Tesla's Model 3 and Model Y have the worst inspection results of any cars aged four to five years in Flanders, according to the first GOCA Barometer, which the Flemish inspection federation GOCA Vlaanderen published on 6 November 2026. Of the 1,733 Model 3s and 1,039 Model Ys inspected in that age class, 21.0% had a defect, more than twice the class average of 10.0%. The two cars share last place among 123 models.
The barometer covers 2,072,410 passenger cars, each counted once at its first periodic inspection between 1 July 2025 and 30 June 2026 in the region's 43 inspection centres. GOCA says the study was inspired by Germany's TÜV Report. A defect means an inspection result that bans the car from the road or requires it to return within 15 days or three months. Across all cars, 17.4% had one.
Where the Teslas rank
| Age | Model | Inspections | With a defect | Class average | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4–5 years | Model 3 | 1,733 | 21.0% | 10.0% | Joint last of 123 |
| 4–5 years | Model Y | 1,039 | 21.0% | 10.0% | Joint last of 123 |
| 6–7 years | Model 3 | 1,185 | 22.0% | 10.1% | Last of 143 |
| 8–9 years | Model S | 545 | 22.8% | 11.5% | 176th of 178 |
| 10–11 years | Model S | 519 | 19.1% | 14.0% | 125th of 141 |
GOCA ranks only models with at least 500 inspections in an age class.
Mostly the headlamps
The most common problem is the headlamps. They were faulted at 14.5% of Model Y inspections and 12.8% of Model 3 inspections at four to five years, against 5.7% for the Toyota RAV4 and 3.4% for the Volkswagen ID.4 in the same class. Wheels and tyres come second for both Teslas, at 4.1% and 4.7%. Headlamps are the most frequent defect category for cars of every age, GOCA says.
A separate table covers electric cars aged four to seven years, which average 11.2%. There the four Teslas take places 38 to 41 of 43: the Model X at 18.6%, the Model Y at 21.0%, the Model 3 at 21.4% and the Model S at 22.0%. Only the Dacia Spring (22.1%) and the Škoda Enyaq (27.6%, with headlamps faulted at 21.6% of inspections) do worse. The BMW i4 is best at 5.0%. Among all cars aged four to five years, 10.8% of electric cars had a defect, against 9.2% of petrol cars and 12.4% of diesels.
What the figures do not say
GOCA stresses that these are raw numbers. Age, mileage and drivetrain are not adjusted for one another, and the federation says it does not award quality labels to brands or models. "Our figures say something about a group of cars, not about your own car," said Dirk Snauwaert, who is responsible for communications at GOCA Vlaanderen.
Mileage matters here. The four- to five-year-old Model 3s had covered 90,802 km on average and the Model Ys 87,509 km, against 70,722 km for the class. Across all cars, the defect rate rises from 7.6% at 25,000 to 50,000 km to 15.3% at 100,000 to 125,000 km.
What it means for owners
The result echoes Germany, where the TÜV Report 2026 ranked the Model Y last among two- to three-year-old cars. For Tesla owners in Flanders, the barometer points to one item before all others: the headlamps, the most common reason the Model 3s and Model Ys were sent back. A check of headlamp aim and condition before the inspection targets that fault first.