Volvo XC40 MOT failure rate and common faults
88,016 Volvo XC40 cars aged 3 to 20 took their MOT in 2025, and 10.0% failed at the first attempt. An average car of the same age failed 14.0% of the time, which makes the Volvo XC40 28% less likely to fail than the typical car on the road. Here is what fails, and which years to look for.
10.0%
failed first time
88,016 MOT tests in 2025
-28%
vs same age average
average car of this age mix: 14.0%
25 of 208
age adjusted rank
among cars; 1 fails least
64.5
dangerous defects per 1,000
same age average: 63.0
What fails on a Volvo XC40 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 XC40 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 | 30.4 |
| Tyres: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords | Tyres | 25.3 |
| Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm | Tyres | 15.1 |
| Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively | Windscreen, wipers and mirrors | 8.4 |
| Tyres: has ply or cords exposed | Tyres | 7.1 |
| Headlamp aim: too high | Lights and electrics | 5.5 |
| Malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction | Engine, emissions and leaks | 3.1 |
| Brake discs: significantly and obviously worn | Brakes | 2.6 |
| Tyres: has a bulge, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure | Tyres | 2.2 |
| Drive shafts: constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt | Body, chassis, exhaust and drive shafts | 2.2 |
Volvo XC40 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 | 16,847 | 8.2% | 11.4% | 28,800 |
| 2021 | 24,985 | 9.0% | 12.8% | 35,700 |
| 2020 | 24,454 | 10.0% | 14.1% | 40,800 |
| 2019 | 15,033 | 12.7% | 16.5% | 48,700 |
| 2018 | 6,688 | 12.7% | 19.1% | 54,900 |
Advisories to look for in a Volvo XC40'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 XC40, 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 edge235.4
- Brake pads: wearing thin132.7
- Tyres: slightly damaged/cracking or perishing84.4
- Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened64.6
- Brake discs: worn, but not excessively60.7
- Tyres: has a cut but not deep enough to reach the ply or cords33.8
Checking a used Volvo XC40 before you buy
Against cars of the same age, the Volvo XC40 fails more often than average on brakes. Start there.
Brakes
Look through the wheel spokes at the discs for a deep lip or scoring, check the handbrake holds the car on a slope, and feel for a pull to one side when braking hard.
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 XC40 cars tested: Petrol 47%, Hybrid 36%, Diesel 13%, Electric 5%. Average age at test 4.7 years, average recorded mileage 39,500.
Volvo XC40 MOT questions
What is the Volvo XC40 MOT failure rate?
10.0% of Volvo XC40 cars failed their first MOT test of 2025, from 88,016 tests on vehicles aged 3 to 20. An average car with the same age mix failed 14.0% of the time, so the Volvo XC40 was 28% less likely to fail.
What fails most often on a Volvo XC40 MOT?
Tyres caused the most failure items, at 57 per 1,000 tests. The single most common failure item was "Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick", recorded 30.4 times per 1,000 tests.
Which Volvo XC40 year has the best MOT record?
Measured against cars of the same age, 2018 registrations did best: 12.7% failed against an average of 19.1% 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 XC40 will pass?
No. These are averages across every Volvo XC40 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 XC9023.5% failed
- Volvo V6022.5% failed
- Volvo V7033.1% failed
- Volvo V5044.8% failed
Ranked close to the Volvo XC40
- BMW X5rank 22
- Mercedes-Benz MLrank 23
- Mercedes-Benz GLErank 24
- Range Rover Sportrank 26
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 XC40 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.