Volvo S60 MOT pass rate & common failures
Across 40 model years and 127,764 tests, the Volvo S60 passes its MOT 80.7% of the time. That is effectively the same as executive cars of a similar age (18.6% fail rate), so the MOT record here is unremarkable in either direction. Its most common failure areas are lighting & signalling, brakes and tyres.
Best and worst S60 years
Ranked across S60 years with at least 1,000 tests. Older cars fail more simply because they are older — compare years close together in age before drawing conclusions.
What the MOT record shows
Build year matters more than the headline suggests: 2020 cars pass 91.1% of the time while 2003 cars manage 73.6%, a 17.5-point spread.
No single area dominates — lighting & signalling (10.1%) and brakes (7.7%) are close, so failures are spread across several systems rather than one weak point.
At component level the recurring items are headlamp aim, position lamp and tread depth — headlamp aim alone was recorded 7,052 times.
Mileage is the strongest signal on the record: 7.0% of 0-30k cars fail, rising to 25.5% once past 150k — 3.7× the risk.
Split by fuel, diesel examples fail 12.0pp more often than hybrid ones (19.6% vs 7.6%) — worth weighing if you have a choice.
Advisories point at the next bill rather than this one: tyres was flagged on 26.5% of tests without failing them.
How it compares
By model year
Every S60 model year with a usable sample. Years with their own detailed report are linked.
| Year | Tests | Pass rate | Fail rate | Most common failure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 156 | 76.3% | 23.7% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2001 | 2,354 | 74.1% | 25.9% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2002 | 5,345 | 74.8% | 25.2% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2003 | 7,475 | 73.6% | 26.4% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2004 | 8,719 | 73.6% | 26.4% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2005 | 9,718 | 75.1% | 24.9% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2006 | 7,316 | 75.5% | 24.5% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2007 | 4,383 | 75.1% | 24.9% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2008 | 2,411 | 75.9% | 24.1% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2009 | 366 | 77.6% | 22.4% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2010 | 4,062 | 82.0% | 18.0% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2011 | 11,575 | 81.2% | 18.8% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2012 | 11,250 | 79.5% | 20.5% | Suspension |
| 2013 | 8,708 | 82.3% | 17.6% | Tyres |
| 2014 | 8,499 | 84.1% | 15.9% | Tyres |
| 2015 | 7,383 | 84.9% | 15.1% | Tyres |
| 2016 | 6,860 | 86.3% | 13.7% | Tyres |
| 2017 | 6,191 | 87.3% | 12.7% | Tyres |
| 2018 | 5,047 | 88.7% | 11.3% | Tyres |
| 2019 | 5,028 | 90.8% | 9.2% | Tyres |
| 2020 | 3,682 | 91.1% | 8.9% | Tyres |
| 2021 | 822 | 92.3% | 7.7% | Tyres |
| 2022 | 407 | 95.3% | 4.7% | Tyres |
Most common failures (all years)
| # | Category | % of tests affected | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lighting & signalling | 10.1% | 12,892 |
| 2 | Brakes | 7.7% | 9,862 |
| 3 | Tyres | 6.1% | 7,795 |
| 4 | Suspension | 5.2% | 6,661 |
| 5 | Visibility | 2.9% | 3,659 |
| 6 | Steering | 2.4% | 3,068 |
| 7 | Body, structure & corrosion | 2.3% | 2,962 |
| 8 | Emissions & environmental | 1.8% | 2,321 |
Most common specific failures
The exact components most often recorded as failures — more specific than the categories above.
| # | Failure item | Times recorded |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Headlamp aim | 7,052 |
| 2 | Position lamp | 4,602 |
| 3 | Tread depth | 3,776 |
| 4 | Rbt (sp) | 3,669 |
| 5 | Headlamp | 3,525 |
| 6 | Brake pads | 3,305 |
| 7 | Track rod end | 2,655 |
| 8 | Pins and bushes | 2,428 |
Top advisory categories
Advisories aren't failures, but they flag work likely needed soon — useful when budgeting.
| # | Category | % of tests with advisory | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tyres | 26.5% | 33,905 |
| 2 | Brakes | 21.7% | 27,680 |
| 3 | Suspension | 20.2% | 25,782 |
| 4 | Lighting & signalling | 10.7% | 13,708 |
| 5 | Other defects | 10.5% | 13,407 |
| 6 | Emissions & environmental | 4.9% | 6,317 |
Failure rate by mileage
Higher-mileage cars tend to fail more — often the most useful guide to real condition.
| Mileage band | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 0-30k | 9,219 | 7.0% |
| 30-60k | 18,962 | 12.2% |
| 60-90k | 25,512 | 17.6% |
| 90-120k | 28,260 | 21.3% |
| 120-150k | 22,157 | 23.1% |
| 150k+ | 23,455 | 25.5% |
Failure rate by age
By fuel type
| Fuel | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| Diesel | 87,904 | 19.6% |
| Petrol | 37,857 | 19.1% |
| Hybrid | 1,979 | 7.6% |
Trend over time
| Dataset year | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 27,660 | 20.0% |
| 2022 | 26,716 | 19.2% |
| 2023 | 25,961 | 19.0% |
| 2024 | 24,424 | 19.2% |
| 2025 | 23,003 | 19.0% |
What to check before buying a Volvo S60
- Lighting & signalling (10.1% of tests): Often a cheap bulb, but persistent issues can mean wiring or corrosion in the units. Typical repair: £10–£150.
- Brakes (7.7% of tests): Pads/discs are routine wear; binding, imbalance or corroded pipes are more serious — test for pulling under braking. Typical repair: £100–£350 per axle.
- Tyres (6.1% of tests): Usually a quick, known-cost fix, but check tread, age and uneven wear (which can hint at alignment or suspension issues). Typical repair: £50–£120 per tyre.
Repair costs are rough UK ballpark ranges to set expectations, not quotes — actual prices vary widely by car, parts and garage.
Frequently asked questions
What is the MOT pass rate for the Volvo S60?
80.7% of the 127,764 Volvo S60 MOT tests in this dataset passed, a 19.3% fail rate, across model years 1984–2023.
What does the Volvo S60 most often fail its MOT on?
Lighting & signalling, recorded in 10.1% of tests, then brakes (7.7%).
Which S60 years are best and worst for MOT results?
2020 has the best pass rate at 91.1% and 2003 the weakest at 73.6%, from 3,682 and 7,475 tests respectively.
How much does mileage affect S60 MOT results?
Fail rates run at 7.0% for cars in the 0-30k band and 25.5% for 150k+, a 18.5-point difference.
Is the hybrid or diesel S60 more reliable at MOT time?
On MOT-testable defects the hybrid fails 7.6% of the time against 19.6% for the diesel. This covers testable items only, not engine or gearbox reliability.
Methodology & source. Based on 127,764 MOT tests. Dataset: DVSA MOT testing data (2021,2022,2023,2024,2025). Data last updated 2026-07-27. Figures reflect MOT-testable defects only — read the methodology for how these are calculated and what they don't measure.