All generations and engines together · 50,249 MOT tests in the 2025 data · typical mileage at age 7: 72k
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. 14,514 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.
Owners of DSG-equipped 1.4 TSI 150 and 1.5 TSI evo Tourans report hesitation and hopping when pulling away, plus sluggish response on hills that sometimes needs a manual downshift to first gear, and occasional stalling on steep bends. Honest John logged owner reports of this from 2019 on the Touran itself. This is the same fault VW Group's small turbo petrols became known for across the range, and dealers have a software update to try; stubborn cars may need an injector adaptation reset too.
The dry-clutch DQ200 7-speed DSG fitted to smaller-engined Tourans is the one to worry about: judder pulling away, a flashing gear selector light, and in the worst case the box dropping into limp mode or getting stuck in one gear. The wet-clutch DQ250 6-speed used behind the 2.0 TDI is generally longer-lived. Mechatronic unit replacement runs roughly £800-£2,000+ depending on whether it's a full unit or a repair, and a software update is the cheap first fix worth trying before anything else.
A cold-start rattle from the front of the engine that fades as revs rise, most reported on the older EA111-family 1.2 and 1.4 TSI engines used in the pre-2015 Touran. Left unchecked the tensioner can let the chain stretch or jump time, which is a proper engine-out repair. VW ran extended-warranty and revised-tensioner programmes on some 1.4 TSI applications elsewhere in the range, but this reporting agent could not confirm a Touran-specific recall, so treat it as a known family weak point rather than a confirmed campaign on this model.
Common owner complaint on the 1.6 and 2.0 TDI: a sooted-up EGR valve triggering rough running or limp mode, and a DPF that won't regenerate properly on cars used mostly for short trips, sometimes ending in a costly filter replacement. How much of this is a manufacturer weak point versus normal diesel-on-short-journeys wear is genuinely argued among owners, plenty of high-mileage motorway cars go without trouble. EGR cleaning or replacement is a few hundred pounds; a new DPF can run over £1,000.
A long-running complaint on owner forums: a metallic knock or "twang" over bumps and potholes, a grinding or cracking noise on full steering lock, and occasionally a visibly broken front coil spring. Top mounts, anti-roll bar drop links and springs all get named as the culprit depending on the car. The measured MOT data backs this up in outline, suspension is the standout fault category for this segment, though it doesn't tell you which specific part is wearing, so a knock at a viewing is worth investigating properly rather than assuming it's just a worn bush.
A cluster of smaller reported faults: stop/start batteries that discharge unusually fast (one Honest John report measured a 1.9-amp drain on a 2015 car), and Front Assist, City Stop or adaptive cruise control dropping out due to missing or faulty sensor components. None of these are catastrophic on their own but they're the kind of thing that fails an MOT-adjacent warning light check and needs tracing rather than ignoring.
Built from the two sections above.
Same segment (MPVs), best MOT record first. Compare before you shortlist.
Head to head with the other popular cars in its class on reliability and common faults.