Volvo S40: MOT pass rate and reliability data

The Volvo S40 fails its first MOT more often than the average UK car, by 13.5 percentage points. These figures come from the DVSA's full year of anonymised MOT results, covering 18,245 individual Volvo S40 tests. Nothing here is an estimate or a survey.

The numbers

What this means if you are buying one

A 63.2% first-time pass rate means roughly 37 in every 100 Volvo S40s 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 S40 tested had covered 109,375 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 S40 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 S40 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 S40s actually sold for at UK salvage auction.

Most common MOT failures on a Volvo S40

1. Lamp emitted colour, position or intensity not in accordance with the requirements, 2.1% of tests (4.89x the national rate for this defect)
2. Steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc, 2.4% of tests (4.39x the national rate for this defect)
3. A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc, 4.1% of tests (3.7x the national rate for this defect)
4. A rear registration plate lamp or light source missing or inoperative in the case of a single lamp or all lamps, 2.1% of tests (3.27x the national rate for this defect)
5. A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened, 4.4% of tests (2.7x the national rate for this defect)
6. A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning, 4.4% of tests (2.68x the national rate for this defect)
7. The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements, 4.2% of tests (2.36x the national rate for this defect)
8. A tyre cords visible or damaged, 2.8% of tests (2.32x the national rate for this defect)
9. Parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement, 2.3% of tests (2.32x the national rate for this defect)
10. A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, 8.3% of tests (2.26x the national rate for this defect)

From 26,352 DVSA-tracked Volvo S40 tests, 2024. DVSA testers marked 5.19% of these flagged Volvo S40 defects as "dangerous", meaning the tester judged the car unsafe to drive away, against 4.97% nationally.

Volvo S40 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 S40 year:

• 2000 Volvo S40 - 60.8% first-time pass, 209 tests
• 2001 Volvo S40 - 61.1% first-time pass, 311 tests
• 2002 Volvo S40 - 58.7% first-time pass, 443 tests
• 2003 Volvo S40 - 58.3% first-time pass, 655 tests
• 2004 Volvo S40 - 59.7% first-time pass, 1,145 tests
• 2005 Volvo S40 - 61.5% first-time pass, 1,437 tests
• 2006 Volvo S40 - 64.3% first-time pass, 1,684 tests
• 2007 Volvo S40 - 64.5% first-time pass, 1,831 tests
• 2008 Volvo S40 - 64.1% first-time pass, 2,893 tests
• 2009 Volvo S40 - 65.7% first-time pass, 2,397 tests
• 2010 Volvo S40 - 63.8% first-time pass, 1,985 tests
• 2011 Volvo S40 - 63.6% first-time pass, 1,466 tests
• 2012 Volvo S40 - 67.3% first-time pass, 1,284 tests

Volvo S40 by fuel type

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

• Petrol Volvo S40 - 64.6% first-time pass, 9,606 tests
• Diesel Volvo S40 - 62.5% first-time pass, 8,500 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

• Fiat Punto - 63.5%
• Daihatsu Hijet - 63.3%
• Volkswagen Beetle - 63.2%
• Peugeot 306 - 63.2%
• Isuzu Tf - 63.2%
• Suzuki Carry - 63.1%

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