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Volkswagen Califonia vs Volkswagen Golf: reliability comparison

MOT pass rates, common faults and mileage compared from real UK MOT data.

Volkswagen Califonia
64%
MOT pass rate · 3 vehicles
Volkswagen Golf
75%
MOT pass rate · 1,830,545 vehicles
Verdict: On MOT pass rate the Volkswagen Califonia (64%) and Volkswagen Golf (75%) are very close — weigh the individual measures below, and remember condition depends on age, mileage and upkeep.

Head to head

Measure Volkswagen Califonia Volkswagen Golf
MOT pass rate 64% 75% ✓
MOT failure rate 36% 25% ✓
Faults & advisories per test 3.1 2.0 ✓
Dangerous-fault share 1% ✓ 2%
Average mileage 266,545 mi 117,668 mi
Sample size (vehicles) 3 1,830,545

Most common faults

Volkswagen Califonia

  1. Oil leak, but not excessive (8.4.1 (a) (i))
  2. Lower Vehicle structure has slight corrosion (6.1.A.1)
  3. Nearside Front Play in steering rack inner joint(s)
  4. Offside Front Play in steering rack inner joint(s)
  5. Nearside Front Brake disc worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened (1.1.14 (a) (ii))
  6. Offside Front Brake disc worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened (1.1.14 (a) (ii))

Volkswagen Golf

  1. Nearside Front Tyre worn close to the legal limit (4.1.E.1)
  2. Offside Front Tyre worn close to the legal limit (4.1.E.1)
  3. Offside Front Tyre worn close to legal limit/worn on edge (5.2.3 (e))
  4. Nearside Rear Tyre worn close to the legal limit (4.1.E.1)
  5. Nearside Front Tyre worn close to legal limit/worn on edge (5.2.3 (e))
  6. Offside Rear Tyre worn close to the legal limit (4.1.E.1)

Reliability FAQ

On MOT pass rate the Volkswagen Califonia (64%) and Volkswagen Golf (75%) are very close — weigh the individual measures below, and remember condition depends on age, mileage and upkeep.

Full Volkswagen Califonia report Full Volkswagen Golf report Most reliable cars

Pass rates are computed over completed (pass/fail) MOT tests. Reliability also depends on age, mileage and upkeep — see each model's page for the full picture.