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Volkswagen Passat vs Volkswagen Sl: reliability comparison

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

Volkswagen Passat
74%
MOT pass rate · 601,376 vehicles
Volkswagen Sl
71%
MOT pass rate · 1 vehicles
Verdict: On MOT pass rate the Volkswagen Passat (74%) and Volkswagen Sl (71%) are very close — weigh the individual measures below, and remember condition depends on age, mileage and upkeep.

Head to head

Measure Volkswagen Passat Volkswagen Sl
MOT pass rate 74% ✓ 71%
MOT failure rate 26% ✓ 29%
Faults & advisories per test 2.0 1.2 ✓
Dangerous-fault share 2% 0% ✓
Average mileage 147,486 mi 111,691 mi
Sample size (vehicles) 601,376 1

Most common faults

Volkswagen Passat

  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. Nearside Rear Tyre worn close to the legal limit (4.1.E.1)
  4. Offside Rear Tyre worn close to the legal limit (4.1.E.1)
  5. Under-trays fitted obscuring some underside components
  6. Offside Front Tyre worn close to legal limit/worn on edge (5.2.3 (e))

Volkswagen Sl

  1. nearside and offside front tyres worn on inner edges
  2. Nearside Rear Brake pad(s) wearing thin (3.5.1g)
  3. Offside Rear Brake pad(s) wearing thin (3.5.1g)
  4. Engine covers fitted obscuring some components in the engine bay
  5. Items removed from driver's view prior to test
  6. Nearside Front Lower Suspension arm rubber bush deteriorated but not resulting in excessive movement (2.4.G.2)

Reliability FAQ

On MOT pass rate the Volkswagen Passat (74%) and Volkswagen Sl (71%) are very close — weigh the individual measures below, and remember condition depends on age, mileage and upkeep.

Full Volkswagen Passat report Full Volkswagen Sl 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.