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Nissan Juke vs Volkswagen T-Roc: which is the better used buy?

On DVSA MOT records the Volkswagen T-Roc is the more reliable used buy: measured against cars of the same age, it comes out 9.7 percentage points ahead of the Nissan Juke on first-time MOT passes. That comparison covers 43,537 real tests across every generation on the road, not a survey. A pass with rectification at the station counts as a pass here, and as a failure in DVSA's own initial-test measure.

MOT first-time pass rate

Counted from DVSA’s anonymised MOT test records. “vs age-matched” compares each model against what the national fleet scores at the same age — the only fair better-or-worse number, because an older fleet fails more whatever its build quality.

Nissan Juke
Pass rate73.7%
Age-matched national78.9%
Difference-5.2
Tests34,271
Volkswagen T-Roc
Pass rate92.9%
Age-matched national88.4%
Difference+4.5
Tests9,266

These figures count every generation still on the road, not only the one described below: mostly Nissan Jukes registered 2010–2022 and Volkswagen T-Rocs registered 2018–2022.

Source: DVSA MOT Anonymised Data 2025 (Open Government Licence v3.0). National first-time pass rate 77.3%. Class 4 tests in Great Britain, test type NT (a normal annual test), retests excluded. A pass, or a pass with rectification at the station, counts as a first-time pass; DVSA's own initial-test measure counts a rectified pass as a failure and so reports a lower figure. Testing in Northern Ireland is run separately by the DVA under its own rules. The difference is worked out before rounding, so it can be 0.1 away from the two rounded figures beside it.

Nissan Juke

Mk2 (2019–2025) · Compact crossover/small SUV, rivalling the Ford Puma, Renault Captur, Vauxhall Mokka and Peugeot 2008 in the UK's small-SUV class.

The Nissan Juke Mk2 (2019–2025) finished last in its class in What Car?'s most recent used-car reliability survey. The key check is the DCT automatic: feel for judder pulling away and in slow traffic. DVSA safety recalls cover 2019–2020 builds (rear seat-back latch), 2022 Hybrids (control software) and 2024 builds (front seat belts), so check any Juke by registration. Best buy: 2023–2024. Worst: 2019–2020.

What goes wrong

  • Safety recall R/2021/345recall
    The rear seat back may not be securely latched when returned to the upright position after folding.
    13,569 vehicles of this model (DVSA’s figures added up) · built between 18 September 2019 and 28 August 2020
    Large recall — 13,569 vehicles. Check a car by registration on GOV.UK.
  • Safety recall R/2025/118recall
    Juke (F16) Front Seat Belt
    4,342 vehicles of this model (DVSA’s figures added up) · built between 2 April 2024 and 6 September 2024
    Smaller recall — 4,342 vehicles. Check a car by registration on GOV.UK.
  • DCT automatic gearbox (7-speed dual-clutch)major
    Juddering, hesitation, or a jerky/delayed response when pulling away from a stop or in slow, stop-start traffic; some owners report the car surging unexpectedly. Manual-gearbox cars are not affected.
    2019–2025 (DCT auto models only; reported throughout the generation) · Can appear from new — not strongly linked to a mileage threshold, though owners often report it worsening over the first 20,000–30,000 miles if no software recalibration has been carried out · Free if still within Nissan's warranty (3 years/60,000 miles); a clutch pack replacement or software recalibration typically costs £400–£900, and a full DCT unit replacement out of warranty can run £1,500–£3,000+
    Check: Test-drive pulling away from a full stop, including on a slight incline, and in slow traffic; feel for judder or hesitation. Ask to see the service history for any prior gearbox software updates or clutch replacements, and get anything unusual checked by a Nissan dealer before buying.
  • Water ingress into boot and rear footwellsmajor
    Damp or wet carpet in the boot or rear footwells after heavy rain, often with a musty smell; traced variously to a perished tailgate seal, a dislodged wiring/washer-pipe grommet where it passes through the roof, or hairline cracks in the roof seam near the tailgate hinges.
    2019–2025 (reported across the generation, more likely as seals age) · Not mileage-linked — more a function of seal age and condition, so worth checking on any car regardless of mileage · £80–£250 to trace and reseal the entry point; costs rise if water has already reached the wiring loom or boot-mounted electronics (e.g. the amplifier on Bose-equipped trims, or around the battery pack on Hybrid models), which can run into several hundred pounds
    Check: Lift the boot floor and check under the spare-wheel well/lining for damp or mould staining, and check under the rear seats on Hybrid models. Where possible, view the car after rain or ask the seller directly whether it has ever suffered a water leak.
Typical asking price:
not given as a fixed figure — the model guide shows the median and middle 80% of asking prices for the cars advertised on Autoza that day, when at least 10 qualify
Fuel economy:
1.0 DIG-T manual: 42–47 mpg. 1.0 DIG-T DCT auto: 38–43 mpg. Hybrid: 48–56 mpg real-world.
Vehicle tax:
£200/year standard rate from the second year, hybrids included — the alternative-fuel discount ended on 1 April 2025 (2026/27 rates). A car registered from April 2017 that listed at over £40,000 new (options included) also pays the £440/year Expensive Car Supplement in years 2–6 — it is the price when new that counts, not what you pay for it used.
Best years:
2023, 2024
Years to avoid:
2019, 2020
Used Nissan Jukes for saleFull Juke fault guideUsed Nissans

Also compare:

Volkswagen T-Roc

first generation 2017–2026 · small crossover SUV

The Volkswagen T-Roc passes the MOT above the average for its age in every registration year with enough tests (2018–2022), and DVSA lists no recall of 10,000 or more vehicles: the largest, R/2022/074 (engine covers that could come loose), is one 7,579-vehicle total shared with the Golf 8, Tiguan and Arteon. What Car? scored the T-Roc 99% in 2025, but owners of diesels reported AdBlue and particulate-filter faults and owners of petrols infotainment and door-lock faults. Launch-year cars carry several small recalls.

What goes wrong

  • Safety recall R/2022/074recall
    Engine compartment covers could come loose from their attachment
    7,579 vehicles in the whole recall (DVSA’s figure for every model it covers) · built between 5 September 2020 and 17 February 2022
    Smaller recall — 7,579 vehicles. Check a car by registration on GOV.UK.
  • Safety recall R/2019/005recall
    The bonded joint between the upper and lower section of the rear spoiler may be faulty
    6,830 vehicles of this model (DVSA’s figures added up) · built between 29 January 2018 and 12 June 2018
    Smaller recall — 6,830 vehicles. Check a car by registration on GOV.UK.
  • Diesel — AdBlue and particulate-filter faultsmajor
    What Car? says owners of diesel T-Rocs most often reported faulty AdBlue systems and diesel particulate filter problems, often with warning lights and repeated visits to the dealer.
    Diesel T-Rocs
    Check: Check for any warning light after start-up, ask for the AdBlue and particulate-filter history, and look at the invoices for any visit to a dealer for either.
  • Petrol — infotainment and door-lock faultsminor
    What Car? says owners of petrol T-Rocs reported occasional problems with the infotainment system and door locks: minor, but not always quickly resolved.
    Petrol T-Rocs
    Check: Work the touchscreen, Bluetooth and every door lock, and, as What Car? advises, make sure a DSG automatic changes gear smoothly without hesitation or juddering.
Typical asking price:
not given as a fixed figure — the model guide shows the median and middle 80% of asking prices for the cars advertised on Autoza that day, when at least 10 qualify
Fuel economy:
No sourced real-world figure for the T-Roc, so none is printed: the official lab figure depends on the engine and on the test cycle the car was approved under, so use the figure for the exact version you are looking at.
Vehicle tax:
£200/year standard rate from the second year, hybrids included — the alternative-fuel discount ended on 1 April 2025. A car registered from April 2017 with a list price over £40,000 when new adds the £440/year Expensive Car Supplement in years 2–6 (£640 in all). Cars registered 2001–2017 pay a CO2 band, roughly £20–£790/year (2026/27 rates).
Best years:
2019, 2020
Used Volkswagen T-Rocs for saleFull T-Roc fault guideUsed Volkswagens

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Which one suits you

Nissan Juke

Good for: Buyers wanting a distinctively styled small SUV with genuinely good tech and safety kit as standard from launch. The Hybrid from 2023 is the pick for lower running costs and avoids the DCT clutch-wear risk entirely.

Less good for: Anyone considering an early 2019–2020 DIG-T DCT automatic without documented clutch/mechatronic history — this is the highest-risk combination on the car.

Volkswagen T-Roc

Good for: Buyers who want a small SUV with a strong MOT record and few large recalls, and who will check a launch-year car by registration.

Less good for: Anyone buying a diesel T-Roc without its AdBlue and particulate-filter history.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is more reliable, the Nissan Juke or the Volkswagen T-Roc?
The Volkswagen T-Roc. Measured against cars of the same age, it comes out 9.7 percentage points ahead of the Nissan Juke on first-time MOT passes, across 43,537 DVSA-recorded tests covering every generation on the road. A pass with rectification at the station counts as a pass here, and as a failure in DVSA's own initial-test measure.
How do the MOT pass rates of the Nissan Juke and the Volkswagen T-Roc compare?
73.7% of Nissan Jukes pass their MOT first time (34,271 tests in DVSA's records) and 92.9% of Volkswagen T-Rocs pass their MOT first time (9,266 tests). The national first-time rate is 77.3%, but cars of the Nissan Juke's age average 78.9% and cars of the Volkswagen T-Roc's age 88.4% — so the Nissan Juke runs 5.2 points worse than its age group and the Volkswagen T-Roc runs 4.5 points better than its own. A pass with rectification at the station counts as a pass here, and as a failure in DVSA's own initial-test measure.
Which years of the Nissan Juke and Volkswagen T-Roc should I avoid?
Nissan Juke: The earliest Mk2 Jukes concentrate the generation's known issues: the rear seat-back latch recall (R/2021/345) covers cars built from September 2019 to August 2020, while owners report the DCT judder and NissanConnect freezing complaints were most frequent before Nissan issued its running production and firmware fixes — so 2019–2020 cars need the most careful pre-purchase checking. Volkswagen T-Roc: No year is named: DVSA’s MOT table rates every T-Roc registration year above all cars registered that year (2018 by 7.4 points). Launch-year cars carry five small recalls: R/2018/066 (an owner’s manual supplement, built November 2017 to January 2018), R/2018/301 and R/2020/112 (electric parking brake software, built October 2017 to June 2018), R/2019/005 (rear spoiler bond, January to June 2018) and R/2018/352 (rear seat backrest weld, May to August 2018), so check the car by registration.
Is the Nissan Juke or the Volkswagen T-Roc cheaper to run?
On fuel it depends on the engine. Nissan Juke: 1.0 DIG-T manual: 42–47 mpg. 1.0 DIG-T DCT auto: 38–43 mpg. Hybrid: 48–56 mpg real-world. Volkswagen T-Roc: No sourced real-world figure for the T-Roc, so none is printed: the official lab figure depends on the engine and on the test cycle the car was approved under, so use the figure for the exact version you are looking at. For cars registered from April 2017, vehicle tax works the same way for both: the £200/year standard rate from the second year, hybrids included, plus the £440/year Expensive Car Supplement in years 2–6 on a car that listed at over £40,000 new — the price when new, not what you pay for it used. Any Nissan Juke registered between 1 March 2001 and 31 March 2017 pays a CO2 band instead, roughly £20–£790/year (2026/27 rates). Insurance differs mainly by driver and postcode rather than by model, so treat any model-level insurance figure with caution.

MOT figures are counted from DVSA records and are the only measured statistic here. Prices, economy and tax bands are indicative and vary by specification, condition and where the car has lived. Last reviewed: 2026-10-06 / 2026-10-06.