Volvo S40 MOT pass rate and common failures
In 2025, 57.7% of Volvo S40 MOT tests were a first-time pass, across 15,238 tests in Great Britain. For all cars it was 71.5%.
Compared with cars of the same age
Older cars fail more often, so a model that’s mostly a few years old will look better than one that’s mostly 12. These figures compare like with like.
At 3–5 years
–
Too few tests at this age to say.
At 6–10 years
–
Too few tests at this age to say.
At 11 years and over
57.7%
All cars: 61.3% (3.6 points worse). 15,225 tests.
Pass rate by age
Figures by age, with typical mileage
| Age (years) | Tests | First-time pass | All cars | Typical mileage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 | 553 | 60.9% | 64.4% | 98,750 miles |
| 13 | 1,472 | 57.9% | 62.1% | 106,250 miles |
| 14 | 1,430 | 58.1% | 60.2% | 106,250 miles |
| 15 | 2,055 | 59.0% | 58.6% | 106,250 miles |
| 16 | 2,012 | 57.3% | 57.5% | 111,250 miles |
| 17 | 2,082 | 58.0% | 57.2% | 113,750 miles |
| 18 | 1,404 | 58.8% | 57.0% | 113,750 miles |
| 19 | 1,240 | 59.8% | 57.2% | 111,250 miles |
| 20+ | 2,977 | 54.5% | 61.4% | 98,750 miles |
Typical mileage is the median reading at the test, to the nearest 2,500 miles.
What fails most often
The share of Volvo S40 MOT tests that failed on at least one item in each area, against all cars. A test can fail on several areas at once.
| Area | S40 | All cars |
|---|---|---|
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 28.6% | 16.6% |
| Suspension | 27.8% | 13.7% |
| Brakes | 16.4% | 10.2% |
| Tyres | 11.7% | 8.4% |
| Body, chassis, structure | 9.4% | 4.2% |
| Visibility | 6.8% | 5.2% |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 6.0% | 4.0% |
| Steering | 5.6% | 2.5% |
Most common reasons for failing
- Position lamp: not working failed 7.1% of tests · what this means
- Coil spring: fractured or broken failed 6.3% of tests · what this means
- Joints: constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt failed 5.5% of tests
- Pins and bushes: pin or bush excessively worn failed 5.0% of tests · what this means
- Condition: has ply or cords exposed failed 3.7% of tests
- Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm failed 3.5% of tests
- Ball joint excessively worn failed 3.3% of tests · what this means
- Registration plate lamp(s): inoperative in the case of a single lamp or all lamps failed 3.1% of tests · what this means
- Headlamp aim: too low failed 2.8% of tests · what this means
- Rbt (sp): efficiency below requirements failed 2.7% of tests
Checking a particular S40?
See its own MOT history, mileage record and advisories in plain English. Free, no sign-up.
About these figures
- They cover every S40 version DVSA records under this name (engines, trims and generations together), on its first MOT test of each visit. A “pass with rectification” (fixed within an hour) counts as a fail, as in DVSA’s own statistics.
- Cars under three years old are left out, because the few tested that young are mostly taxis.
- Fuel mix of the cars tested: petrol 53.8%, diesel 46.2%, liquefied petrolum gas (lpg) 0.0%.
- A pass rate describes the model, not any one car. How a car has been looked after matters more.
Download these figures (CSV) · Other Volvo models · All makes
Source: DVSA anonymised MOT test data for 2025. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Our own analysis; not produced or endorsed by DVSA.