Volkswagen LT, Buying guide, MOT record, UK numbers and recalls
4,587 Volkswagen LTs are licensed in the UK. In 2025 they passed 55.1% of initial MOT tests, 17.2 points below the 72.3% UK average.
Looking at a specific LT? Check its finance, write-off, stolen, mileage and keeper history. £15, no account needed.
Volkswagen LT at the MOT
55.1% of 2,488 initial tests passed in 2025, ranking the LT 538th of 575 models.
First-time pass rate, 2025
Share of initial tests passed, retests excluded.
Where LTs fail
Share of all failure items recorded on Volkswagen LT tests in 2025.
The items testers recorded most often were rbt (sp) efficiency below requirements (4.6%), headlamp not working on main beam (3.5%) and position lamp not working (3.5%).
The MOT page lists every common LT MOT failure. For one car's own results and advisories, run a free MOT history check.
What to look at on a viewing
The LT's most common failure areas, and what a tester checks in each.
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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.32.3% of LT failure items
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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.28.4% of LT failure items
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Suspension
Listen for knocks over bumps, check the car sits level, and look for leaking shock absorbers and split rubber gaiters.12.8% of LT failure items
Volkswagen LTs in the UK
4,587 were licensed at the end of June 2026. The number licensed has fallen 73% since the end of 2014.
- Change since 2014
- −73%from 16,692 licensed
- Declared off the road
- 7,35562% of those registered, under SORN
Licensed Volkswagen LTs since 2014
Licensed at each year end and in the latest quarter.
Show the figures
| Date | Licensed |
|---|---|
| End of 2014 | 16,692 |
| End of 2015 | 15,098 |
| End of 2016 | 13,600 |
| End of 2017 | 12,084 |
| End of 2018 | 10,599 |
| End of 2019 | 9,344 |
| End of 2020 | 8,160 |
| End of 2021 | 7,609 |
| End of 2022 | 6,848 |
| End of 2023 | 6,055 |
| End of 2024 | 5,328 |
| End of 2025 | 4,729 |
| End of June 2026 | 4,587 |
LT engines and fuel
2.5 litre engines made up 74% of Volkswagen LT MOT tests in 2025, followed by 2.4 litre at 16%. Diesel accounts for 97% of licensed LTs and petrol for 3.1%.
Engine size at MOT, 2025
Share of 2,461 initial MOT tests in 2025.
Fuel type, licensed LTs
DfT licensing statistics, June 2026.
| Fuel | Licensed | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Petrol | 141 | 3% |
| Diesel | 4,438 | 97% |
| Gas | 8 | 0.2% |
Volkswagen LT recalls
1 DVSA safety recall launched from 1992 to October 2026 names the Volkswagen LT. Each covers vehicles built in a set period, so a recall does not mean every LT is affected.
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Jun 2003 R/2003/076
Shatter cracks may occur on vacuum pipe to brake servo
Defect and remedy
- Defect
- Shatter cracks may occur on the vacuum pipe to the brake servo near the connections. If a vacuum pipe leaks a lot more force will be necessary to operate the brake pedal.
- Remedy
- The fitted vacuum pipes will be checked and replaced if necessary.
Other Volkswagen models
The most-tested Volkswagen models in 2025, against the LT's 55.1% MOT pass rate.
- Volkswagen Golf
- Volkswagen Polo
- Volkswagen Transporter
- Volkswagen Tiguan
- Volkswagen Passat
- Volkswagen Caddy
Volkswagen LT FAQs
How many Volkswagen LTs are there in the UK?
4,587 Volkswagen LTs were licensed in the UK at the end of June 2026, with a further 7,355 declared off the road (SORN), according to DfT vehicle licensing statistics.
Is the Volkswagen LT 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 55.1% first-time pass rate for the Volkswagen LT across 2,488 tests in 2025, below the 72.3% average for all cars.
Has the Volkswagen LT had any recalls?
1 DVSA safety recall launched from 1992 to October 2026 names the Volkswagen LT. The most recent was published in June 2003. 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 LT?
On the car itself, start with the areas it most often fails on: lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment, brakes and suspension. 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 LT'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 LT?
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.