Volkswagen · fully electric · 1,540 inspections in 2024
Volkswagen E-Up what wears out, measured
fail their MOT first time. Ranks 17 of 83 electric cars tested; fleet average for electric cars is 12.0%.
At three years old the Volkswagen E-Up fails 5.8% of the time, under the 8.2% of a petrol car the same age. By 4 years that reaches 9.2%. Tyres cause 56.1% of its failures.
Data sheet
- Inspections analysed
- 1,540 first-time tests, retests excluded
- First-time failure rate
- 6.4% (electric average 12.0%, petrol 8.2%, diesel 14.5%)
- Best year
- 3 years old, 5.8% fail
- Worst year
- 4 years old, 9.2% fail
- Biggest cause of failure
- Tyres, 56.1% of all defects
- Most unusual for its class
- Tyres: 2.4× the share seen on petrol and diesel cars
Versions seen in the tests
Exactly as recorded on the certificate. Counts are inspections, not cars.
- E-UP1,540
Failure rate by age
The line to watch is the red one. Dashed lines are petrol and diesel cars of the same age, tested the same year.
Points are hidden where fewer than 50 cars of that age were tested.
Where it holds up
- Suspension fail less often than on petrol and diesel cars (5.4% of defects vs 13.6%)
- Brakes fail less often than on petrol and diesel cars (4.7% of defects vs 18.7%)
- Steering fail less often than on petrol and diesel cars (0.7% of defects vs 3.1%)
- Body fail less often than on petrol and diesel cars (0.0% of defects vs 4.1%)
Where it fails
- Tyres take a bigger share of failures than on the wider fleet (56.1% vs 23.7%)
What fails, by system
Share of all defects that caused a failure. The dark mark is the same system on petrol and diesel cars of the same age.
| System | Share of failing defects | This car | vs fleet |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tyres | 56.1% | 2.4× more | |
| Suspension | 5.4% | 2.5× less | |
| Brakes | 4.7% | 4.0× less | |
| Visibility | 10.8% | in line | |
| Lighting | 14.9% | in line | |
| Steering | 0.7% | 4.4× less | |
| Body | 0.0% | in line |
Top defects on the certificate
Wording from the DVSA inspection manual, so it matches what a tester writes.
- A tyre seriously damaged52
- A tyre cords visible or damaged13
- Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements11
- Windscreen washers not working or not providing sufficient fluid to clear the windscreen9
- Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen6
- An obligatory rear fog lamp missing, or a front or rear fog lamp inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning5
Check before you buy
- 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.
- Check the washers reach the screen. It fails the test and it is a thirty-second check.
- Trivial to fix, but a car advertised with worn wipers and a fresh failure certificate tells you how it was maintained.
- Ask for the full MOT history by registration on the free DVSA service: advisories are next year's failures.
What owners say about the same faults
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 data
Closest failure rate and age profile, different brand.
Other Volkswagen electric cars
Three things the data shows
- 1,540 inspections in 2024 make this one of the adequately-documented electric cars in the data.
- Tyres take 2.4× the share of failures they take on petrol and diesel cars of the same age.
- Failure rate rises from 5.8% at 3 years to 9.2% at 4: a gentle ageing curve.
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.
Data: DVSA anonymised MOT tests, 2024 test year, OGL v3.0. Computed by What Wears Out editorial team. Last updated .