63.3%
  • All Volkswagen modelsThe Eos is 9.8 pts behind73.1%
  • All cars72.3%

Pass rate by age at test

Volkswagen Eos tests in 2025.

  • 6 to 10 years400 tests78.3%
  • 11 years and over10,426 tests62.7%

Where Eoses fail

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

  • Suspension29.4%
  • Brakes17.5%
  • Tyres15.2%
  • Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment13.9%
  • Body, chassis, structure7.9%

The items testers recorded most often were coil spring fractured or broken (8.3%), linkage ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt (5.3%) and tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm (4.7%).

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

Full Volkswagen Eos MOT record

What to look at on a viewing

The Eos'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.29.4% of Eos 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.17.5% of Eos failure items

  3. Tyres

    Check tread depth across the full width of every tyre (the legal minimum is 1.6mm), and look for cuts, bulges and uneven wear.15.2% of Eos failure items

Volkswagen Eoses in the UK

9,296 were licensed at the end of June 2026. The number licensed has fallen 50% since the end of 2014.

Change since 2014
−50%from 18,496 licensed
Typical year of first use
2009half of those licensed at the end of 2025 were first used in 2009 or earlier
First registered in 2025
2against 992 in 2015
Declared off the road
2,09618% of those registered, under SORN

Licensed Volkswagen Eoses since 2014

Licensed at each year end and in the latest quarter.

Show the figures
DateLicensed
End of 201418,496
End of 201518,980
End of 201618,793
End of 201718,244
End of 201817,617
End of 201916,842
End of 202016,067
End of 202115,216
End of 202214,267
End of 202312,797
End of 202411,303
End of 20259,951
End of June 20269,296

How old they are

Licensed Volkswagen Eoses 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
20163554
2015446992
2014310
2013416
2012347
20111,210
20101,628
2009987
20081,837
20071,991
2006675

446 Eoses first used in 2015 were still licensed at the end of 2025, roughly 45% of the 992 first registered that year.

Eos engines and fuel

2.0 litre engines made up 84% of Volkswagen Eos MOT tests in 2025, followed by 1.4 litre at 13%. Diesel accounts for 57% of licensed Eoses and petrol for 43%.

Engine size at MOT, 2025

Share of 10,820 initial MOT tests in 2025.

  • 2.0 litre83.6%
  • 1.4 litre12.9%
  • 1.6 litre2.2%
  • 3.2 litre1.3%

Fuel type, licensed Eoses

DfT licensing statistics, June 2026.

FuelLicensedShare
Petrol3,96743%
Diesel5,32957%

Volkswagen Eos recalls

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

  1. Aug 2025 R/2025/357

    Takata front drivers or passenger airbag replacement

    Eoses built Jan 2010 to Dec 2010 · 279 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    Urgent Safety Warning - Do Not Drive Your Vehicle Our information shows your vehicle was originally allocated to or used for an extended period of time in a region with a climate zone considered to as HIGH RISK. Issue: The front airbag in your VW vehicle contains an ageing inflator propellant that may explode when deployed due to long-term exposure to heat and humidity. Risk: If the airbag inflator explodes metal fragments may be ejected causing life-threatening or fatal injuries to anyone in the vehicle.
    Remedy
    The front airbag must be replaced. Immediate Action Required: Stop driving your vehicle immediately. Contact the Takata Stop Drive helpline at 0113 526 9646 (MONDAY to FRIDAY 9:00AM to 5:00PM to arrange your recall service.

  2. Jun 2023 R/2023/178

    Takata Front airbag

    Eoses built Dec 2008 to Jul 2015 · 287,441 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    The function of the driver airbag inflators can degrade due to air and moisture ingress.
    Remedy
    Replace airbag

  3. Mar 2018 R/2018/062

    Starter motor may malfunction and overheat

    Eoses built Mar 2011 to Nov 2011 · 16,625 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    On vehicles with diesel engines and stop/start system the starter motor may be permanently activated because the return spring in the solenoid switch is bent or broken. If the permanent current supply to the starter motor is not noticed overheating of the component with local scorching damage and a vehicle fire is possible.
    Remedy
    Recall the vehicles that are likely to be affected and replace the solenoid switch.

  4. Jun 2017 R/2017/189

    ABS/ESC system may fail

    Eoses built Jun 2008 to May 2010 · 64,192 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    On vehicles with ABS/ESC the earth connection may be interrupted. This may cause failure of the ABS/ESC system
    Remedy
    On affected vehicles install new software. Where necessary a new ABS/ESC control unit will be fitted.

  5. Dec 2011 R/2011/169

    Fuel may leak

    Eoses built Jan 2009 to Dec 2011 · 33,719 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    On 2.0l Common Rail engines of a limited production period faulty material can cause leaks on the high pressure pipes during the service life of the vehicle.
    Remedy
    Anti-vibration balance weights will be fitted on the high-pressure pipes.

  6. Dec 2009 R/2009/110

    Clutch may operate inadvertently with unexpected loss of drive

    Eoses built Sep 2008 to Aug 2009 · 3,514 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    In rare cases an incorrect interpretation of the clutch temperature can occur which results in the clutch opening unexpectedly with loss of drive.
    Remedy
    Recall affected vehicles and update/reprogramme gearbox control unit.
How to check a specific Eos for recalls

Other Volkswagen models

The most-tested Volkswagen models in 2025, against the Eos's 63.3% MOT pass rate.

All 31 Volkswagen models

Volkswagen Eos FAQs

How many Volkswagen Eoses are there in the UK?

9,296 Volkswagen Eoses were licensed in the UK at the end of June 2026, with a further 2,096 declared off the road (SORN), according to DfT vehicle licensing statistics.

Is the Volkswagen Eos 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 63.3% first-time pass rate for the Volkswagen Eos across 10,826 tests in 2025, below the 72.3% average for all cars.

Has the Volkswagen Eos had any recalls?

6 DVSA safety recalls launched from 1992 to October 2026 name the Volkswagen Eos. The most recent was published in August 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 Eos?

On the car itself, start with the areas it most often fails on: suspension, brakes and tyres. 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 Eos'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 Eos?

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 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.