Volvo XC90 MOT pass rate & common failures

At a glance

Pass rate, adjusted for age and mileage

The XC90 is 5.3 percentage points above the national pass rate once age and mileage are accounted for, which is above average. The unadjusted figure is 76.1%; 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 XC90 tests in which each item was recorded. One failed test often lists several items, so these do not sum to 100%.

1. 1.A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning15.5%

   2,336 occurrencesLamp not working explained

2. 2.A tyre seriously damaged14.5%

   2,175 occurrencesTyre damaged or deteriorated explained

3. 3.Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements13.2%

   1,984 occurrencesTyre worn close to the legal limit explained

4. 4.A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm10.9%

   1,642 occurrencesBrake drum or shoe worn or contaminated explained

5. 5.A tyre cords visible or damaged10.1%

   1,521 occurrencesTyre ply or cord exposed, or the casing separating explained

6. 6.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn10.0%

   1,499 occurrencesSuspension arm bush worn explained

7. 7.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn9.0%

   1,350 occurrencesSuspension arm bush worn explained

8. 8.Parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement7.5%

   1,122 occurrencesParking brake efficiency too low explained

9. 9.Parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement6.6%

   994 occurrencesParking brake efficiency too low explained

10. 10.The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements6.6%

    991 occurrencesHeadlamp aim incorrect explained

Warnings without a failure

Most common advisories

Share of all Volvo XC90 tests carrying each advisory. The denominator differs from the failure list above because an advisory can be issued on a car that passed.

1. 1.Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements25.9%

   19,335 testsTyre worn close to the legal limit explained

2. 2.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn13.6%

   10,162 testsSuspension arm bush worn explained

3. 3.Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured11.2%

   8,343 testsBrake disc worn, pitted or scored explained

4. 4.A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm11.0%

   8,254 testsBrake drum or shoe worn or contaminated explained

5. 5.A tyre seriously damaged7.1%

   5,278 testsTyre damaged or deteriorated explained

6. 6.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn6.1%

   4,574 testsSuspension arm bush worn explained

7. 7.Play in steering rack inner joint(s)6.0%

   4,470 tests

8. 8.Child Seat fitted not allowing full inspection of adult belt4.9%

   3,652 tests

How wear changes the picture

Pass rate by vehicle age

Bands holding too few tests to be meaningful are omitted rather than shown as a rate.

What gets tested

The XC90 fleet

Average mileage recorded at test

92,404

Across examples of every age, so this is a description of the fleet rather than an annual figure.

Fuel mix of tested cars

Diesel63.7%

Hybrid20.5%

Diesel hybrid9.2%

Petrol6.7%

Compare within the range

Other Volvo models

• Volvo XC60 — 79.1% adjusted
• Volvo V40 — 67.4% adjusted
• Volvo XC40 — 90.0% unadjusted
• 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

• Skoda Yeti — 72.3% adjusted, ranked 143
• Toyota Hilux — 71.2% adjusted, ranked 158
• Mitsubishi Outlander — 73.8% adjusted, ranked 124
• Mercedes-Benz CLA — 78.6% adjusted, ranked 67

Common questions

Is the Volvo XC90 reliable?

On MOT evidence the Volvo XC90 is above average. It passes 77.6% of tests once age and mileage are accounted for, against a national average of 72.3%, which ranks it 78 of 262 models with enough data for a fair comparison. 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 XC90?

The item recorded most often is "A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning", which appears in 15.5% of failed Volvo XC90 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 XC90?

The most common advisory is "Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements", noted on 25.9% of all Volvo XC90 tests. An advisory is not a failure: it flags something that will likely need attention before the next test.

What mileage does a Volvo XC90 usually have at its MOT?

The average odometer reading recorded at test is 92,404 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.

Does a Volvo XC90 get harder to pass as it ages?

Yes. At 3 to 5 years old, 87.1% of Volvo XC90 tests pass. By fifteen years or more, that falls to 59.7%. 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 XC90 models petrol or diesel?

Of the Volvo XC90 cars tested, 64% are diesel, 20% are hybrid, 9% are diesel hybrid. 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.

Further reading

Make sense of the numbers

• How to judge reliability from evidence rather than reputation
• What counts as high or low mileage for a car’s age
• The most common MOT failures and how to avoid them
• What to check before buying a used Volvo