Volvo V60 MOT pass rate & common failures
Across 25 model years and 213,046 tests, the Volvo V60 passes its MOT 84.6% of the time. Large family cars of a similar age fail 16.6% of the time, so this is 1.1pp better than the group it competes with. Its most common failure areas are tyres, lighting & signalling and brakes.
Best and worst V60 years
Ranked across V60 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: 2022 cars pass 91.0% of the time while 2010 cars manage 78.5%, a 12.5-point spread.
No single area dominates — tyres (6.9%) and lighting & signalling (4.2%) are close, so failures are spread across several systems rather than one weak point.
At component level the recurring items are brake pads, tread depth and headlamp aim — brake pads alone was recorded 7,161 times.
Mileage is the strongest signal on the record: 7.3% of 0-30k cars fail, rising to 22.3% once past 150k — 3.0× the risk.
The hybrid cars hold up better: 9.2% fail against 16.3% for diesel, a 7.1-point gap across 190,069 tests.
Tyres is the most common advisory, noted on 26.7% of tests — work that passed today but is likely due soon.
The trend is worsening — 14.1% of tests failed in 2021 against 16.2% in 2025, the usual pattern as a fleet ages.
How it compares
By model year
Every V60 model year with a usable sample. Years with their own detailed report are linked.
| Year | Tests | Pass rate | Fail rate | Most common failure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 1,520 | 78.5% | 21.5% | Tyres |
| 2011 | 15,899 | 79.6% | 20.4% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2012 | 28,733 | 78.9% | 21.1% | Tyres |
| 2013 | 21,665 | 81.5% | 18.5% | Tyres |
| 2014 | 21,928 | 82.6% | 17.4% | Tyres |
| 2015 | 19,346 | 85.0% | 15.0% | Tyres |
| 2016 | 22,072 | 85.9% | 14.1% | Tyres |
| 2017 | 18,390 | 86.1% | 13.9% | Tyres |
| 2018 | 21,658 | 88.8% | 11.2% | Tyres |
| 2019 | 21,719 | 88.8% | 11.2% | Tyres |
| 2020 | 10,298 | 89.8% | 10.2% | Tyres |
| 2021 | 8,068 | 90.6% | 9.4% | Tyres |
| 2022 | 1,673 | 91.0% | 9.0% | Tyres |
| 2023 | 51 | 94.1% | 5.9% | Tyres |
Most common failures (all years)
| # | Category | % of tests affected | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tyres | 6.9% | 14,656 |
| 2 | Lighting & signalling | 4.2% | 8,984 |
| 3 | Brakes | 4.1% | 8,697 |
| 4 | Suspension | 2.8% | 5,997 |
| 5 | Visibility | 2.5% | 5,270 |
| 6 | Steering | 1.5% | 3,258 |
| 7 | Emissions & environmental | 1.4% | 2,990 |
| 8 | Body, structure & corrosion | 1.0% | 2,140 |
Most common specific failures
The exact components most often recorded as failures — more specific than the categories above.
| # | Failure item | Times recorded |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brake pads | 7,161 |
| 2 | Tread depth | 6,459 |
| 3 | Headlamp aim | 5,507 |
| 4 | Track rod end | 3,259 |
| 5 | Wipers | 3,244 |
| 6 | Shock absorbers | 2,799 |
| 7 | Washers | 2,610 |
| 8 | Malfunction indicator lamp | 2,060 |
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 | 26.7% | 56,818 |
| 2 | Brakes | 18.2% | 38,819 |
| 3 | Suspension | 10.0% | 21,347 |
| 4 | Other defects | 8.3% | 17,600 |
| 5 | Lighting & signalling | 4.3% | 9,270 |
| 6 | Visibility | 3.7% | 7,917 |
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 | 24,522 | 7.3% |
| 30-60k | 54,444 | 11.8% |
| 60-90k | 50,978 | 15.5% |
| 90-120k | 41,660 | 18.9% |
| 120-150k | 25,113 | 20.8% |
| 150k+ | 16,247 | 22.3% |
Failure rate by age
By fuel type
| Fuel | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| Diesel | 178,922 | 16.3% |
| Petrol | 22,977 | 11.3% |
| Hybrid | 11,147 | 9.2% |
Trend over time
| Dataset year | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 34,193 | 14.1% |
| 2022 | 39,758 | 14.8% |
| 2023 | 43,518 | 15.5% |
| 2024 | 47,028 | 16.0% |
| 2025 | 48,549 | 16.2% |
What to check before buying a Volvo V60
- Tyres (6.9% 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 (4.2% of tests): Often a cheap bulb, but persistent issues can mean wiring or corrosion in the units. Typical repair: £10–£150.
- Brakes (4.1% 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.
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 V60?
84.6% of the 213,046 Volvo V60 MOT tests in this dataset passed, a 15.4% fail rate, across model years 2001–2025.
What does the Volvo V60 most often fail its MOT on?
Tyres, recorded in 6.9% of tests, then lighting & signalling (4.2%).
Which V60 years are best and worst for MOT results?
2022 has the best pass rate at 91.0% and 2010 the weakest at 78.5%, from 1,673 and 1,520 tests respectively.
How much does mileage affect V60 MOT results?
Fail rates run at 7.3% for cars in the 0-30k band and 22.3% for 150k+, a 15.0-point difference.
Is the hybrid or diesel V60 more reliable at MOT time?
On MOT-testable defects the hybrid fails 9.2% of the time against 16.3% for the diesel. This covers testable items only, not engine or gearbox reliability.
Methodology & source. Based on 213,046 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.