MOT comparison

Volkswagen Golf Mk5 vs Skoda Octavia Mk2

How the Volkswagen Golf Mk5 (2003–2008) and the Skoda Octavia Mk2 (2004–2013) do at their MOTs, compared at the same mileage so a high-mileage car is never measured against a low-mileage one.

Volkswagen Golf Mk5

4,689,526

MOT tests compared · built 2003–2008

Passes more often in 0 of 17 mileage bands

Skoda Octavia Mk2

1,513,252

MOT tests compared · built 2004–2013

Passes more often in 17 of 17 mileage bands

MOT pass rate by mileage

Share of MOTs passed first time, at the mileage recorded at the test.

Volkswagen Golf Mk5 Skoda Octavia Mk2

Under 10,000 miles 89.3% vs 92.9%

19,083 and 7,069 MOTs

10,000–20,000 miles 90.1% vs 92.1%

107,296 and 32,401 MOTs

20,000–30,000 miles 87.0% vs 89.4%

241,748 and 71,179 MOTs

30,000–40,000 miles 83.8% vs 86.3%

330,671 and 97,643 MOTs

40,000–50,000 miles 80.0% vs 82.7%

366,296 and 107,494 MOTs

50,000–60,000 miles 76.1% vs 79.2%

380,755 and 112,192 MOTs

60,000–70,000 miles 72.4% vs 76.3%

386,592 and 112,744 MOTs

70,000–80,000 miles 68.8% vs 73.2%

386,399 and 111,698 MOTs

80,000–90,000 miles 65.4% vs 70.7%

377,517 and 108,817 MOTs

90,000–100,000 miles 62.5% vs 67.7%

361,891 and 103,446 MOTs

100,000–125,000 miles 58.7% vs 64.6%

764,188 and 222,769 MOTs

125,000–150,000 miles 55.5% vs 61.2%

514,216 and 164,104 MOTs

150,000–175,000 miles 53.8% vs 59.4%

274,680 and 108,168 MOTs

175,000–200,000 miles 52.6% vs 58.3%

117,032 and 64,289 MOTs

200,000–250,000 miles 52.6% vs 57.7%

53,880 and 59,690 MOTs

250,000–300,000 miles 53.1% vs 57.8%

6,133 and 21,784 MOTs

300,000–350,000 miles 55.4% vs 57.3%

1,149 and 7,765 MOTs

Parts that fail more often

Only differences that hold across at least half of the mileage bands we could compare, and that are far too large to be chance, are listed. How we decide

Volkswagen Golf Mk5 fails more often on

Windscreen washer

Fails about twice as often as the Skoda Octavia Mk2: 1.9% of MOTs against 1.1%.

In 13 of 17 mileage bands · Driver's View
Exhaust emissions

Fails about twice as often as the Skoda Octavia Mk2: 2.2% of MOTs against 1.2%.

In 12 of 17 mileage bands · Exhaust & Emissions
Headlamp aim

Fails about twice as often as the Skoda Octavia Mk2: 2.8% of MOTs against 1.2%.

In 11 of 17 mileage bands · Lights & Signals

Skoda Octavia Mk2 fails more often on

Rear direction indicator

Fails over 20 times as often as the Volkswagen Golf Mk5: 1.3% of MOTs against 0.07%.

In 11 of 17 mileage bands · Lights & Signals

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Check a car's MOT Compare the Volkswagen Golf Mk5 with another model

These are differences in real MOT results, not engineering verdicts. Owner mix differs between models (some are more often taxis, first cars or rural cars), which is why every figure compares cars at the same mileage. How we compare cars.

MOT records: DVSA MOT history, which contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. See this the other way round.