Volvo C30 MOT failure rate and common faults
20,616 Volvo C30 cars aged 3 to 20 took their MOT in 2025, and 41.6% failed at the first attempt. An average car of the same age failed 40.3% of the time, which makes the Volvo C30 3% more likely to fail than the typical car on the road. Here is what fails, and which years to look for.
41.6%
failed first time
20,616 MOT tests in 2025
+3%
vs same age average
average car of this age mix: 40.3%
139 of 208
age adjusted rank
among cars; 1 fails least
175.5
dangerous defects per 1,000
same age average: 139.8
What fails on a Volvo C30 MOT
Failure items recorded per 1,000 tests, by part of the car, set against an average car with exactly the same spread of ages. A figure well above average is a weak spot worth checking before you buy.
The most common Volvo C30 MOT failures
The individual failure items testers recorded most often, per 1,000 tests.
| Failure item | Area | Per 1,000 tests |
|---|---|---|
| Position lamp: not working | Lights and electrics | 80.6 |
| Coil spring: fractured or broken | Suspension | 57.7 |
| Suspension arms: pin or bush excessively worn | Suspension | 56.6 |
| Drive shafts: constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt | Body, chassis, exhaust and drive shafts | 50.6 |
| Registration plate lamp(s): inoperative in the case of a single lamp or all lamps | Lights and electrics | 43.5 |
| Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm | Tyres | 40.5 |
| Tyres: has ply or cords exposed | Tyres | 38.1 |
| Ball joint excessively worn | Suspension | 30.3 |
| Individual direction indicators: incorrect colour | Lights and electrics | 28.4 |
| Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick | Brakes | 25.3 |
Volvo C30 MOT failure rate by year
Every car fails more often as it ages, so each registration year is compared with the average for all cars of the same age. Years with fewer than 500 tests are left out.
| First registered | Tests | Failed | Same age average | Average mileage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 961 | 36.3% | 34.3% | 87,600 |
| 2012 | 2,797 | 38.3% | 36.6% | 94,400 |
| 2011 | 2,985 | 40.0% | 38.8% | 106,200 |
| 2010 | 4,575 | 41.4% | 40.7% | 108,500 |
| 2009 | 4,638 | 42.8% | 41.8% | 106,000 |
| 2008 | 2,632 | 45.9% | 42.9% | 113,000 |
| 2007 | 1,932 | 43.8% | 42.7% | 108,500 |
Advisories to look for in a Volvo C30's MOT history
An advisory is a tester's warning that something is wearing but has not failed yet. These are the ones written most often on the Volvo C30, per 1,000 tests. If the car you are looking at has one of these, ask whether it has been fixed since.
- Tread depth: worn close to legal limit/worn on edge364.6
- Suspension arms: pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement192.9
- Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened155.9
- Tyres: slightly damaged/cracking or perishing124.2
- Coil spring: corroded104.3
- Brake pads: wearing thin102.3
Checking a used Volvo C30 before you buy
Against cars of the same age, the Volvo C30 fails more often than average on tyres. Start there.
Tyres
Check the tread across the full width of every tyre, inner edge included. Uneven wear points to worn suspension or out of line steering geometry.
Averages only take you so far. The specific car's MOT history shows whether it has already failed on any of these, how often advisories were ignored, and whether the mileage climbs steadily from test to test. Read our guide to reading a car's MOT history before you go to view it.
Fuel mix of the Volvo C30 cars tested: Diesel 58%, Petrol 42%. Average age at test 15.2 years, average recorded mileage 105,300.
Volvo C30 MOT questions
What is the Volvo C30 MOT failure rate?
41.6% of Volvo C30 cars failed their first MOT test of 2025, from 20,616 tests on vehicles aged 3 to 20. An average car with the same age mix failed 40.3% of the time, so the Volvo C30 was 3% more likely to fail.
What fails most often on a Volvo C30 MOT?
Lights and electrics caused the most failure items, at 305 per 1,000 tests. The single most common failure item was "Position lamp: not working", recorded 80.6 times per 1,000 tests.
Which Volvo C30 year has the best MOT record?
Measured against cars of the same age, 2010 registrations did best: 41.4% failed against an average of 40.7% for cars that age. Older cars always fail more often, so compare a year with its age group rather than with newer cars.
Does this tell me whether a particular Volvo C30 will pass?
No. These are averages across every Volvo C30 tested in 2025. The car in front of you has its own record: its full MOT history shows every pass, failure and advisory it has had, and it is free to view by registration.
Other Volvo models
- Volvo XC6019.9% failed
- Volvo V4027.8% failed
- Volvo XC4010.0% failed
- Volvo XC9023.5% failed
- Volvo V6022.5% failed
- Volvo V7033.1% failed
Ranked close to the Volvo C30
- Nissan Noterank 136
- Kia Sportagerank 137
- Ford Focusrank 138
- SEAT Aronarank 140
How these figures are calculated
Source: DVSA Anonymised MOT tests and results, 2025 release. We count first tests of cars and small vans (class 4) aged 3 to 20, so a car that fails and is retested is counted once. A failure includes faults fixed and passed within the same visit. The same age average weights the national failure rate for each age by how many Volvo C30 cars of that age were tested, so a model is never penalised for having an older fleet. Make and model are as recorded at the test; trim levels are combined. Full method and rankings.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.