2009 Volvo C30: MOT pass rate and reliability

64.1% of 2009 Volvo C30s pass the MOT first time, measured across 5,160 DVSA tests on that model year alone. The average one had covered 104,966 miles.

How the 2009 compares

  • Against all Volvo C30s (65.5%, 22,688 tests): -1.4 points
  • Against all 2009 cars (66.1%): -2 points
  • National first-time pass rate, all cars and years: 77%

Every Volvo C30 model year

Pass rates fall as cars age, so the only fair comparison for a 2009 car is other cars of the same age. The full run for the Volvo C30:

Year Pass rate Tests Avg mileage
2007 63.6% 2,207 107,592
2008 61.8% 3,065 112,549
2009 64.1% 5,160 104,966
2010 65.4% 5,014 105,741
2011 66.8% 3,212 103,385
2012 69.8% 2,933 90,620
2013 72.3% 978 83,268

What this means if you are buying a 2009 C30

The 2009 sits close to the Volvo C30 average, so there is no strong model-year signal either way. Judge the individual car on its own history. Check the exact car with the free MOT history checker before you buy, and run its VIN and mileage through our free VIN decoder and clocking check.

What a 17-year-old car fails on

A 2009 car is 17 years old now, and age drives the failure mix more than the badge does. Across all cars tested, these are the categories that actually cause failures:

  • Lights and electrical: 10.36% of all cars tested
  • Suspension: 8.65% of all cars tested
  • Tyres: 6.23% of all cars tested
  • Brakes: 6.1% of all cars tested
  • Visibility: wipers, washers, glass: 4.65% of all cars tested
  • Body, chassis and structure: 3.18% of all cars tested

That is above average and into the range where cambelts and water pumps are due if they have not already been done, so ask for the service history rather than take the mileage on trust. On a 2009 Volvo C30 the average at test was 104,966 miles, so treat anything far above that as a car that has worked harder than its peers, and anything far below as one worth checking for the faults that come from standing still.

The strongest year for this model is 2013 at 72.3%, and the weakest in our data is 2008 at 61.8%. That 10.5 point spread across the model's life is why comparing a 2009 car against a newer one tells you very little.

Nearby model years

All Volvo C30 MOT data · Every model