carpeep

Volkswagen Fox, Buying guide, MOT record and recalls

In 2025, the Volkswagen Fox passed 50.7% of 23,316 initial MOT tests, 21.6 points below the 72.3% UK average.

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

Volkswagen Fox at the MOT

50.7% of 23,316 initial tests passed in 2025, ranking the Fox 566th of 575 models.

First-time pass rate, 2025

Share of initial tests passed, retests excluded.

  • Volkswagen Fox50.7%
  • All Volkswagen modelsThe Fox is 22.4 pts behind73.1%
  • All cars72.3%

Where Foxes fail

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

  • Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment26.6%
  • Suspension21.9%
  • Visibility10.8%
  • Brakes10.8%
  • Noise, emissions and leaks10.3%

The items testers recorded most often were wipers does not clear the windscreen effectively (4.3%), linkage ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt (4.2%) and ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt (4.1%).

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

Full Volkswagen Fox MOT record

What to look at on a viewing

The Fox's most common failure areas, and what a tester checks 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.26.6% of Fox failure items

  2. Suspension

    Listen for knocks over bumps, check the car sits level, and look for leaking shock absorbers and split rubber gaiters.21.9% of Fox failure items

  3. Visibility

    Check the windscreen for chips or cracks in the driver's view, and that the wipers and washers clear it properly.10.8% of Fox failure items

Fox engine sizes

1.2 litre engines made up 87% of Volkswagen Fox MOT tests in 2025, followed by 1.4 litre at 13%.

Engine size at MOT, 2025

Share of 23,315 initial MOT tests in 2025.

  • 1.2 litre87.3%
  • 1.4 litre12.7%

Volkswagen Fox recalls

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

  1. Aug 2025 R/2025/357

    Takata front drivers or passenger airbag replacement

    Foxes built Nov 2006 to Apr 2007 · 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

    Foxes built Jul 2006 to Jul 2011 · 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
How to check a specific Fox for recalls

Other Volkswagen models

The most-tested Volkswagen models in 2025, against the Fox's 50.7% MOT pass rate.

All 31 Volkswagen models

Volkswagen Fox FAQs

Is the Volkswagen Fox 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 50.7% first-time pass rate for the Volkswagen Fox across 23,316 tests in 2025, below the 72.3% average for all cars.

Has the Volkswagen Fox had any recalls?

2 DVSA safety recalls launched from 1992 to October 2026 name the Volkswagen Fox. 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 Fox?

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

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. 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.