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

4,059 Volkswagen Lupos are licensed in the UK. In 2025 they passed 59.8% of initial MOT tests, 12.5 points below the 72.3% UK average.

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

Volkswagen Lupo at the MOT

59.8% of 5,137 initial tests passed in 2025, ranking the Lupo 495th of 575 models.

First-time pass rate, 2025

Share of initial tests passed, retests excluded.

  • Volkswagen Lupo59.8%
  • All Volkswagen modelsThe Lupo is 13.3 pts behind73.1%
  • All cars72.3%

Where Lupos fail

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

  • Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment25.3%
  • Suspension15.6%
  • Brakes15.3%
  • Noise, emissions and leaks14.9%
  • Body, chassis, structure9.2%

The items testers recorded most often were headlamp aim projected beam image is obviously incorrect (5%), wipers does not clear the windscreen effectively (3.4%) and catalyst emissions lambda reading after 2nd fast idle outside specified limits (3.4%).

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

Full Volkswagen Lupo MOT record

What to look at on a viewing

The Lupo'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.25.3% of Lupo failure items

  2. Suspension

    Listen for knocks over bumps, check the car sits level, and look for leaking shock absorbers and split rubber gaiters.15.6% of Lupo failure items

  3. 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.15.3% of Lupo failure items

Volkswagen Lupos in the UK

4,059 were licensed at the end of June 2026. The number licensed has fallen 81% since the end of 2014.

Change since 2014
−81%from 21,765 licensed
Typical year of first use
2002half of those licensed at the end of 2025 were first used in 2002 or earlier
Declared off the road
4,18351% of those registered, under SORN

Licensed Volkswagen Lupos since 2014

Licensed at each year end and in the latest quarter.

Show the figures
DateLicensed
End of 201421,765
End of 201519,829
End of 201617,568
End of 201715,162
End of 201812,960
End of 201911,012
End of 20209,317
End of 20217,815
End of 20226,840
End of 20236,016
End of 20245,200
End of 20254,348
End of June 20264,059

How old they are

Licensed Volkswagen Lupos by year of first use.

Show the figures
First usedLicensed, end 2025
2005311
2004748
2003725
20021,041
2001714
2000501
1999232

Lupo engines and fuel

1.4 litre engines made up 43% of Volkswagen Lupo MOT tests in 2025, followed by 1.0 litre at 42%. Petrol accounts for 88% of licensed Lupos and diesel for 12%.

Engine size at MOT, 2025

Share of 5,136 initial MOT tests in 2025.

  • 1.4 litre43.1%
  • 1.0 litre41.9%
  • 1.6 litre9.3%
  • 1.7 litre5.4%

Fuel type, licensed Lupos

DfT licensing statistics, June 2026.

FuelLicensedShare
Petrol3,57788%
Diesel48212%

Volkswagen Lupo recalls

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

  1. Mar 2005 R/2004/211

    Bolts of the tandem fuel pump cover may break

    Lupos built Mar 2004 to Aug 2004 · 49,701 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    It is advised that on some vehicles fitted with a 3 and 4 cylinder pump injector engine the bolts of the tandem fuel pump cover may break due to a bolt production fault. As a result the pump housing will not be tight and a diesel fuel leak may occur.
    Remedy
    Recalled vehicles will have the pump checked for being of a certain manufacture. If found to be within the affected range the pump housing cover bolts will be replaced.

  2. Jul 2002 R/2002/049

    Brake vacuum supply pipe concern

    Lupos built May 1997 to Dec 1999 · 120,978 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    On Polo and Lupo vehicles in the affected chassis number range tension cracks may occur on the vacuum pipe to the brake servo in the area of the connections of the pipes because of a manufacturing fault. If a vacuum pipe leaks the brake servo loses its function. Without the servo assistance a lot more force must be used on the pedal. But this will not lead to a total failure of the brake system.
    Remedy
    The fitted vacuum pipes will be checked and if necessary replaced.
How to check a specific Lupo for recalls

Other Volkswagen models

The most-tested Volkswagen models in 2025, against the Lupo's 59.8% MOT pass rate.

All 31 Volkswagen models

Volkswagen Lupo FAQs

How many Volkswagen Lupos are there in the UK?

4,059 Volkswagen Lupos were licensed in the UK at the end of June 2026, with a further 4,183 declared off the road (SORN), according to DfT vehicle licensing statistics.

Is the Volkswagen Lupo 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 59.8% first-time pass rate for the Volkswagen Lupo across 5,137 tests in 2025, below the 72.3% average for all cars.

Has the Volkswagen Lupo had any recalls?

2 DVSA safety recalls launched from 1992 to October 2026 name the Volkswagen Lupo. The most recent was published in March 2005. 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 Lupo?

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

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.