VehicleScore research
Volkswagen Golf: shock-absorber comments, rarely failures
Shock-absorber comments appeared on 23.2% of 20,572 Volkswagen Golfs aged 6–8 with 60,000–119,999 miles, against 7.3% of other vehicles in the slice. 11.6% of those Golf comments were failures (885 of 7,622).
The same gap is already there at ages 3–5 in that mileage band: 18.9% of 9,915 against 4.7%, with a failure share of 11.6%. It is still there at ages 9–11: 23.4% of 19,613 against 9.8%, failure share 12.6%. Three slices, the same part, and in each one roughly nine in ten comments were not a failure.
Shock-absorber comments on the Golf
Age 3–5, 60–120k miles
Age 6–8, 60–120k miles
Age 9–11, 60–120k miles
Share of Golf vehicles in each age and mileage slice with at least one matching MOT comment. The comparison is other vehicles in the same slice, not the model itself. Failure share is the percentage of matched comments recorded as a fail. The rest are advisory, minor or PRS comments.
| Comment | Slice | Golf | Other vehicles | Gap | Comments that were failures |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shock absorber issues | Age 3–5, 60,000–119,999 miles | 18.9% 1,874 of 9,915 | 4.7% 252,592 vehicles | +14.2 pp | 11.6% 311 of 2,683 |
| Shock absorber issues | Age 6–8, 60,000–119,999 miles | 23.2% 4,781 of 20,572 | 7.3% 496,434 vehicles | +15.9 pp | 11.6% 885 of 7,622 |
| Shock absorber issues | Age 9–11, 60,000–119,999 miles | 23.4% 4,583 of 19,613 | 9.8% 492,218 vehicles | +13.5 pp | 12.6% 982 of 7,813 |
The tests themselves pass more often than the age band
The age-standardised pass rate is 80.4%, above the crude 79.9% and above the dataset’s 78.5%. At ages 6–8 the Golf pass rate is 82.7% against 79.3% for all tests in the band. At 9–11 it is 77.9% against 75.0%.
Test pass rate by the vehicle’s age at the test. The comparison column is every pass/fail test in that age band, including Golf. A vehicle can appear in more than one band.
| Age at test | Vehicles | Tests | Golf | All tests in the band |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3–5 years | 34,235 | 109,900 | 86.6% | 84.4% |
| 6–8 years | 32,239 | 107,200 | 82.7% | 79.3% |
| 9–11 years | 26,673 | 88,425 | 77.9% | 75.0% |
| 12–14 years | 18,693 | 62,366 | 73.3% | 72.3% |
A model can collect a lot of shock-absorber advisories and still pass more of its tests than other cars of the same age. That is what these two tables show together. It is not a reliability award. Mileage and use are not adjusted in the pass rate, and a shock comment that is not a failure can still be money at the next MOT.
Buying a Golf?
Read the shock-absorber line on the car you are considering, and read whether it was a failure. The free check is that registration’s MOT history.
The model pass-rate page puts the Golf next to other large models. It explains why that table is not a best-car list.
Related VehicleScore research
Methodology
Snapshot 27 September 2026, job 2026-09-27.1. Shock-absorber rows are age and mileage matched, and the Golf is excluded from the comparison. Failure share is FAIL comments divided by matched comments. Pass rates are tests, and a Golf can appear in more than one age band. Age-standardised coverage is complete. Checked vehicles only.