How often does the Volkswagen Abt fail its MOT?

4.2% of 263 first-time tests in 2024 were failures, against 12.0% for all electric cars.

What does the Volkswagen Abt most often fail on?

Suspension, 31.2% of failing defects. The single most common defect was: A tyre seriously damaged.

Volkswagen · Fully electric · 263 inspections in 2024 · Rank 7 of 83DVSA MOT analysis

The Volkswagen Abt beats the petrol fleet at every age we can measure

263 inspections in a single year make the ABT a modestly documented electric car in the data. Suspension cause 31.2% of its failures; body take 3.0× the share they take on petrol and diesel cars of the same age.

FIGURE 1 // WHERE IT WEARSVolkswagen Abt

Top three failure systems, annotated from 11 failed first-time tests. Arrows point to where the defect is found on the car.

First-time test findings

First-time failure rate

AT 3 YEARS OLD4.2%

Overall first-time failure rate.

AT FLEET YEARS OLD12.0%

All electric cars in the data.

At three years old the Volkswagen Abt fails 3.9% of the time, under the 8.2% of a petrol car the same age. Suspension cause 31.2% of its failures.

FIGURE 2 // SILL AND UNDERBODY4 certificates in 2024

Corrosion where it should not be yet

Body take 12.5% of the defects that fail this car, 3.0× the share seen on petrol and diesel cars of the same age. The most common item in that group is "A tyre seriously damaged", recorded 4 times in 2024.

SECTION // BODY CONCENTRATION

Where it concentrates

The ABT stays under the petrol fleet at every age we can measure. What it does fail on is unusually concentrated.

DEFECT CONCENTRATION IN FAILED TESTS:

ABT body share12.5%

Wider fleet average4.1%

The single most common item on a ABT certificate is "A tyre seriously damaged", recorded 4 times.

Source: DVSA MOT defect items, 2024 test year.

Buyer's protocolPre-purchase checklist

What to check

Check tyre age and tread across the full width, inner edge included. Electric cars wear tyres faster; a cheap mismatched set on a used car tells you how it was run. Ask for the full MOT history by registration on the free DVSA service: advisories are next year's failures.

3 inspection points:

✓ Tyre inner-edge wear and age

✓ Free DVSA MOT history check

FIGURE 3 // FAILURE RATE BY AGEvs petrol, diesel and all electric cars

Points hidden where fewer than 50 cars of that age were tested. Dashed lines are the same-age petrol and diesel fleets.

Data sheet

Inspections: 263
Passed: 245
Failed: 11
Passed after repair: 7
Failure rate: 4.2% (all EV 12.0%)
Average age: 3.1 years
Best year: 3 yrs · 3.9%
Worst year: 3 yrs · 3.9%
Top cause: Suspension 31.2%

TABLE 1 // WHAT FAILS, BY SYSTEMshare of failing defects

System	Share	vs fleet
Tyres	25.0%	in line
Suspension	31.2%	2.3× more
Brakes	0.0%	in line
Visibility	6.2%	1.9× less
Lighting	25.0%	1.5× more
Steering	0.0%	in line
Body	12.5%	3.0× more

TABLE 2 // TOP DEFECTS ON THE CERTIFICATE

A tyre seriously damaged4
A door will not open using the relevant control or close properly2
A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened2
A shock absorber damaged to the extent that it does not function or showing signs of severe leakage2
Audible warning inoperative1
Indicator or hazard warning switch does not operate in accordance with the requirements1

Wording as printed by the tester, from the DVSA inspection manual.

Where it holds up

Brakes fail less often than on petrol and diesel cars (0.0% of defects vs 18.7%)
Visibility fail less often than on petrol and diesel cars (6.2% of defects vs 11.9%)
Steering fail less often than on petrol and diesel cars (0.0% of defects vs 3.1%)
At three years old it fails 3.9% of the time, below the 8.2% of petrol cars the same age

Where it fails

Suspension take a bigger share of failures than on the wider fleet (31.2% vs 13.6%)
Lighting take a bigger share of failures than on the wider fleet (25.0% vs 16.5%)
Body take a bigger share of failures than on the wider fleet (12.5% vs 4.1%)

VERSIONS SEEN IN THE TESTSas recorded

ABT ETRANSPORTER T32157
ABT ETRANSPORTER T32 ADVANCE106

OWNER REPORTS // MATCHED TO RECORDED DEFECTS0 read · 0 matched

No owner discussion has been matched to this car's recorded defects yet. Reports are re-collected every quarter; the figures on this page do not depend on them.

Summaries written by us, never quotes; every entry links to its source. Owner reports have no denominator and never feed the failure rate.

SIMILAR CARS IN THE DATAclosest rate and age, other brands

Lexus UX4.4% fail · 1,019 tests Toyota Proace4.8% fail · 208 tests Peugeot Expert3.3% fail · 1,137 tests Kia EV65.2% fail · 1,399 tests

OTHER VOLKSWAGEN ELECTRIC CARS

Volkswagen E-Golf11.9% fail first time Volkswagen Golf12.1% fail first time Volkswagen ID48.8% fail first time Volkswagen ID38.3% fail first time

Three things the data shows

263 inspections in 2024 make this one of the adequately-documented electric cars in the data.
Body take 3.0× the share of failures they take on petrol and diesel cars of the same age.
It ranks 7 of 83 electric cars by first-time failure rate.

LIMITS // WHAT THE INSPECTION DOES NOT TELL YOU

No battery health, no motor, no charging performance. The test covers brakes, suspension, steering, tyres, lights, visibility and structure. A car with a badly degraded battery passes as long as it stops and steers. Read this page as evidence about the chassis, not the powertrain. Cars are tested from their third year, so the newest model years are missing; every figure carries its sample size for that reason. Full methodology.