Volvo S80 MOT pass rate & common failures
47,520 MOT tests on the Volvo S80 (1998–2021) give it an 80.4% pass rate. Executive cars of a similar age fail 21.4% of the time, so this is 1.8pp better than the group it competes with. Its most common failure areas are lighting & signalling, brakes and suspension.
Best and worst S80 years
Ranked across S80 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: 2014 cars pass 86.9% of the time while 2001 cars manage 74.3%, a 12.6-point spread.
Lighting & signalling dominates the failure mix at 12.3% of all tests — 5.9 points clear of brakes, so it is the first thing to check.
At component level the recurring items are headlamp aim, position lamp and pins and bushes — headlamp aim alone was recorded 2,480 times.
Mileage is the strongest signal on the record: 10.6% of 0-30k cars fail, rising to 22.7% once past 150k — 2.1× the risk.
Split by fuel, petrol examples fail 3.8pp more often than diesel ones (22.4% vs 18.6%) — worth weighing if you have a choice.
Advisories point at the next bill rather than this one: suspension was flagged on 26.2% of tests without failing them.
How it compares
By model year
Every S80 model year with a usable sample. Years with their own detailed report are linked.
| Year | Tests | Pass rate | Fail rate | Most common failure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 103 | 77.7% | 22.3% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1999 | 681 | 76.8% | 23.2% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2000 | 1,003 | 75.1% | 24.9% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2001 | 1,885 | 74.3% | 25.7% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2002 | 2,738 | 75.8% | 24.2% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2003 | 3,299 | 75.3% | 24.7% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2004 | 3,288 | 75.4% | 24.6% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2005 | 3,313 | 76.6% | 23.4% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2006 | 2,638 | 79.9% | 20.1% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2007 | 5,079 | 80.1% | 19.9% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2008 | 4,311 | 81.5% | 18.5% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2009 | 2,865 | 82.0% | 18.1% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2010 | 3,562 | 83.4% | 16.6% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2011 | 2,537 | 84.6% | 15.4% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2012 | 2,168 | 82.5% | 17.5% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2013 | 2,560 | 83.4% | 16.6% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2014 | 2,216 | 86.9% | 13.1% | Tyres |
| 2015 | 2,265 | 86.7% | 13.3% | Tyres |
| 2016 | 976 | 90.2% | 9.8% | Tyres |
Most common failures (all years)
| # | Category | % of tests affected | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lighting & signalling | 12.3% | 5,830 |
| 2 | Brakes | 6.4% | 3,036 |
| 3 | Suspension | 6.3% | 3,015 |
| 4 | Tyres | 5.1% | 2,448 |
| 5 | Visibility | 3.5% | 1,680 |
| 6 | Body, structure & corrosion | 3.2% | 1,536 |
| 7 | Steering | 3.0% | 1,406 |
| 8 | Emissions & environmental | 2.3% | 1,098 |
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 | 2,480 |
| 2 | Position lamp | 2,445 |
| 3 | Pins and bushes | 1,188 |
| 4 | Tread depth | 1,168 |
| 5 | Track rod end | 1,142 |
| 6 | Rbt (sp) | 1,079 |
| 7 | Washers | 982 |
| 8 | Headlamp | 955 |
Top advisory categories
Advisories aren't failures, but they flag work likely needed soon — useful when budgeting.
| # | Category | % of tests with advisory | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Suspension | 26.2% | 12,429 |
| 2 | Tyres | 25.9% | 12,301 |
| 3 | Brakes | 20.5% | 9,763 |
| 4 | Other defects | 11.8% | 5,590 |
| 5 | Lighting & signalling | 10.8% | 5,140 |
| 6 | Body, structure & corrosion | 8.4% | 3,972 |
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 | 707 | 10.6% |
| 30-60k | 4,264 | 13.7% |
| 60-90k | 8,364 | 16.1% |
| 90-120k | 10,916 | 19.7% |
| 120-150k | 10,190 | 21.4% |
| 150k+ | 12,985 | 22.7% |
Failure rate by age
By fuel type
| Fuel | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| Diesel | 35,247 | 18.6% |
| Petrol | 12,251 | 22.4% |
Trend over time
| Dataset year | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 11,479 | 19.1% |
| 2022 | 10,442 | 19.2% |
| 2023 | 9,451 | 19.9% |
| 2024 | 8,618 | 20.2% |
| 2025 | 7,530 | 19.9% |
What to check before buying a Volvo S80
- Lighting & signalling (12.3% of tests): Often a cheap bulb, but persistent issues can mean wiring or corrosion in the units. Typical repair: £10–£150.
- Brakes (6.4% 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.
- Suspension (6.3% of tests): Worn drop links, bushes, springs or shocks — listen for knocks over bumps and check for uneven tyre wear. Typical repair: £150–£450 per corner.
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 S80?
80.4% of the 47,520 Volvo S80 MOT tests in this dataset passed, a 19.6% fail rate, across model years 1998–2021.
What does the Volvo S80 most often fail its MOT on?
Lighting & signalling, recorded in 12.3% of tests, then brakes (6.4%).
Which S80 years are best and worst for MOT results?
2014 has the best pass rate at 86.9% and 2001 the weakest at 74.3%, from 2,216 and 1,885 tests respectively.
How much does mileage affect S80 MOT results?
Fail rates run at 10.6% for cars in the 0-30k band and 22.7% for 150k+, a 12.1-point difference.
Is the diesel or petrol S80 more reliable at MOT time?
On MOT-testable defects the diesel fails 18.6% of the time against 22.4% for the petrol. This covers testable items only, not engine or gearbox reliability.
Methodology & source. Based on 47,520 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.