The current TÜV report was published in mid-November 2023. TÜV assessed the defects from more than ten million MOT inspections between July 2022 and June 2023. The TÜV report provides important and independent advice for drivers and used car buyers. The new feature this time is that the 221 vehicle models inspected have been divided into six, instead of the previous five age groups. The age group 12 to 13 years has been added.
Overall, it was found that one in five passenger cars failed their MOT due to significant or dangerous defects. That's 20.5 percent, which is 0.3 percent higher than in the TÜV report from the previous year. These include an increasing number of electric vehicles, in which electrics-specific defects in particular have been identified. The average age of tested vehicles is also increasing and is now at 10 years.
Which cars perform best?
The winner in the up to 5 years age group is the VW Golf Sportsvan with a quota of 4.2 percent. The VW T-Roc performed similarly well at 4.2 percent, along with the VW T-Cross with a quota of 4.6 percent. In the up to 7 years age group, the Mazda CX-3 performed best with a defect quota of 6.5 percent, and the Mercedes B-Class came top in the up to 10 years age group with a defect quota of 10.5 percent. The VW e-Golf, which is now no longer produced, performed best in the electric car segment with a defect quota of 2.6 percent.
Which vehicles performed worst?
The Tesla Model 3 is particularly prone to defects and came last in the up to 3 years age group, replacing the Dacia Logan in last place with a defect quota of 14.7 percent (Dacia Logan defect quota: 11.4 percent). Here too, the main defects occur in the axle suspension and brakes as is typical for electric vehicles. The lighting system is also a factor here. In the up to 5 years age group, the BMW X5/X6 performs worst with a defect quota of 17.9 percent, closely followed by the VW Sharan with a defect quota of 17.7 percent. In age groups up to 7 and up to 9 years, the Dacia Dokker comes last with a defect quota of 25.9 and 32.2 percent.
The most common defects at a glance
In electric vehicles, the main defects occur in the brakes and axle suspension. For the brakes, the cause appears to lie in the recuperation, which can result in a lower load on the brake pads and thus impair the braking performance. In the case of the axle suspension, the problem lies in the heavy weight of the drive batteries, which places strain on the axle suspension over the long-term. When it comes to combustion engines, the lighting is the top cause of defects. The low beam light is the top cause of defects in the up to 3 years, up to 5 years and up to 9 years age groups, for example. For older vehicles, defects in the drive or engine oil loss are more common.
Taking care of your car is the way to achieve a long service life
Maintenance backlogs should generally be avoided, as they can be expensive and dangerous. It is therefore best to have all defects in the vehicle rectified immediately. This also extends the service life of the vehicle. Find out more in our blog post from 12 November 23, "Prevent maintenance backlog, avoid nasty surprises".
