Volvo V40 MOT pass rate & common failures
The Volvo V40 appears in 600,741 MOT tests spanning model years 1996–2025, and 81.2% of them passed. Small family cars of a similar age fail 15.4% of the time, so this is 3.4pp worse than the group it competes with. Its most common failure areas are suspension, tyres and lighting & signalling.
Best and worst V40 years
Ranked across V40 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: 2019 cars pass 88.1% of the time while 2003 cars manage 67.3%, a 20.7-point spread.
No single area dominates — suspension (7.7%) and tyres (6.4%) are close, so failures are spread across several systems rather than one weak point.
At component level the recurring items are coil spring, tread depth and headlamp aim — coil spring alone was recorded 38,679 times.
A 150k+ example is materially riskier than a 0-30k one: 29.2% versus 10.5%.
The petrol cars hold up better: 16.4% fail against 20.1% for diesel, a 3.6-point gap across 600,731 tests.
Tyres is the most common advisory, noted on 26.5% of tests — work that passed today but is likely due soon.
The trend is worsening — 17.7% of tests failed in 2021 against 20.3% in 2025, the usual pattern as a fleet ages.
How it compares
By model year
Every V40 model year with a usable sample. Years with their own detailed report are linked.
| Year | Tests | Pass rate | Fail rate | Most common failure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 109 | 69.7% | 30.3% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1997 | 697 | 67.7% | 32.3% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1998 | 881 | 66.9% | 33.1% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1999 | 1,593 | 68.9% | 31.1% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2000 | 2,452 | 68.2% | 31.8% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2001 | 4,288 | 69.9% | 30.1% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2002 | 5,977 | 68.5% | 31.5% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2003 | 8,538 | 67.3% | 32.6% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2004 | 6,835 | 67.7% | 32.3% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2005 | 31 | 61.3% | 38.7% | Brakes |
| 2008 | 56 | 71.4% | 28.6% | Suspension |
| 2009 | 60 | 65.0% | 35.0% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2012 | 15,258 | 76.9% | 23.1% | Suspension |
| 2013 | 71,406 | 78.6% | 21.4% | Suspension |
| 2014 | 101,279 | 78.6% | 21.4% | Suspension |
| 2015 | 96,884 | 79.6% | 20.4% | Suspension |
| 2016 | 92,716 | 82.5% | 17.5% | Suspension |
| 2017 | 79,562 | 84.8% | 15.2% | Suspension |
| 2018 | 74,365 | 86.8% | 13.2% | Tyres |
| 2019 | 37,695 | 88.1% | 11.9% | Tyres |
Most common failures (all years)
| # | Category | % of tests affected | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Suspension | 7.7% | 46,518 |
| 2 | Tyres | 6.4% | 38,339 |
| 3 | Lighting & signalling | 5.3% | 31,740 |
| 4 | Brakes | 4.4% | 26,473 |
| 5 | Visibility | 2.2% | 13,081 |
| 6 | Emissions & environmental | 2.1% | 12,735 |
| 7 | Body, structure & corrosion | 1.7% | 10,410 |
| 8 | Steering | 0.5% | 3,018 |
Most common specific failures
The exact components most often recorded as failures — more specific than the categories above.
| # | Failure item | Times recorded |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Coil spring | 38,679 |
| 2 | Tread depth | 17,133 |
| 3 | Headlamp aim | 16,680 |
| 4 | Brake pads | 14,160 |
| 5 | Position lamp | 10,934 |
| 6 | Wipers | 9,118 |
| 7 | Joints | 7,426 |
| 8 | On or after 01/01/2014 | 5,331 |
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% | 159,112 |
| 2 | Brakes | 17.9% | 107,647 |
| 3 | Suspension | 8.8% | 53,112 |
| 4 | Other defects | 7.4% | 44,273 |
| 5 | Visibility | 3.0% | 18,112 |
| 6 | Lighting & signalling | 2.7% | 16,023 |
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 | 88,626 | 10.5% |
| 30-60k | 200,250 | 16.4% |
| 60-90k | 162,463 | 20.4% |
| 90-120k | 89,979 | 23.6% |
| 120-150k | 38,913 | 26.1% |
| 150k+ | 20,149 | 29.2% |
Failure rate by age
By fuel type
| Fuel | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| Diesel | 389,081 | 20.1% |
| Petrol | 211,650 | 16.4% |
Trend over time
| Dataset year | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 115,541 | 17.7% |
| 2022 | 122,788 | 17.5% |
| 2023 | 122,453 | 19.1% |
| 2024 | 120,244 | 19.4% |
| 2025 | 119,715 | 20.3% |
What to check before buying a Volvo V40
- Suspension (7.7% 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.
- Tyres (6.4% 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.
- Lighting & signalling (5.3% of tests): Often a cheap bulb, but persistent issues can mean wiring or corrosion in the units. Typical repair: £10–£150.
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 V40?
81.2% of the 600,741 Volvo V40 MOT tests in this dataset passed, an 18.8% fail rate, across model years 1996–2025.
What does the Volvo V40 most often fail its MOT on?
Suspension, recorded in 7.7% of tests, then tyres (6.4%).
Which V40 years are best and worst for MOT results?
2019 has the best pass rate at 88.1% and 2003 the weakest at 67.3%, from 37,695 and 8,538 tests respectively.
How much does mileage affect V40 MOT results?
Fail rates run at 10.5% for cars in the 0-30k band and 29.2% for 150k+, a 18.7-point difference.
Is the petrol or diesel V40 more reliable at MOT time?
On MOT-testable defects the petrol fails 16.4% of the time against 20.1% for the diesel. This covers testable items only, not engine or gearbox reliability.
Methodology & source. Based on 600,741 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.