Volvo C70: MOT pass rate and reliability data

The Volvo C70 fails its first MOT more often than the average UK car, by 12.3 percentage points. These figures come from the DVSA's full year of anonymised MOT results, covering 7,771 individual Volvo C70 tests. Nothing here is an estimate or a survey.

The numbers

What this means if you are buying one

A 64.4% first-time pass rate means roughly 36 in every 100 Volvo C70s presented for MOT fail on the first attempt. That is worse than average, so budget for remedial work and treat a fresh 12-month MOT as a genuine selling point rather than a given. The average Volvo C70 tested had covered 96,199 miles and was built around 2007.

What this means at salvage auction

Pass rate is a proxy for what a car costs to keep on the road. On a Volvo C70 bought as a repairable salvage, assume the mechanical side needs more than the visible accident damage, and pad your repair estimate accordingly.

Before you bid: run the lot through the analyzer, check the car's own record, check the mileage, decode the VIN, and if it carries a marker use the write-off value calculator. Or compare it against another model.

Looking at a specific Volvo C70 rather than the model in general? The free check covers its MOT and mileage history, and the full HPI report confirms the insurance write-off category, outstanding finance and whether it is recorded stolen, from licensed data for 5 credits. Already own one that has been damaged? Work out whether fixing it beats selling it with the repair or scrap calculator, and see what damaged Volvo C70s actually sold for at UK salvage auction.

Most common MOT failures on a Volvo C70

1. A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc, 4.8% of tests (4.24x the national rate for this defect)
2. A shock absorber damaged to the extent that it does not function or showing signs of severe leakage, 2.4% of tests (3.47x the national rate for this defect)
3. Steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc, 1.9% of tests (3.37x the national rate for this defect)
4. Parking brake inoperative on one side, 1.5% of tests (3.36x the national rate for this defect)
5. A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened, 5.3% of tests (3.22x the national rate for this defect)
6. A tyre cords visible or damaged, 3.7% of tests (3.09x the national rate for this defect)
7. Parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement, 2.7% of tests (2.8x the national rate for this defect)
8. The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements, 3.1% of tests (1.74x the national rate for this defect)
9. A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, 5.9% of tests (1.61x the national rate for this defect)
10. A tyre seriously damaged, 3.2% of tests (1.61x the national rate for this defect)

From 12,821 DVSA-tracked Volvo C70 tests, 2024. DVSA testers marked 5.08% of these flagged Volvo C70 defects as "dangerous", meaning the tester judged the car unsafe to drive away, against 4.97% nationally.

Volvo C70 pass rate by model year

Pass rates fall steadily as cars age, so the model year matters as much as the model. First-time pass rate for each Volvo C70 year:

• 2002 Volvo C70 - 69.5% first-time pass, 256 tests
• 2003 Volvo C70 - 73.9% first-time pass, 398 tests
• 2004 Volvo C70 - 67.1% first-time pass, 495 tests
• 2005 Volvo C70 - 64% first-time pass, 397 tests
• 2006 Volvo C70 - 59.5% first-time pass, 1,036 tests
• 2007 Volvo C70 - 62.1% first-time pass, 1,142 tests
• 2008 Volvo C70 - 64.3% first-time pass, 1,010 tests
• 2009 Volvo C70 - 62.7% first-time pass, 815 tests
• 2010 Volvo C70 - 64.4% first-time pass, 717 tests
• 2011 Volvo C70 - 62.8% first-time pass, 484 tests
• 2012 Volvo C70 - 72.6% first-time pass, 281 tests
• 2013 Volvo C70 - 68.5% first-time pass, 235 tests

Volvo C70 by fuel type

Diesel and petrol versions of the same car fail on different things, so the fuel type moves the number:

• Petrol Volvo C70 - 65.6% first-time pass, 4,039 tests
• Diesel Volvo C70 - 64% first-time pass, 3,673 tests

Other Volvo models

• Volvo V40 - 76.1%
• Volvo Xc60 - 81.2%
• Volvo Xc90 - 75.2%
• Volvo Xc40 - 90.5%
• Volvo V70 - 69%
• Volvo V60 - 79%
• Volvo V50 - 60.4%
• Volvo C30 - 65.2%

Models with a similar pass rate

• Honda Stream - 64.6%
• Great Wall Steed - 64.6%
• Citroen Nemo - 64.4%
• Peugeot Bipper - 64.3%
• Daihatsu Terios - 64.3%
• Mitsubishi Colt - 64.2%

If this car is a salvage or write-off

• What does Cat N mean? Category N explained
• What does Cat S mean? Category S explained
• Cat S vs Cat N: the real differences

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All 2,005 models ranked by MOT pass rate