Diesel Volvo C30: MOT pass rate

64.5% of diesel Volvo C30s pass the MOT first time, measured across 13,251 DVSA tests on that fuel type alone. Average mileage at test was 110,770.

Diesel against the other Volvo C30 versions

Fuel Pass rate Tests
Diesel 64.5% 13,251
Petrol 66.9% 9,437
All Volvo C3065.5%22,688

Why the fuel type changes the number

Diesels carry DPFs, EGR valves and stricter smoke limits, so emissions and exhaust faults account for failures petrol cars never see.

On the Volvo C30 specifically, petrol is the strongest at 66.9%, and this diesel version sits 1 points below the 65.5% model average.

What it means if you are buying one

The diesel Volvo C30 fails more often than the model average, so budget for the items that catch this fuel type and treat a fresh MOT as worth paying for. Check the exact car, decode the VIN and check the mileage before you bid.

Mileage is part of the answer

The average diesel Volvo C30 had covered 110,770 miles at test, against 93,245 for the petrol. That is high mileage, so timing belts, clutches, suspension bushes and corrosion are the items worth budgeting for rather than the MOT itself.

Fuel type and mileage are tangled together: diesels are usually bought by higher-mileage drivers, so some of any gap between fuels is the miles rather than the engine. The per-year figures on the Volvo C30 page separate age from fuel if you want to isolate one.

Other Volvo C30 fuel types

All Volvo C30 MOT data · Every model