Volkswagen Up problems, reliability and years to avoid
If you are considering buying a used Volkswagen Up, these are the common problems worth knowing about first. Our garage database tracks 6 known faults for this model, 1 of them rated high severity. Every one below is a repair bill a seller has good reason not to mention.
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Is the Volkswagen Up reliable?
The Volkswagen Up has 6 known faults in our database, 1 of them rated high severity. The most serious are gearbox (DQ200 7-speed dry clutch DSG Mechatronic failure) and gearbox (clutches fail at very low mileages: 1,604 miles on a 2012 car, 9,500 miles on a 2013). None of them makes the car a bad buy on its own; the risk is a seller who knows and says nothing.
That is a count of the faults we hold, not a reliability score. Popular cars get written about more, and a newer generation has had less time to show its faults.
Which Volkswagen Up years should you avoid?
No year is a write-off on its own. What matters is which serious faults a given year and engine can have, and whether the car in front of you has had them fixed.
Years and engines with a serious known fault
2015 to 2018, 1.2 TSI / 1.4 TSI / 1.6 TDI (DSG): DQ200 7-speed dry clutch DSG Mechatronic failure
Each one is set out in full below, with the symptoms, the typical mileage and a rough repair cost.
Generation 1 of 16 known faults
Volkswagen Up Mk1 (2012 to 2023) problems
Transmission/ClutchHigh severity📝 Editorial
DQ200 7-speed dry clutch DSG Mechatronic failure and premature clutch pack wear causing juddering, loss of drive, and flashing PRNDS lights
Rough guide
£1000-2500
Typical symptoms
juddering when pulling away in 1st or 2nd gear
loss of drive or missing gears (only even or only odd gears work)
flashing spanner or PRNDS lights on dashboard
Affected vehicles
Engines:
1.2 TSI / 1.4 TSI / 1.6 TDI (DSG)
Typical mileage:
40000-80000 miles
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Transmission/ClutchMedium severity💬 11 owner reports, 2012 to 2019
Clutches fail at very low mileages: 1,604 miles on a 2012 car, 9,500 miles on a 2013, 12,500 miles on a 2016 (dealer quote £1,100), 9,000 miles on a 2016 after a burning smell (replaced under warranty as a manufacturing fault), two clutches in under 4,000 miles on a 2017 Beats, a burning smell at 4,800 miles on a 2018, plus a 28,000-mile clutch or gearbox failure and a sudden failure on a three-year-old car. The gearbox itself also gives trouble: reverse needing a double de-clutch on a new car, a 2012 car that struggled with first and reverse and then slipped out of fifth at 24,000 miles (quoted £2,000 for a gearbox plus £500 fitting), and a whine at 30,000 miles thought to be a bearing, with a £1,500 bill in prospect. The archive recommends changing the manual gearbox oil at three years.
Rough guide
£600-2500
Typical symptoms
burning smell after a hill or a reverse manoeuvre
clutch slipping or biting at the top of the pedal
first or reverse hard to select, or the box jumping out of fifth
whine from the gearbox
Affected vehicles
Engines:
1.0 petrol with the manual gearbox (the same car as the Skoda Citigo and SEAT Mii)
Typical mileage:
1500-30000 miles
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Transmission/ClutchMedium severity💬 2 owner reports, 2014 to 2015
The ASG automated manual gearbox gives trouble from new on some cars: one would sometimes not move because the lever would not select a gear, and stalled moving off uphill from traffic lights, despite a software update; a 6,600-mile 2013 car that had already had a software update would not engage reverse when cold without several attempts between drive and reverse. On the identical Skoda Citigo an ASG stopped the car outright at 34,000 miles, and another Citigo's ASG clutch was showing signs of failure after a timing belt change at 18,000 miles.
Rough guide
£600-1500
Typical symptoms
gear lever moved but no gear selected
reverse refusing to engage when cold
stalling or rollback moving off uphill
car stopping and refusing to drive
Affected vehicles
Engines:
1.0 MPI with the ASG automated manual gearbox
Typical mileage:
0-40000 miles
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Bodywork/ChassisMedium severity💬 4 owner reports, 2013 to 2018
Early Ups corrode: both front wings of a 2012 car bubbled at the top of the wheel arches with no accident history, confirmed by VW's own independent repairer; VW called it a paint defect, warranted for only three years, replaced one wing, repaired the other and asked the owner for 25%. A 2012 Move Up had penetrating corrosion by the fuel filler, and the owner of another 2012 car was told the corrosion was covered by the warranty, then waited for the work to be authorised. A new 2013 High Up was also delivered with paint runs and blisters on the door, boot and bonnet edges.
Rough guide
£300-900
Typical symptoms
bubbling paint along the top of the front wheel arches
rust around the fuel filler cap
blistered or run paint on panel edges
Affected vehicles
Engines:
All early cars
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SteeringMedium severity💬 2 owner reports, 2016 to 2018
The electric power steering fails outright. A 2014 car's assistance went suddenly and came back after the AA cleared the fault codes and disconnected the battery; a 2015 car at 20,000 miles had the red steering warning on permanently with no assistance, and Volkswagen said it needed a new steering column and control panel at almost £2,000, where a power steering specialist was the cheaper route.
Rough guide
£500-2000
Typical symptoms
steering suddenly very heavy
red or amber steering warning light
assistance returning after the battery is disconnected
Affected vehicles
Engines:
All
Typical mileage:
15000-40000 miles
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Bodywork/ChassisMedium severity💬 2 owner reports, 2013 to 2019
Rainwater leaks through the bulkhead into the footwells. A 2013 report put it down to blocked drains in the bulkhead vent well or a failed seal or cover on the pollen filter; a 2015 car flooded its driver's footwell after standing for ten days, which the VW dealer traced to a faulty seal where the wiring passes through the bulkhead, charging about £1,000 to put it right. A 2016 Skoda Citigo, the same car, let rain into the passenger footwell through vent-well drains blocked with leaves.
Rough guide
£50-1000
Typical symptoms
wet driver's or passenger's footwell after rain
misted windows and a musty smell
water staining under the dashboard
Affected vehicles
Engines:
All
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Sellers rarely admit these faults outright
We track 17 specific phrases sellers use in adverts to soft-pedal these exact issues. Paste any Volkswagen Up advert and we check it in seconds.
An overdue cambelt is the most expensive thing a seller can fail to mention on a used Up. These are the figures UK specialists work to.
Timing belt (cambelt)Belt
UP 1.0 MPI, UP 1.0 60, UP 1.0 75
40,000 miles or 4 years, whichever comes first
The 1.0 three-cylinder is belt driven, not chain, and the belt does not turn the water pump. The Up page gives four years or 40,000 miles; on the Citigo twin dealers quoted three years or 30,000 miles in 2016, which owners disputed, and in 2018 Skoda told owners of 2013 cars the belt was due at five years. VW dealers offered the change for 150 pounds at the end of 2019. Four years or 40,000 miles is the figure the archive itself states.
Always confirm against the vehicle handbook. Intervals vary by engine, and several manufacturers revised theirs after failures in service.
Repair costs are typical UK ranges, not quotes. Actual cost depends on condition and garage.Data last verified: October 2026
Volkswagen Up buying questions
What are the most common Volkswagen Up problems?
Three stand out. Gearbox: DQ200 7-speed dry clutch DSG Mechatronic failure and premature clutch pack wear causing juddering (typically 40000 to 80000 miles). Gearbox: clutches fail at very low mileages: 1,604 miles on a 2012 car, 9,500 miles on a 2013 (typically 1500 to 30000 miles). Bodywork: early Ups corrode: both front wings of a 2012 car bubbled at the top of the wheel arches with no. The full list above is grouped by generation, with typical mileage and a rough repair cost for each.
Which Volkswagen Up years should I avoid?
No Volkswagen Up year is a write-off, but the Mk1 (2012 to 2023) carries the most serious faults: gearbox. Year matters less than whether the specific car has had the known fixes, so check the history for them.
What should I check when viewing a used Volkswagen Up?
Ask the seller about the gearbox and bodywork faults on this page and whether they have been fixed, with invoices. On the test drive watch for juddering when pulling away in 1st or 2nd gear, burning smell after a hill or a reverse manoeuvre and bubbling paint along the top of the front wheel arches. Read the MOT history for repeat advisories, then paste the advert into the free check, which reads it against all 6 known faults before you travel. Check a Volkswagen Up advert →
What is the real MPG of a Volkswagen Up?
Owners report 53.4 mpg on average across the Volkswagen Up engines with data, about 86% of the official combined figure. The gap between official and real-world economy varies a lot by engine, so the Real MPG page lists every engine and generation separately, from 564 owner submissions. Volkswagen Up Real MPG by engine →
If you used to check the Honest John “Good & Bad” section before the site closed in 2026, this page is where that information now lives. We rebuilt the Volkswagen Up owner-report history from the archived Honest John dataset, added our own research, specialist and owner-club sources and DVSA recall data, and we keep it free. Each fault above is badged with its source. The same data feeds our free advert check, which reads a listing against every known fault for the exact engine and year.
Knowing what a Volkswagen Up goes wrong with is half of it. The rest is reading the advert and checking the car's history before you hand any money over.