All generations and engines together · 61,282 MOT tests in the 2025 data · typical mileage at age 7: 96k
Middling among saloons and estates, by age and by mileage. Watch suspension and emissions/leaks. A fair used buy, provided its MOT history has no repeating suspension advisories.
Split by first-registration year. Cars registered in a changeover year can belong to either generation.
Owner folklore from forums and the motoring press, with how well each report stands up. Most of it never shows up in an MOT, which is why this section exists at all.
On cars fitted with the 7-speed dry-clutch DQ200 box, mainly the 1.4 and 1.5 TSI petrols, owners report a metallic squeal or shudder changing between 1st and 2nd or 2nd and 3rd gear, plus hesitation pulling away from junctions. It's usually the clutch pack wearing or the mechatronic unit needing a software and fluid update, which VW Group has covered under a service bulletin. A clutch pack replacement runs roughly £800-1,500 out of warranty; a full mechatronic unit is nearer £1,500-2,000. Manuals and the wet-clutch box fitted to bigger-engined cars don't show the same pattern.
Cars without the optional Dynamic Chassis Control adaptive dampers get repeated owner complaints that the standard suspension is too soft and lets the car bounce over bumps, and separately there are reports of creaks and knocks developing from the front end over time. Suspension is also the standout fault category in this model's own measured MOT data, so there is a genuine overlap here, though the MOT figures don't separate a soft ride from actually worn bushes or links, so it may be catching more than one complaint under one heading. Expect the noisier end of this from around 60-80k miles; bushes and drop links are a £100-300 job per corner, DCC dampers considerably more.
2.0 TDI cars across both generations get periodic EGR valve failures, and on examples mostly used for short journeys the DPF can fail to complete a regeneration, letting diesel dilute the sump oil. What Car's reliability data backs this up in general terms, rating diesel Superbs noticeably less dependable than the petrols. An EGR valve replacement typically costs £300-600; oil dilution that goes unnoticed for a long stretch can mean an early oil change or, at worst, accelerated engine wear.
Early Mk2 (2008-2015) 1.8 TSI cars, the CDAA engine, are known for heavy oil use, with some owners reporting a litre gone every 250 miles from worn piston rings, and separately a timing chain that can stretch prematurely from around 50,000 miles. It's part of a wider VW Group EA888-family problem, and Skoda issued its own service bulletin covering an oil change relating to it. A chain and tensioner replacement is roughly £600-1,000; ignore it and you risk a dropped valve and a full engine rebuild.
A recurring complaint on 2015-2024 cars is rear discs corroding and pitting far earlier than expected, sometimes by 17,000-27,000 miles, with some dealers declining to cover it under warranty as wear and tear. Separately, the electromechanical parking brake has been reported sticking on intermittently, which accelerates wear on the same discs and pads. Replacing discs and pads yourself runs about £150-300 a side.
Ranked from this model’s own MOT record, then from what owners report.
Saveable checklistThe physical checks its own defect data says are worth your time, most telling first.
These judge the seller’s upkeep rather than the model, and they are where the haggling money is.
The physical checks its own defect data says are worth your time, most telling first.
These judge the seller’s upkeep rather than the model, and they are where the haggling money is.
The physical checks its own defect data says are worth your time, most telling first.
These judge the seller’s upkeep rather than the model, and they are where the haggling money is.
Drawn from the reports above rather than the MOT data. These are the model-specific ones.
Computed from DVSA MOT results, all of Great Britain, 2025. Nothing here is opinion.
Share of tests where each item was recorded. The dark tick is the class average across all tracked models; bars are scaled within each group.
The rows that judge the model rather than its keeper. 29,619 tests in this band.
Tyres, pads and stone chips say more about how the car was driven and maintained than about how it was built.
Same segment (Saloons & estates), best MOT record first. Compare before you shortlist.