All generations and engines together · 141,666 MOT tests in the 2025 data · typical mileage at age 7: 98k
Split by first-registration year. Cars registered in a changeover year can belong to either generation.
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. 51,013 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.
Owner folklore from forums and the motoring press. Most of it never shows up in an MOT, which is why this section exists at all.
On the B6/B7 Passat (roughly 2005-2014) the electric parking brake is a recurring headache. The rear caliper motor or the dash switch can jam on or refuse to release, sometimes from as little as 20-30k miles and more often by 60-90k. Fixes range from a switch replacement for under £100 to new caliper motors on both rear wheels for £400-500 or more. No recall found for this; VW and dealers treat it as a wear item rather than a defect.
Passats fitted with the 7-speed DQ200 dry-clutch DSG, common on lower-powered petrol and diesel automatics built before around 2016, can judder from a standstill or hesitate pulling away. Cause is usually clutch pack wear or a fault in the mechatronic control unit. Fixes range from a software adaptation reset up to a full mechatronic unit replacement, which owners report costing roughly £1,000-2,000. Manual cars and the 6-speed wet-clutch DSG on higher-powered models are not affected in the same way.
On 2.0 TDI PD (pump-injector) diesels built roughly 2005-2008, the oil pump drive can fail and starve the engine of oil, in the worst cases wrecking it. Reported between 50,000 and 113,000 miles. Repair cost ranges from around £500 if caught early to £9,000 or more once the engine itself has been damaged. Later common-rail 2.0 TDI engines from 2009 on are not affected by this particular fault.
Manual Passats can develop a shudder through the clutch pedal or the car body as the dual-mass flywheel wears, sometimes as early as 25-45k miles and increasingly common from 70k on. Replacing the clutch and flywheel together typically runs £600-900. Owners disagree on the cause: some blame stop-start town driving or towing, others say the part is simply under-specified for the car. Either way it's a real cost to budget for on a car with no clutch history.
Long-running owner complaint: front lower-arm and anti-roll bar bushes perishing or splitting well before you'd expect, in some cases by around 35,000 miles, plus creaks and clonks over rough roads. This lines up with the measured MOT record for the model: suspension is the standout advisory category for saloon and estate Passats, well ahead of other fault types. A set of front arms and bushes typically runs £300-500 fitted.
Following the 2015-16 EA189 diesel emissions software recall, owners of affected 2.0 TDI Passats have reported EGR valve problems, DPF warning lights and throttle body faults turning up afterwards, plus a noticeable drop in fuel economy. VW's recall fix itself was mandatory and free, but owners describe further dealer visits to chase the follow-on faults; a DPF replacement where needed runs £1,700 or more.
Built from the two sections above.
Same segment (Saloons & estates), best MOT record first. Compare before you shortlist.
Head to head with the other popular cars in its class on reliability and common faults.