Volvo V60 MOT failure rate and common faults
41,158 Volvo V60 cars aged 3 to 20 took their MOT in 2025, and 22.5% failed at the first attempt. An average car of the same age failed 24.5% of the time, which makes the Volvo V60 8% less likely to fail than the typical car on the road. Here is what fails, and which years to look for.
22.5%
failed first time
41,158 MOT tests in 2025
-8%
vs same age average
average car of this age mix: 24.5%
95 of 208
age adjusted rank
among cars; 1 fails least
124.1
dangerous defects per 1,000
same age average: 94.2
What fails on a Volvo V60 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 V60 MOT failures
The individual failure items testers recorded most often, per 1,000 tests.
| Failure item | Area | Per 1,000 tests |
|---|---|---|
| Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick | Brakes | 33.2 |
| Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm | Tyres | 30.6 |
| Tyres: has ply or cords exposed | Tyres | 28.3 |
| Tyres: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords | Tyres | 24.4 |
| Drive shafts: constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt | Body, chassis, exhaust and drive shafts | 16.0 |
| Shock absorbers: has a serious fluid leak | Suspension | 15.4 |
| Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively | Windscreen, wipers and mirrors | 14.7 |
| Malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction | Engine, emissions and leaks | 14.1 |
| Headlamp aim: too low | Lights and electrics | 11.8 |
| Coil spring: fractured or broken | Suspension | 10.4 |
Volvo V60 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 1,484 | 12.0% | 11.4% | 36,100 |
| 2021 | 3,665 | 12.5% | 12.8% | 42,900 |
| 2020 | 3,074 | 14.1% | 14.1% | 49,500 |
| 2019 | 4,817 | 16.3% | 16.5% | 60,600 |
| 2018 | 3,871 | 17.0% | 19.1% | 68,700 |
| 2017 | 3,161 | 25.3% | 21.8% | 83,400 |
| 2016 | 3,768 | 23.2% | 25.1% | 93,400 |
| 2015 | 3,276 | 24.6% | 28.1% | 101,900 |
| 2014 | 3,558 | 28.6% | 31.4% | 113,200 |
| 2013 | 3,493 | 29.4% | 34.3% | 119,900 |
| 2012 | 4,387 | 31.8% | 36.6% | 124,600 |
| 2011 | 2,374 | 32.0% | 38.8% | 129,500 |
Advisories to look for in a Volvo V60'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 V60, 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 edge334.7
- Brake pads: wearing thin136.7
- Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened92.6
- Tyres: slightly damaged/cracking or perishing82.9
- Coil spring: corroded68.4
- Suspension arms: pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement46.5
Checking a used Volvo V60 before you buy
Against cars of the same age, the Volvo V60 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 V60 cars tested: Diesel 71%, Hybrid 13%, Petrol 12%, Diesel hybrid 4%. Average age at test 8.7 years, average recorded mileage 86,800.
Volvo V60 MOT questions
What is the Volvo V60 MOT failure rate?
22.5% of Volvo V60 cars failed their first MOT test of 2025, from 41,158 tests on vehicles aged 3 to 20. An average car with the same age mix failed 24.5% of the time, so the Volvo V60 was 8% less likely to fail.
What fails most often on a Volvo V60 MOT?
Tyres caused the most failure items, at 111 per 1,000 tests. The single most common failure item was "Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick", recorded 33.2 times per 1,000 tests.
Which Volvo V60 year has the best MOT record?
Measured against cars of the same age, 2011 registrations did best: 32.0% failed against an average of 38.8% 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 V60 will pass?
No. These are averages across every Volvo V60 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 V7033.1% failed
- Volvo V5044.8% failed
Ranked close to the Volvo V60
- Mercedes-Benz B-Classrank 92
- Volkswagen Passatrank 93
- Toyota Avensisrank 94
- Land Rover Discovery Sportrank 96
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 V60 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.