88.7%
Volkswagen T-Cross
Volkswagen T-Cross MOT pass rate and common problems
The Volkswagen T-Cross passed 88.7% of its initial MOT tests in 2025, 16.4 percentage points above the 72.3% UK average. The item testers recorded most often was brake pads less than 1.5 mm thick.
Checking a specific car? Its own results, advisories and recorded mileages are in a free MOT history check.
How the T-Cross compares
Initial MOT tests in 2025, retests excluded. A car that failed and was repaired at the test station counts as a fail.
73.1%
Volkswagen average
72.3%
UK average, all cars
The T-Cross runs 15.6 points ahead of the Volkswagen average. It is 4th of the 31 Volkswagen models in the data. The average T-Cross arrived at its test 4.4 years old with 30,451 miles recorded.
A pass rate records whether cars met the roadworthiness standard on test day. It is not a reliability score, and part of any gap reflects how old the tested cars were.
T-Cross MOT pass rate by age
The same 2025 tests split by the car's age at test.
Volkswagen T-Cross cars aged 3 to 5 years passed 88% of MOT tests. For cars aged 6 to 10 years that fell to 80.8%, a drop of 7.2 percentage points.
| Age at test | Tests | Pass rate | vs UK average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 to 5 years | 23,856 | 88% | 15.7 pts above |
| 6 to 10 years | 1,226 | 80.8% | 8.5 pts above |
That is a typical decline as cars age. The UK average of 72.3% covers cars of every age, so compare like with like.
Where T-Cross failures cluster
Every failure item recorded on Volkswagen T-Cross cars in 2025, grouped into the DVSA's test areas.
Tyres and brakes together account for 59.4% of recorded failure items. These are recorded failures across the model, not faults every car has.
The 10 most common T-Cross MOT failures
Specific items recorded on Volkswagen T-Cross cars that failed their 2025 MOT, as a share of all recorded failure items.
Together these 10 items make up 62.9% of everything testers recorded against failed Volkswagen T-Cross cars. The rest is spread across many smaller items, and one failed test often records several at once.
What to look at on a T-Cross
The recorded failures above, grouped by area, biggest first.
1
Tyres
Recorded most often: condition has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords, tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm, condition has ply or cords exposed and condition has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure. 25.3% of failure items.
2
Brakes
Recorded most often: brake pads less than 1.5 mm thick, brake discs significantly and obviously worn and service brake performance excessively fluctuating. 23.6% of failure items.
3
Steering
Recorded most often: track rod end ball joint dust cover excessively damaged or deteriorated so that it no longer prevents the ingress of dirt. 7.4% of failure items.
4
Visibility
Recorded most often: washers not working. 3.3% of failure items.
The car's own MOT history matters more than any model average. A free MOT history check shows whether a specific T-Cross has failed on these items before, or had them noted as advisories. Buying one? See the used Volkswagen T-Cross buying guide.
Already found one?
Check its finance, write-off, theft, mileage and keeper history with a £15 vehicle history report.
Volkswagen T-Cross MOT FAQs
What is the Volkswagen T-Cross MOT pass rate?
88.7% of Volkswagen T-Cross cars passed their initial MOT first time in 2025, from 31,210 tests. That is 16.4 percentage points above the 72.3% average for all cars, and ranks 58th of 575 models.
What does a Volkswagen T-Cross most commonly fail its MOT on?
The item testers recorded most often on Volkswagen T-Cross cars failing their 2025 MOT was brake pads less than 1.5 mm thick, on 16.3% of failure items. Next were condition has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords (10.8%) and track rod end ball joint dust cover excessively damaged or deteriorated so that it no longer prevents the ingress of dirt (7.4%).
Which area causes the most Volkswagen T-Cross MOT failures?
Across every recorded failure item, the largest area was tyres at 30.7%, followed by brakes at 28.7%.
Do older Volkswagen T-Cross cars fail their MOT more often?
Volkswagen T-Cross cars aged 3 to 5 years passed 88% of MOT tests in 2025, against 80.8% for cars aged 6 to 10 years.
Does this mean every Volkswagen T-Cross has these problems?
No. These are the items testers recorded across every Volkswagen T-Cross that failed in 2025. They show where the model most often needs attention, not the condition of any individual car.
How do I see a specific Volkswagen T-Cross's MOT history?
Enter its registration on the free Carpeep MOT history check to see that car's own test results, failures, advisories and recorded mileages.
MOT figures are aggregated from the DVSA MOT Anonymised data set for 2025: class 4 initial tests, retests excluded, with failure items from failed tests (advisories and minor defects excluded), licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. MOT results describe roadworthiness at test, not mechanical reliability.