Is the Volvo V40 reliable?

On MOT evidence the Volvo V40 is below average. It passes 67.4% of tests once age and mileage are accounted for, against a national average of 72.3%. That figure covers 84% of the national age and mileage range, which is enough to quote but not to rank. This measures how often the car meets the MOT standard, not how often it breaks down or what a repair costs.

What is the most common MOT failure on a Volvo V40?

The item recorded most often is "A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened", which appears in 28.9% of failed Volvo V40 tests. Because one failed test can list several items, these shares do not add up to 100%.

What do testers most often warn about on a Volvo V40?

The most common advisory is "Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements", noted on 27.8% of all Volvo V40 tests. An advisory is not a failure: it flags something that will likely need attention before the next test.

What mileage does a Volvo V40 usually have at its MOT?

The average odometer reading recorded at test is 78,393 miles. This is the mileage across all tested examples of every age, not an annual figure, so treat it as a description of the fleet rather than a target for one car.

Which Volvo V40 years are the most reliable?

Going by MOT pass rate, Volvo V40 cars first registered 2017–2019 do best at 78.9%, and those registered 2010 and earlier do worst at 50.3%. But that ordering is mostly age, not build year: almost every model passes less often as it wears, so the newest cars top this list whatever they are. A specific year looking strong here means little on its own; the failure items above, and the individual car's own MOT history, tell you far more.

Does a Volvo V40 get harder to pass as it ages?

Yes. At 6 to 8 years old, 78.9% of Volvo V40 tests pass. By fifteen years or more, that falls to 50.3%. Nearly every model follows this pattern, which is why comparing raw pass rates between models is misleading unless age is accounted for.

Are most Volvo V40 models petrol or diesel?

Of the Volvo V40 cars tested, 63% are diesel, 37% are petrol. Fuel type affects which items tend to fail, particularly emissions and exhaust components.

Model reliability file

Volvo V40 MOT pass rate & common failures

From 97,266 recorded MOT tests of the Volvo V40, published by DVSA.

Data updated 29 July 2026

Quick answer

The Volvo V40 passes 67.4% of MOT tests once results are adjusted for the age and mileage of the cars tested, against a national average of 72.3%. That is below average. Based on 97,266 tests. Its most commonly recorded failure is spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened, which appears in 28.9% of failed tests. Cars of this model average 78,393 miles on the odometer when tested.

At a glance

Pass rate, adjusted for age and mileage

67.4%national average72.3%unadjusted71.6%range covered84%

The V40 is 4.9 percentage points below the national pass rate once age and mileage are accounted for, which is below average. The unadjusted figure is 71.6%; the difference is what the age and mileage of this model’s fleet was hiding.

DVSA recorded wording

Most common failure items

Share of failed Volvo V40 tests in which each item was recorded. One failed test often lists several items, so these do not sum to 100%.

1.A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened28.9%
6,988 occurrencesRoad spring broken or fractured explained
2.Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements12.6%
3,057 occurrencesTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
3.A tyre cords visible or damaged12.2%
2,961 occurrencesTyre ply or cord exposed, or the casing separating explained
4.A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm11.5%
2,776 occurrencesBrake drum or shoe worn or contaminated explained
5.A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc10.0%
2,420 occurrencesDriveshaft CV joint gaiter split or missing explained
6.A tyre seriously damaged8.0%
1,931 occurrencesTyre damaged or deteriorated explained
7.Warning device shows system malfunction6.8%
1,635 occurrencesBrake system warning lamp on, or not working explained
8.A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning6.2%
1,503 occurrencesLamp not working explained
9.Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen4.6%
1,122 occurrencesWiper or washer not working properly explained
10.The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements3.3%
804 occurrencesHeadlamp aim incorrect explained

Warnings without a failure

Most common advisories

Share of all Volvo V40 tests carrying each advisory. The denominator differs from the failure list above because an advisory can be issued on a car that passed.

1.Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements27.8%
27,074 testsTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
2.A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm13.1%
12,738 testsBrake drum or shoe worn or contaminated explained
3.A tyre seriously damaged12.6%
12,249 testsTyre damaged or deteriorated explained
4.Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured10.7%
10,395 testsBrake disc worn, pitted or scored explained
5.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn9.0%
8,786 testsSuspension arm bush worn explained
6.Brake disc or drum significantly and obviously worn3.7%
3,553 testsBrake disc worn, pitted or scored explained
7.Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements3.4%
3,352 testsTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
8.A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened3.4%
3,300 testsRoad spring broken or fractured explained

The rest of the record

Everything else recorded on the Volvo V40

The 20 other defects testers recorded on this model, beyond the most common listed above. Each links to what it means and what it takes to put right.

Known faults

Volvo V40 common problems, by part and by year

The same failure record read the way a buyer asks the question: which parts wear out on a V40, when they start, and how each registration year compares — including the steps that mark a generation change.

V40 common problems and results by year

How wear changes the picture

V40 pass rate by age and registration year

How often the Volvo V40 passes at each age, with the years those cars were first registered. Tests are from 2025, so a car aged 6 to 8 was first used in 2017–2019.

6–8 yrsreg. 2017–201979%

9–11 yrsreg. 2014–201669%

12–14 yrsreg. 2011–201365%

15+ yrsreg. 2010 and earlier50%

Read this as an age curve rather than a verdict on particular model years. Nearly every car passes less often as it gets older, so a newer V40 outscoring an older one says more about wear than about how that year’s cars were built. Bands holding too few tests to be meaningful are omitted rather than shown as a rate.

What gets tested

The V40 fleet

Average mileage recorded at test: 78,393
Fuel mix of tested cars: Diesel63.0%
Petrol37.0%

Trim names grouped into this model (6)

Recorded exactly as DVSA holds them. Trim-level names are rolled up so one model is not split across a dozen thin pages.

V40 SE LUX
V40 T2
V40 T3
V40 T3 SE LUX
V40 T4
V40 T4 AUTO

Check a specific Volvo V40

A model average tells you the pattern. Its own MOT record tells you the car.

Compare within the range

Other Volvo models

Volvo XC60 — 79.1% adjusted
Volvo XC40 — 90.0% unadjusted
Volvo XC90 — 77.6% adjusted
Volvo V60 — 78.3% adjusted
Volvo V70 — 63.8% unadjusted
Volvo V50 — 55.2% unadjusted
All Volvo models

Similar test volumes

Compare against other makes

Kia Rio — 69.0% adjusted, ranked 181
Jaguar XF — 77.9% adjusted, ranked 74
Mini Countryman — 79.9% adjusted, ranked 56
Hyundai I30 — 68.7% adjusted, ranked 185

Common questions

Is the Volvo V40 reliable?: On MOT evidence the Volvo V40 is below average. It passes 67.4% of tests once age and mileage are accounted for, against a national average of 72.3%. That figure covers 84% of the national age and mileage range, which is enough to quote but not to rank. This measures how often the car meets the MOT standard, not how often it breaks down or what a repair costs.
What is the most common MOT failure on a Volvo V40?: The item recorded most often is "A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened", which appears in 28.9% of failed Volvo V40 tests. Because one failed test can list several items, these shares do not add up to 100%.
What do testers most often warn about on a Volvo V40?: The most common advisory is "Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements", noted on 27.8% of all Volvo V40 tests. An advisory is not a failure: it flags something that will likely need attention before the next test.
What mileage does a Volvo V40 usually have at its MOT?: The average odometer reading recorded at test is 78,393 miles. This is the mileage across all tested examples of every age, not an annual figure, so treat it as a description of the fleet rather than a target for one car.
Which Volvo V40 years are the most reliable?: Going by MOT pass rate, Volvo V40 cars first registered 2017–2019 do best at 78.9%, and those registered 2010 and earlier do worst at 50.3%. But that ordering is mostly age, not build year: almost every model passes less often as it wears, so the newest cars top this list whatever they are. A specific year looking strong here means little on its own; the failure items above, and the individual car's own MOT history, tell you far more.
Does a Volvo V40 get harder to pass as it ages?: Yes. At 6 to 8 years old, 78.9% of Volvo V40 tests pass. By fifteen years or more, that falls to 50.3%. Nearly every model follows this pattern, which is why comparing raw pass rates between models is misleading unless age is accounted for.
Are most Volvo V40 models petrol or diesel?: Of the Volvo V40 cars tested, 63% are diesel, 37% are petrol. Fuel type affects which items tend to fail, particularly emissions and exhaust components.

How this was worked out

Method and limits

Figures come from the DVSA anonymised MOT testing dataset, published under the Open Government Licence. Only class 4 initial tests are counted: retests are excluded so a car appears once, and abandoned tests are excluded entirely. The adjusted rate is directly standardised across twenty-five age and mileage bands and reweighted onto the national distribution, so this model is compared against cars that have lived a similar life rather than against a younger or lighter-used fleet.

An MOT measures whether a car met a legal standard on the day. It is not a breakdown record, a service history or a running-cost estimate, and a pass rate is a property of a fleet rather than a prediction about one car.