Is the Volkswagen Crafter reliable?

The Volkswagen Crafter scores 45/100 on Forecourt's MOT-based reliability measure, ahead of 8% of the cars we track. That is computed from 844,583 real DVSA MOT test results.

How much does a used Volkswagen Crafter cost?

A 2023 Volkswagen Crafter with around 53,715 miles is worth roughly £18,450 today (typical range £16,700–£20,250). Dealer forecourt prices sit higher and part-exchange offers lower; newer or lower-mileage examples cost more.

How quickly does the Volkswagen Crafter depreciate?

A new Volkswagen Crafter typically loses about 48% of its value over the first three years, then depreciates more slowly. Buying at three to five years old avoids the steepest part of the curve.

What insurance group is the Volkswagen Crafter?

The Volkswagen Crafter sits in insurance group 17 of 50 — the middle of the scale. Exact premiums depend on the trim (some versions sit a few groups higher or lower), your age, postcode and no-claims history.

What goes wrong on a used Volkswagen Crafter?

The most common age-related issues we track for the Volkswagen Crafter are: brakes (typically around over 100k miles, £150-£500 to put right); lighting & signalling (typically around over 100k miles, £15-£120 to put right); suspension (typically around over 100k miles, £150-£450 to put right). A full service history and a recent MOT with no advisories are the best protection.

What does the Volkswagen Crafter cost to run?

Expect around 34 mpg combined on the Crafter 2.0 TDI 140 L3H3, £195 a year in road tax, about £185 for a standard annual service. The full cost-of-ownership table above breaks this down per year and per mile for the exact year and mileage you choose.

Is the Volkswagen Crafter ULEZ compliant?

Most petrol Volkswagen Crafters from 2006 and diesels from September 2015 meet the Euro standards for London ULEZ and other UK clean-air zones, so they are generally exempt from the daily charge. Pure-electric versions are always exempt.

How many Volkswagen Crafters are on UK roads?

About 93,434 Volkswagen Crafters are currently taxed and on the road in the UK, from DfT vehicle-licensing data.

Ranked #10 van in the UK · Large van · 9,100 units sold last year

Volkswagen Crafter

The Volkswagen Crafter is VW's large van - co-developed with MAN (which sells it as the TGE) and a genuine, refined Sprinter rival. A wide range of lengths, roof heights and front-, rear- or all-wheel drive, with strong TDI diesels and an electric version. Well-built, safe and car-like to drive, it carries a price and residual premium over mainstream big vans, justified by refinement and durability when properly maintained.

How these figures are sourced — the valuation is anchored to a researched used-market price for this model (AutoTrader median, 2023 at 30k miles). Reliability, mileage and variant data are real DVSA MOT records. Dimensions, tyre sizes and costs, servicing figures and the insurance group are segment-level estimates rather than sourced per car, and are being replaced model by model.

Body: Large van
Years: 2018–2026
Fuel: Diesel / Electric
Economy: 34 mpg
Insurance: Group 17

Pick your version

Estimates are tuned to the version you choose.

Fuel

Diesel · 1968cc

Power

140 ps

Drivetrain

FWD

Cam drive

Dry belt

Quoted MPG

34 mpg

The volume Crafter (also built as the MAN TGE). L3H3: ~14 m3, ~1,400 kg payload, 3.5t GVW. 2.0 TDI EA288, dry belt. Refined, car-like cabin - the comfortable big van.

Tell us about the one you're looking at

Year of registration2023

20182026

Mileage on the clock53,715 mi

0Expected: 53,715180k

Conditiongood

PoorFairGoodExcellent

Tidy and well looked-after for its age — the typical car.

Region

Remembered as you browse other cars.

Know the registration?

Optional — fills in the exact year and ULEZ status for your specific car. The registration isn’t stored.

Estimated market value

£18,450

Range £15,550 – £21,600

medium confidence

When new (2023)circa £42,000Age-based value£21,580Mileage adjustment+£0Condition & region+£1Market calibration-£1,881Forecourt price£19,700Private sale£17,250Part-exchange£15,200

Waitthis 3-year-old

Still shedding value quickly — buying older saves the most.

At 53,715 miles it’s below the ~67,326 typical for a 3-year-old — a well-kept reading.

Seen one for sale?

It keeps shedding value across the ages we track, though a 8-year-old one is down to about 15% a year from 15%. An older example (a ~2018 plate) is the cheaper entry.

A data-led guide from the depreciation curve, UK parc trend and reliability — not financial advice.

The depreciation curve

How a 2023-registration Volkswagen Crafter loses value over time.

Marker = your selection
Dashed = mileage either side

What it costs to own

Over

Based on the 2023 car with 53,715 miles you entered above — worth about £18,450 today — here is the cost of owning it for the next 5 years, at roughly 17,905 miles a year.

5-year total

£29,551

Per year

£5,910

All-in per mile

£0.33

Fuel per mile

21.4p

Depreciation£4,439

Fuel / energy£19,192

Servicing£1,765

Road tax£975

Insurance£3,180

Best age to buy — around 2 years

A 2-year-old example loses roughly £5,700 a year — 52% less than the £11,900 a one-year-old sheds. The steepest drop is behind it.

Uses current UK pump and home-charging prices (DESNZ weekly), typical-driver insurance and manufacturer service intervals. "Fuel per mile" is just the energy input — so an EV at ~9p and a diesel at ~22p make running-cost comparison direct. A guide; your own costs will vary.

How it compares

Where this car ranks against the 285 vehicles in our index — higher is better.

Reliabilitybetter than 4%

Percentile rank across our full index. A measure is shown only where the data spreads meaningfully across the index.

Petrol, diesel, hybrid or EV?

How the available versions compare on price, running cost, and the headaches each tends to develop.

Crafter 2.0 TDI / e-Crafter

VW's large panel van. Standalone since 2017 (was Sprinter-derived before). Cross-shop Mercedes Sprinter (premium, similar capability), Ford Transit (cheaper, more dealers), Iveco Daily (bigger payload), Renault Master Mk4 (newest platform). The Crafter is the premium VW choice when Transporter is too small.

New price: circa £42,000
Annual fuel / energy: £2,700
3-yr depreciation: 43%

Watch for

·Generally reliable — same TDI family as Transporter
·Some pre-2021 DPF regeneration issues on short-trip use
·8-speed auto refined
·e-Crafter 71mi WLTP very short range — niche
·Mk2 = standalone (pre-2017 was Sprinter-derived)

Fuel/energy costs based on this week’s UK averages (w/c 03/08/2026) · Petrol 159.9p/L, Diesel 179.2p/L, Electricity 27.0p/kWh · DESNZ

Estimated insurance

Group 17 of 50 (mid — around the UK average) · Comprehensive · 3 years NCB

Indicative annual comprehensive premiums for this car, by driver age band and risk profile. Pick the combination closest to your circumstances.

No-claims bonus3 years

0 yearsBaseline: 3 years15+

Risk profile:

Estimated annual premium · typical, age 33-39

£636/ year

Roughly £53 per month

Typical

Average UK driver — 3 years NCB, average postcode, no recent claims.

Age band	Lower risk	Typical	Higher risk
Age 17-25	£1,449	£1,811	£2,355
Age 26-32	£756	£890	£1,085
Age 33-39Selected	£559	£636	£750
Age 40-49	£475	£527	£612
Age 50+	£423	£470	£555

How we estimate this

Indicative annual comprehensive premium estimates. The 'Typical' figure represents an average UK driver in each age band; Lower and Higher risk show the realistic spread driven by factors UK insurers legitimately price on (postcode, occupation, claims history, NCB, voluntary excess, modifications). Based on 10,000 miles/yr, £250 voluntary excess, and the no-claims bonus selected above. Always get individual quotes before buying.

Expected annual costs

Adjust the annual mileage to match how you'll actually use the car. Insurance is what you selected above (age 33-39, typical risk, 3 yrs NCB).

Annual mileage17,905 mi/yr

2,000UK avg for this model: 17,90530,000

Routine service

£185

Annual main-dealer service

Major service

£210

Every 2 years, annualised

Road tax

£195

Standard rate, post year-one

Fuel

£3,828

34 mpg, £1.60/L

Insurance

£636

Age 33-39, group 17

Clean-air zones

✓ ULEZ compliant

All diesel variants meet Euro 6 standards and are ULEZ compliant.

Based on London ULEZ standards — Birmingham, Bath, Bristol, Sheffield, Glasgow and other UK clean-air zones generally follow the same rules.

Total expected£5,054 / year

Excludes depreciation and unscheduled repairs (see next section).

Unexpected costs

What out-of-warranty repairs typically run, by mileage band. Your selected mileage is highlighted.

0-30k miles

£80

per year · low risk

30-60k miles

£240

per year · low risk

60-100k miles

£520

per year · medium risk

100k+ miles

£900

per year · high risk

Tyres

195/65 R16 · 215/65 R16C

What a full set of four will cost you (including fit and balance), and which brand each tier of buyer should pick. A typical set lasts about 24,000 miles.

Budget

£300

set of 4, fitted · £60 per tyre

Mid-range

£440

set of 4, fitted · £95 per tyre

Premium

£620

set of 4, fitted · £140 per tyre

What to fit

Optional extras worth paying for

Factory options ranked by how much of their original cost they recover at resale. Anything above 70% return tends to make money back; below 40% is paying for your own enjoyment.

Option	New cost	Added used value	Return
Tow bar Strong return — actively sought by trade buyers.	£650	£450	69%
Full bulkhead Cheap, and most working buyers expect one.	£300	£200	67%
Parking sensors & reversing camera	£500	£300	60%
Ply-lining / load-area protection	£350	£200	57%
Twin side loading doors	£450	£250	56%
Air conditioning About half its cost back; widens the resale audience.	£900	£450	50%

Parts most likely to fail

Drawn from owner reports and warranty data. Filtered for relevance to 53,715 miles.

Watch now

Failure typically happens around your current mileage.

Upcoming

A known weak point — but you haven't reached its usual mileage yet.

Already due

Past its usual failure mileage. Either already fixed, or about to.

BrakesUpcoming

Typical at over 100k milesCost £150-£500medium severityParts high

Recorded in 13.7% of MOT tests over 100k miles — from 822,353 DVSA MOT tests analysed.

Lighting & signallingUpcoming

Typical at over 100k milesCost £15-£120medium severityParts high

Recorded in 7.6% of MOT tests over 100k miles — from 822,353 DVSA MOT tests analysed.

SuspensionUpcoming

Typical at over 100k milesCost £150-£450medium severityParts high

Recorded in 8.7% of MOT tests over 100k miles — from 822,353 DVSA MOT tests analysed.

Driver's viewUpcoming

Typical at over 100k milesCost £60-£300low severityParts high

Recorded in 4.3% of MOT tests over 100k miles — from 822,353 DVSA MOT tests analysed.

Tyres & wheelsUpcoming

Typical at over 100k milesCost £80-£500low severityParts high

Recorded in 3.9% of MOT tests over 100k miles — from 822,353 DVSA MOT tests analysed.

Identification & otherUpcoming

Typical at over 100k milesCost £20-£150low severityParts high

Recorded in 2.4% of MOT tests over 100k miles — from 822,353 DVSA MOT tests analysed.

"Parts low/medium/high" indicates how easy the replacement part is to source — discontinued or specialist parts mean longer workshop time and bigger bills.

MOT outlook

How this model fares at its MOT as it ages — from 844,583 real DVSA test records.

MOT pass rate by age

78.4% at 3yr → 68.5% at 20yr

A 3-year-old Crafter passes its MOT 78.4% of the time; by 20 years that has slipped to 68.5%. The y-axis is zoomed to this model’s range so the trend is readable.

Longevity

90%of 8-year-old examples are still taxed and on the road — a useful read on how well the model lasts.

From 6,488 vehicles registered in 2018.

Survival by registration year

90% of 2018 cars still on the road

Each point is one registration cohort. Older cars on the left, newer on the right. A flatter line means the model holds up over time; a steep drop means cohorts disappear from UK roads faster.

What fails at the first MOT

The defect categories a Crafter registered 2020–2023 fails on at its first MOT, from 32,244 first tests. Every car here is the same age and the same generation, so these are the faults that show up first - not the wear a high-mileage older example collects.

Tyres & wheels4.6%
Lighting & signalling3.9%
Driver's view2.9%
Brakes2.8%
Identification & other0.7%
Suspension0.6%

Share of first MOT tests recording at least one defect in that category. DVSA test-item categories, not parts: “Driver’s view” covers mirrors, wipers and glass.

Typical mileage by age

The average odometer reading for a Crafter at MOT, by age — measured from the same DVSA records, not assumed. A useful yardstick for whether a given car has done more or fewer miles than its age suggests.

3 yr67,326
4 yr84,315
5 yr98,929
6 yr112,209
7 yr123,147
8 yr132,282
9 yr139,393
10 yr145,395
11 yr149,782
12 yr153,491
13 yr157,224
14 yr159,292

Mean recorded mileage at MOT by vehicle age, from DVSA test records. Ages below three are not shown: the first MOT is due at three years, so the few cars tested earlier are a self-selected minority rather than a representative sample. Ages with at least 10 tests shown.

Reliability

45/ 100

Below average

First-MOT pass rate and defect rate for cars registered 2020 onward (32,244 first tests), with cohort survival — high confidence.

MOT outlook · age 5 years

76%first-time pass rate

8th percentile — Among the worst — investigate carefully

Based on 100,082 MOT tests · ranked against 248 catalogue models with comparable data

Where this car sits in the catalogue

Pass-rate distribution across 248 catalogue models

Things owners say

01Front-drive gives a low load floor; rear- and all-wheel drive suit the heaviest loads and poor-weather sites.
02Effectively the same vehicle as the MAN TGE - a well-engineered, refined large van.
03Premium to buy but holds value; check DPF/AdBlue, clutch and full service history on high-mileage examples.

Safety recalls

Manufacturers occasionally issue safety recalls to fix a fault free of charge. You can check whether the Volkswagen Crafter, or your exact vehicle, has any outstanding recalls on the official DVSA service.

Check on GOV.UK

Opens the Driver & Vehicle Standards Agency recall checker. Choose the make, model and year of manufacture — no registration needed.

Theft risk

A general indicator from UK 2025 theft data and this car’s characteristics — not a prediction for any one vehicle.

Whole-car theft

Higher

Higher-value cars like this are relay-theft targets — keyless entry can be exploited from the driveway in under a minute.

Parts theft

Around average

Parts-theft risk is around average — catalytic-converter theft is the main thing to be aware of on any petrol or diesel car.

Worth doing

Keep keys in a Faraday pouch and away from the front door to block relay attacks.
A visible steering lock is a cheap, strong deterrent on a frequently-targeted car.

Clean-air zones

Whether driving a Volkswagen Crafter into a UK clean-air zone will cost you anything. Rules use the same Euro standard across most zones — petrol from 2006 and diesel from 2015 onwards are exempt; pure electric is always exempt.

Charging zones for cars

City	Area	Daily charge	Likely outcome
London	All of Greater London (within the M25)	£12.50	Likely exempt Diesel from September 2015 meets Euro 6.
Birmingham	Inside the A4540 Middleway	£8.00	Likely exempt Diesel from September 2015 meets Euro 6.
Bristol	City centre and part of the Portway	£9.00	Likely exempt Diesel from September 2015 meets Euro 6.
Glasgow	City centre	—	Likely exempt Diesel from September 2015 meets Euro 6.
Edinburgh	City centre	—	Likely exempt Diesel from September 2015 meets Euro 6.
Aberdeen	City centre	—	Likely exempt Diesel from September 2015 meets Euro 6.
Dundee	City centre	—	Likely exempt Diesel from September 2015 meets Euro 6.

Zones that don't charge private cars

Bath — City centre (Private cars and motorbikes are not charged).
Bradford — Outer ring road and the Aire Valley (Private cars are not charged).
Sheffield — Inside the A61 inner ring road (Private cars are not charged).
Newcastle & Gateshead — City centres and the Tyne, Swing, High Level and Redheugh bridges (Private cars are not charged).
Portsmouth — Part of the city centre (Applies to taxis, PHVs, buses, coaches and HGVs only).

Model-level guidance only. To check a specific registration, use the official gov.uk clean-air zone checker. Zone charges and boundaries are set by local councils and change over time.

Servicing & the dealer network

How well-supported Volkswagen is across the UK — a practical read on how easy servicing, parts and warranty work will be to find.

Franchised UK dealers

~190

Large network

Mass-market

Network size relative to the UK's largest (Volkswagen is 4.2% of all franchised outlets)

Servicing, parts and warranty work are easy to find UK-wide, and most independent garages know the brand well — which keeps maintenance competitive.

For context, the UK has roughly 4,500 franchised car-dealer outlets in total, plus about 15,500 independent garages.

Approximate figures, curated from public UK industry sources (NFDA, Car Dealer Magazine). Franchised networks shrink year on year — these indicate network size, not an exact count.

Dimensions & weight

These are segment estimates, not manufacturer figures. 296 of 325 catalogued cars share one of 14 identical dimension sets, so they describe a class rather than this particular car. Sourced figures replace them model by model.

Length

5,000 mm

Width

2,000 mm

Height

2,000 mm

Kerb weight

1,900 kg

Boot

4,000–9,000 L

Fuel tank

48 L

What it can carry

Load capacity and payload across the body-length and roof-height variants. The bigger spread means more versatility — but also more choice to get wrong when buying used.

Load volume

3.5–8 m³

Payload

600–1,400 kg

Gross weight

3,100 kg

Body variants

L1H1, L2H2

How many are still out there

How the UK Volkswagen Crafter fleet splits: taxed and on the road, parked off the road on a SORN, and gone from the register where that figure is available.

Currently registered

103,644

Currently taxed & on road

93,434

90% of all registered

SORN (off road)

10,210

10% of all registered

Scrapped or exported

n/a

not in this DfT extract

UK fleet trend — 2014 to 2025

+7% vs 2024

32,68293,434

Source: DfT VEH0124 vehicle licensing statistics (year-end 2025) · Updated 29 Jul 2026

Similar cars

Other large van models worth looking at

Ranked #14 in the UK

Renault Master

Read profile →

Ranked #13 in the UK

Iveco Daily

Read profile →

Ranked #21 in the UK

Fiat Ducato

Read profile →

Ranked #25 in the UK

Peugeot Boxer

Read profile →

Common questions

Volkswagen Crafter, answered from the data

Is the Volkswagen Crafter reliable?: The Volkswagen Crafter scores 45/100 on Forecourt's MOT-based reliability measure, ahead of 8% of the cars we track. That is computed from 844,583 real DVSA MOT test results.
How much does a used Volkswagen Crafter cost?: A 2023 Volkswagen Crafter with around 53,715 miles is worth roughly £18,450 today (typical range £16,700–£20,250). Dealer forecourt prices sit higher and part-exchange offers lower; newer or lower-mileage examples cost more.
How quickly does the Volkswagen Crafter depreciate?: A new Volkswagen Crafter typically loses about 48% of its value over the first three years, then depreciates more slowly. Buying at three to five years old avoids the steepest part of the curve.
What insurance group is the Volkswagen Crafter?: The Volkswagen Crafter sits in insurance group 17 of 50 — the middle of the scale. Exact premiums depend on the trim (some versions sit a few groups higher or lower), your age, postcode and no-claims history.
What goes wrong on a used Volkswagen Crafter?: The most common age-related issues we track for the Volkswagen Crafter are: brakes (typically around over 100k miles, £150-£500 to put right); lighting & signalling (typically around over 100k miles, £15-£120 to put right); suspension (typically around over 100k miles, £150-£450 to put right). A full service history and a recent MOT with no advisories are the best protection.
What does the Volkswagen Crafter cost to run?: Expect around 34 mpg combined on the Crafter 2.0 TDI 140 L3H3, £195 a year in road tax, about £185 for a standard annual service. The full cost-of-ownership table above breaks this down per year and per mile for the exact year and mileage you choose.
Is the Volkswagen Crafter ULEZ compliant?: Most petrol Volkswagen Crafters from 2006 and diesels from September 2015 meet the Euro standards for London ULEZ and other UK clean-air zones, so they are generally exempt from the daily charge. Pure-electric versions are always exempt.
How many Volkswagen Crafters are on UK roads?: About 93,434 Volkswagen Crafters are currently taxed and on the road in the UK, from DfT vehicle-licensing data.

Answers are generated from this car's Forecourt data — DVSA MOT records, DfT licensing statistics and our valuation model — and update with the weekly data refresh.