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

685,307 Volkswagen Polos are licensed in the UK, the 6th most common model on the road. In 2025 they passed 67.4% of initial MOT tests, 4.9 points below the 72.3% UK average.

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

Volkswagen Polo at the MOT

67.4% of 632,067 initial tests passed in 2025, ranking the Polo 395th of 575 models. Volkswagen Polos aged 3 to 5 years passed 85.5% of MOT tests in 2025; for examples aged 11 years and over that fell to 55.9%.

First-time pass rate, 2025

Share of initial tests passed, retests excluded.

  • Volkswagen Polo67.4%
  • All Volkswagen modelsThe Polo is 5.7 pts behind73.1%
  • All cars72.3%

Pass rate by age at test

Volkswagen Polo tests in 2025.

  • 3 to 5 years84,399 tests85.5%
  • 6 to 10 years230,536 tests73.7%
  • 11 years and over298,057 tests55.9%

Where Polos fail

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

  • Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment23.6%
  • Suspension19.6%
  • Brakes16.4%
  • Tyres9.8%
  • Noise, emissions and leaks7.8%

The items testers recorded most often were pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn (5%), tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm (3.6%) and track rod end ball joint dust cover excessively damaged or deteriorated so that it no longer prevents the ingress of dirt (3.4%).

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

Full Volkswagen Polo MOT record

What to look at on a viewing

The Polo'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.23.6% of Polo failure items

  2. Suspension

    Listen for knocks over bumps, check the car sits level, and look for leaking shock absorbers and split rubber gaiters.19.6% of Polo 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.16.4% of Polo failure items

Volkswagen Polos in the UK

685,307 were licensed at the end of June 2026, the 2nd most of any Volkswagen. The number licensed has grown 13% since the end of 2014.

Change since 2014
+13%from 608,218 licensed
Typical year of first use
2015half of those licensed at the end of 2025 were first used in 2015 or earlier
First registered in 2025
26,573against 54,939 in 2015
Declared off the road
52,9227.2% of those registered, under SORN

Licensed Volkswagen Polos since 2014

Licensed at each year end and in the latest quarter.

Show the figures
DateLicensed
End of 2014608,218
End of 2015629,472
End of 2016654,391
End of 2017666,074
End of 2018677,192
End of 2019681,668
End of 2020676,365
End of 2021679,691
End of 2022680,755
End of 2023681,618
End of 2024685,965
End of 2025685,314
End of June 2026685,307

How old they are

Licensed Volkswagen Polos by year of first use.

  • Licensed at the end of 2025
  • First registered that year

A further 39,140 were first used before 2006.

Show the figures
First usedLicensed, end 2025First registered that year
202523,92126,573
202428,26630,455
202324,11626,188
202222,28123,845
202129,48030,837
202025,92327,035
201935,68637,574
201842,98245,199
201745,13847,889
201651,13354,584
201550,85254,939
201443,253
201336,585
201234,808
201135,616
201033,410
200920,534
200821,443
200718,927
200615,247

50,852 Polos first used in 2015 were still licensed at the end of 2025, roughly 93% of the 54,939 first registered that year.

Polo engines and fuel

1.2 litre engines made up 41% of Volkswagen Polo MOT tests in 2025, followed by 1.0 litre at 34%. Petrol accounts for 94% of licensed Polos and diesel for 6%.

Engine size at MOT, 2025

Share of 632,026 initial MOT tests in 2025.

  • 1.2 litre40.9%
  • 1.0 litre34%
  • 1.4 litre20.8%
  • 2.0 litre1.3%
  • 1.8 litre1.3%

Fuel type, licensed Polos

DfT licensing statistics, June 2026.

FuelLicensedShare
Petrol644,25994%
Diesel41,0156%
Hybrid electric10<0.1%
Gas23<0.1%

Volkswagen Polo recalls

17 DVSA safety recalls launched from 2010 to July 2026 name the Volkswagen Polo. The 8 most recent are below. Each covers vehicles built in a set period, so a recall does not mean every Polo is affected.

  1. Aug 2025 R/2025/385

    Check rear axle bolted connection

    Polos built Apr 2025 · 2 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    STOP -DRIVE - Do not drive your vehicle until the repair has been completed; it must be recovered to a workshop. The rear axle bolted connecting may not have been completed to specification. Risk of axle becoming detached and resultant loss of control and possible collision or injury.
    Remedy
    Check and if necessary re-work rear axle bolted connection

  2. Aug 2025 R/2025/357

    Takata front drivers or passenger airbag replacement

    Polos built Nov 2006 to Oct 2013 · 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.

  3. Jun 2025 R/2025/208

    Replace front passenger airbag

    Polos built Oct 2023 to Mar 2025 · 2,067 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    The front passenger airbag may be faulty. In the event of an accident-related deployment the front passenger airbag may have a reduced protective effect also the gas generator housing may burst and components of the gas generator housing may come loose and cause serious or deadly injuries to vehicle occupants.
    Remedy
    The passenger airbag must be replaced.

  4. Jun 2023 R/2023/178

    Takata Front airbag

    Polos built Nov 2006 to Oct 2013 · 141,644 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

  5. Oct 2022 R/2022/274

    The driver's airbag may not correctly deploy if activated

    Polos built Nov 2006 to Dec 2007 · 21 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Remedy
    Replace the driver's air bag assembly.

  6. Apr 2022 R/2022/115

    The roof spoiler may not have been bonded to the rear lid with the specified process materials

    Polos built Aug 2021 to Sep 2021 · 356 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    On all affected Polo vehicles there is a possibility that the roof spoiler may not have been bonded to the rear lid with the specified process materials.
    Remedy
    On all affected vehicles the roof spoiler has to be replaced.

  7. Dec 2021 R/2022/011

    The sun roof frame may not have been bonded to the body roof

    Polos built Feb 2021 to Sep 2021 · 35 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    The sunroof frame may not have been correctly bonded to the body roof.
    Remedy
    Check and if necessary correctly bond the sunroof frame to the body roof.

  8. Oct 2021 R/2021/400

    A faultily installed net for the design breakage point for the discharge of the passenger airbag has been fitted

    Polos built Aug 2020 to Jan 2021 · 6,889 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    A dash panel with a faulty installed net for the design breakage point for the discharge of the passenger airbag has been fitted.
    Remedy
    On the affected vehicles the dash panel has to be replaced.
How to check a specific Polo for recalls

Polo vs similar cars

Head-to-head comparisons on the same 2025 DVSA data.

Other Volkswagen models

The most-tested Volkswagen models in 2025, against the Polo's 67.4% MOT pass rate.

All 31 Volkswagen models

Volkswagen Polo FAQs

How many Volkswagen Polos are there in the UK?

685,307 Volkswagen Polos were licensed in the UK at the end of June 2026, with a further 52,922 declared off the road (SORN), according to DfT vehicle licensing statistics.

Is the Volkswagen Polo 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 67.4% first-time pass rate for the Volkswagen Polo across 632,067 tests in 2025, below the 72.3% average for all cars.

Has the Volkswagen Polo had any recalls?

17 DVSA safety recalls launched from 2010 to July 2026 name the Volkswagen Polo. 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 Polo?

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 Polo'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 Polo?

Check its finance, write-off, theft, mileage and keeper history with a £15 vehicle history report.

Across the 1,390 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 July 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.