Volvo XC90 MOT pass rate & common failures
The Volvo XC90 appears in 411,468 MOT tests spanning model years 2002–2025, and 81.3% of them passed. Large SUVs of a similar age fail 16.6% of the time, so this is 2.1pp worse than the group it competes with. Its most common failure areas are lighting & signalling, brakes and tyres.
Best and worst XC90 years
Ranked across XC90 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
The strongest year on this record is 2022 (90.3% pass rate); the weakest is 2003 (70.3%). Older cars carry more of the difference than the average implies.
No single area dominates — lighting & signalling (9.6%) and brakes (9.1%) are close, so failures are spread across several systems rather than one weak point.
At component level the recurring items are position lamp, headlamp aim and tread depth — position lamp alone was recorded 22,358 times.
A 150k+ example is materially riskier than a 0-30k one: 27.6% versus 8.5%.
The hybrid cars hold up better: 11.3% fail against 19.9% for diesel, a 8.6-point gap across 383,188 tests.
Tyres is the most common advisory, noted on 24.6% of tests — work that passed today but is likely due soon.
The trend is improving — the fail rate fell from 19.8% in 2021 to 17.1% in 2025, as the worst-kept examples leave the fleet.
How it compares
By model year
Every XC90 model year with a usable sample. Years with their own detailed report are linked.
| Year | Tests | Pass rate | Fail rate | Most common failure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 6,164 | 70.3% | 29.7% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2004 | 17,770 | 70.7% | 29.3% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2005 | 23,222 | 71.3% | 28.7% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2006 | 18,268 | 72.6% | 27.4% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2007 | 17,976 | 72.9% | 27.2% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2008 | 10,848 | 75.1% | 24.9% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2009 | 21,572 | 76.3% | 23.7% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2010 | 38,028 | 77.2% | 22.8% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2011 | 26,901 | 78.0% | 22.0% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2012 | 18,010 | 80.5% | 19.5% | Brakes |
| 2013 | 14,645 | 81.5% | 18.5% | Brakes |
| 2014 | 13,845 | 81.8% | 18.2% | Brakes |
| 2015 | 15,998 | 84.3% | 15.7% | Tyres |
| 2016 | 30,516 | 85.0% | 15.0% | Tyres |
| 2017 | 31,284 | 87.7% | 12.3% | Tyres |
| 2018 | 35,121 | 89.0% | 10.9% | Tyres |
| 2019 | 32,444 | 89.3% | 10.7% | Tyres |
| 2020 | 16,455 | 89.9% | 10.1% | Tyres |
| 2021 | 14,962 | 89.8% | 10.2% | Tyres |
| 2022 | 7,105 | 90.3% | 9.7% | Tyres |
| 2023 | 309 | 95.8% | 4.2% | Tyres |
Most common failures (all years)
| # | Category | % of tests affected | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lighting & signalling | 9.6% | 39,541 |
| 2 | Brakes | 9.1% | 37,625 |
| 3 | Tyres | 5.5% | 22,722 |
| 4 | Suspension | 4.4% | 18,174 |
| 5 | Visibility | 2.6% | 10,526 |
| 6 | Steering | 2.0% | 8,189 |
| 7 | Body, structure & corrosion | 1.6% | 6,759 |
| 8 | Emissions & environmental | 0.9% | 3,502 |
Most common specific failures
The exact components most often recorded as failures — more specific than the categories above.
| # | Failure item | Times recorded |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Position lamp | 22,358 |
| 2 | Headlamp aim | 16,092 |
| 3 | Tread depth | 12,117 |
| 4 | Decelerometer (sp) | 11,715 |
| 5 | Rbt (sp) | 10,693 |
| 6 | Headlamp | 9,339 |
| 7 | Pins and bushes | 9,230 |
| 8 | Brake pads | 9,155 |
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 | 24.6% | 101,207 |
| 2 | Brakes | 19.9% | 81,902 |
| 3 | Suspension | 19.8% | 81,252 |
| 4 | Other defects | 15.1% | 62,038 |
| 5 | Lighting & signalling | 9.1% | 37,478 |
| 6 | Emissions & environmental | 4.8% | 19,586 |
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 | 34,685 | 8.5% |
| 30-60k | 89,999 | 11.6% |
| 60-90k | 77,223 | 15.9% |
| 90-120k | 74,411 | 21.4% |
| 120-150k | 66,131 | 24.7% |
| 150k+ | 68,821 | 27.6% |
Failure rate by age
By fuel type
| Fuel | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| Diesel | 333,807 | 19.9% |
| Hybrid | 49,381 | 11.3% |
| Petrol | 28,225 | 17.2% |
| Gas/LPG | 44 | 25.0% |
Trend over time
| Dataset year | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 74,779 | 19.8% |
| 2022 | 80,776 | 19.6% |
| 2023 | 82,307 | 18.9% |
| 2024 | 85,538 | 18.4% |
| 2025 | 88,068 | 17.1% |
What to check before buying a Volvo XC90
- Lighting & signalling (9.6% of tests): Often a cheap bulb, but persistent issues can mean wiring or corrosion in the units. Typical repair: £10–£150.
- Brakes (9.1% 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.
- Tyres (5.5% 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 XC90?
81.3% of the 411,468 Volvo XC90 MOT tests in this dataset passed, an 18.7% fail rate, across model years 2002–2025.
What does the Volvo XC90 most often fail its MOT on?
Lighting & signalling, recorded in 9.6% of tests, then brakes (9.1%).
Which XC90 years are best and worst for MOT results?
2022 has the best pass rate at 90.3% and 2003 the weakest at 70.3%, from 7,105 and 6,164 tests respectively.
How much does mileage affect XC90 MOT results?
Fail rates run at 8.5% for cars in the 0-30k band and 27.6% for 150k+, a 19.1-point difference.
Is the hybrid or diesel XC90 more reliable at MOT time?
On MOT-testable defects the hybrid fails 11.3% of the time against 19.9% for the diesel. This covers testable items only, not engine or gearbox reliability.
Methodology & source. Based on 411,468 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.