Known APK problem

Volkswagen up!: lights

On the Volkswagen up! the APK inspector finds lights problems 60% more often than on cars of the same age: at 3–4 years 9.9%, against about 6.2% nationally.

Window: Oct 2025 – Sep 2026 · Updated: 16 Oct 2026

What is it?

Broken bulbs, misaligned headlights or damaged light units.

Repair indication: smallusually a small repair, often done with the service.

How to check it at the viewing

Walk around with the lights, indicators, brake lights and rear fog light on. Look for moisture in the headlights.

Ask the seller: Have the headlights been aligned, and has there been moisture in the light units?

By age

Share of inspected Volkswagen up!s with this defect, compared with all cars of the same age.

Age	Type	up!	95%-CI	National	Difference	n
3 – 4 years	B	9.9%	8.9 – 11.0%	6.2%	1.6×	3,158
5 – 6 years	B	11.3%	10.5 – 12.2%	8.1%	1.4×	5,742
7 – 8 years	B	11.8%	11.3 – 12.2%	10.7%	1.1×	20,076
9 – 10 years	B	12.8%	12.4 – 13.3%	12.8%	1.0×	21,685
11 – 12 years	B	13.0%	12.7 – 13.4%	18.6%	0.7×	30,456
13 – 15 years	B	15.3%	14.8 – 15.7%	25.5%	0.6×	21,431

A = structure, safety or costly mechanics; B = fail, usually simple; C = advisory. An age is missing when this defect is not among the most common there.

Comparable cars at 3–4 years

Model	Lights	Vs. national
Volkswagen up!	9.9%	1.6×
Kia Picanto III	7.2%	1.1×
Toyota Aygo II	7.0%	1.1×
Fiat 500 (312)	7.6%	1.2×
Citroën C1 II	9.6%	1.5×

Looking at a Volkswagen up!? Check that car

Enter the plate and see the APK history, open recalls and how this car compares with other Volkswagen up!s of the same age.

All weak spots of the Volkswagen up! · Lights: which models more often · Checklist for this model

Frequently asked questions

Does the Volkswagen up! often have lights problems?

Yes, more often than average at the APK. At 3–4 years the inspector found a lights defect on 9.9% of inspected Volkswagen up!s, against about 6.2% of all cars of the same age (1.6×). Source: RDW Open Data, Oct 2025 – Sep 2026.

How do you check the lights on a used Volkswagen up!?

Walk around with the lights, indicators, brake lights and rear fog light on. Look for moisture in the headlights.

Repair indication: small, medium or large. An indication of the usual repair, not a quote: the real cost depends on the car, the cause and the garage.

Source: RDW Open Data (CC0), analysis CarXray.nl. 6,857,004 inspected passenger cars aged 3 years and older, Oct 2025 – Sep 2026. Each car counts once. How we know