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Skoda Superb vs Volkswagen Passat: which is the better used buy?

On DVSA MOT records the Skoda Superb and the Volkswagen Passat are too close to call — 1.2 percentage points apart on first-time MOT passes once you allow for the age of each fleet, which is inside what the choice of cars counted can move. A winner is named only at 2 points or more. A pass with rectification at the station counts as a pass here, and as a failure in DVSA's own initial-test measure. Choose on the fault patterns and running costs below rather than on reliability.

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.

Skoda Superb
Pass rate81.7%
Age-matched national80.7%
Difference+1.0
Tests6,784
Volkswagen Passat
Pass rate77.0%
Age-matched national74.8%
Difference+2.2
Tests17,732

These figures count every generation still on the road, not only the one described below: mostly Skoda Superbs registered 2011–2022 and Volkswagen Passats registered 2004–2022.

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.

Skoda Superb

third generation 2015–2024 · large family hatchback and estate

The third-generation Skoda Superb has one large DVSA recall: R/2024/017, a brake-fluid-reservoir heat-shield fault shared with the Octavia, on cars built June 2019 to November 2023. The rest are small build-window recalls, the most notable a fuse-box cable clamp on May to December 2015 builds that could cut the engine. What Car? scores the diesel 93.9% and the petrol 85.6%, and DVSA’s MOT table rates no Superb registration year below the average for its year. Under Skoda UK’s current terms a plug-in hybrid’s battery-capacity warranty does not pass to a second owner.

What goes wrong

  • Safety recall R/2024/017recall
    On certain vehicles with electromechanical brake servo and DSG (Direct Shift Gearbox) of a limited production period there is a possibility that a heat protection mat was incorrectly fitted. In individual cases the brake fluid reservoir can melt and cause a brake fluid leak into the engine compartment.
    15,729 vehicles in the whole recall (DVSA’s figure for every model it covers) · built between 27 June 2019 and 23 November 2023
    Large recall — 15,729 vehicles. Check a car by registration on GOV.UK.
  • Safety recall R/2022/087recall
    The fuse in the high-voltage system of plug-in hybrid vehicles was partly produced with an insufficient amount of so-called fire extinguishing sand
    2,038 vehicles in the whole recall (DVSA’s figure for every model it covers) · built between 12 December 2019 and 14 February 2022
    Smaller recall — 2,038 vehicles. Check a car by registration on GOV.UK.
  • Diesel — exhaust, battery, air-con and electrical faultsmajor
    What Car? says almost a third of the 2015–2023 diesel Superbs in its survey had a fault, across air-con, battery, bodywork, engine, exhaust and sat-nav or infotainment, and half stopped the car being driven until repaired. Only half of the repairs were covered by warranty.
    2015–2023 diesel · £101–£1,000 for the repairs that were not covered by warranty, as What Car? survey respondents reported (its page, updated 28 May 2025)
    Check: Ask which faults the car has had and who paid. Look for exhaust or battery work on the service record, and check the air-con blows cold and the infotainment works.
  • Petrol — sat-nav, infotainment and electrical faultsmoderate
    What Car? says 23% of the petrol Superbs in its survey had a problem, with sat-nav or infotainment and other electrical systems giving the most trouble, and that Skoda paid for 85% of the faults.
    2015–2023 petrol
    Check: Work the touchscreen, navigation and phone pairing for several minutes, and check every electrical item before you buy.
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 Superb, 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:
2016, 2018
Used Skoda Superbs for saleFull Superb fault guideUsed Skodas

Also compare:

Volkswagen Passat

B8, 2015–2023 · mid-size family saloon and estate

The B8 VW Passat (2015–2023) is mostly reliable, but owners report mechatronic failures around 75,000 miles on the dry-clutch DQ200 DSG fitted to 1.4 TSI and 1.6 TDI cars, and AdBlue/DPF faults on short-trip 2.0 TDIs. Best-buy: 2019–2021. Worst: no single year stands out on DVSA MOT results.

What goes wrong

  • Safety recall R/2024/014recall
    On certain vehicles with electromechanical brake servo and DSG (Direct Shift Gearbox) of a limited production period there is a possibility that a heat protection mat was incorrectly fitted. In individual cases the brake fluid reservoir can melt and cause a brake fluid leak into the engine compartment.
    26,721 vehicles in the whole recall (DVSA’s figure for every model it covers) · built between 8 August 2019 and 20 October 2023
    Large recall — 26,721 vehicles. Check a car by registration on GOV.UK.
  • Safety recall R/2016/145recall
    Child lock may disengage
    13,620 vehicles in the whole recall (DVSA’s figure for every model it covers) · built between 25 November 2015 and 14 April 2016
    Large recall — 13,620 vehicles. Check a car by registration on GOV.UK.
  • DSG DQ200 mechatronic failuremajor
    Hesitation in low gears; juddering from standstill; transmission fault codes
    2015–2017 (1.4 TSI / 1.6 TDI with the 7-speed dry-clutch DSG) · 70,000–85,000 miles · £1,500–£2,500 mechatronic; £2,800+ full DSG
    Check: VW schedules no gearbox oil service for the dry-clutch DQ200, so do not expect DSG fluid records — many specialists advise a voluntary mechatronic oil change around 60,000 miles, and evidence of one is a plus rather than a requirement. Diagnostic scan for stored P-codes. Test drive in Drive (D), Sport (S), and manual modes, and pull away uphill from a standstill to provoke any judder.
  • EGR cooler coolant leak (EA288 diesel)major
    Coolant level dropping with no visible external leak
    2015–2018 TDI · £900+ for an EGR cooler replacement at a specialist
    Check: Check the coolant level is at the mark and ask whether it has needed topping up. This is not a DVSA safety recall: DVSA lists no EGR recall for the B8 Passat, so a recall check will not show it.
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:
47–54 mpg real-world for 2.0 TDI 150
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, 2021
Used Volkswagen Passats for saleFull Passat fault guideUsed Volkswagens

Also compare:

Which one suits you

Skoda Superb

Good for: Buyers who need a large, quiet car for long journeys and will check the build-window recalls, and the battery cover on a plug-in hybrid.

Less good for: Anyone buying a plug-in hybrid who is counting on the capacity warranty, or a diesel with no record of exhaust and battery work.

Volkswagen Passat

Good for: Family buyers wanting saloon or estate space, long-distance commuters, anyone wanting low motor-tax-band diesel.

Less good for: Buyers tempted by sub-£10k pre-2018 DSG examples — the gamble rarely pays off.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is more reliable, the Skoda Superb or the Volkswagen Passat?
Neither, on the evidence. Their first-time MOT pass rates sit 1.2 percentage points apart once each is compared against the national rate for cars of the same age, which is too close to call (we name a winner only at 2 points or more). A pass with rectification at the station counts as a pass here, and as a failure in DVSA's own initial-test measure. Pick on the specific faults each is prone to instead.
How do the MOT pass rates of the Skoda Superb and the Volkswagen Passat compare?
81.7% of Skoda Superbs pass their MOT first time (6,784 tests in DVSA's records) and 77.0% of Volkswagen Passats pass their MOT first time (17,732 tests). The national first-time rate is 77.3%, but cars of the Skoda Superb's age average 80.7% and cars of the Volkswagen Passat's age 74.8% — so the Skoda Superb runs 1.0 points better than its age group and the Volkswagen Passat runs 2.2 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 Skoda Superb and Volkswagen Passat should I avoid?
Skoda Superb: No year is named: DVSA’s MOT table rates no Superb registration year below all cars registered that year, and the one recall of 10,000 or more vehicles (R/2024/017) covers cars built across 2019 to 2023. The first months of the third generation (built 1 May to 1 December 2015) are in R/2016/005, a fuse-box cable clamp that could stop electrical functions and, in the worst case, cut the engine, and R/2016/071 (sunroof clamping software, to April 2016); each covers fewer than 2,000 vehicles and is a free dealer visit, so ask for the record on a 2015 car. Volkswagen Passat: DQ200 dry-clutch DSG failures around 75,000 miles are the most reported fault on owner forums, with a mechatronic replacement at £1,500–£2,500. How often they happen is not known, so treat it as a reason to test the gearbox hard rather than a fault every early car has. The DVSA MOT table on this page rates 2015, 2016 and 2017 registrations above all cars registered those years, so they are not named as years to avoid. Judge a Passat by its registration, service history and the checks below rather than by year.
Is the Skoda Superb or the Volkswagen Passat cheaper to run?
On fuel it depends on the engine. Skoda Superb: No sourced real-world figure for the Superb, 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. Volkswagen Passat: 47–54 mpg real-world for 2.0 TDI 150. 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 Skoda Superb or Volkswagen Passat 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.