Volvo S60: MOT pass rate and reliability data

The Volvo S60 fails its first MOT more often than the average UK car, by 1.5 percentage points. These figures come from the DVSA's full year of anonymised MOT results, covering 18,304 individual Volvo S60 tests. Nothing here is an estimate or a survey.

The numbers

What this means if you are buying one

A 75.2% first-time pass rate means roughly 25 in every 100 Volvo S60s 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 S60 tested had covered 109,100 miles and was built around 2011.

What this means at salvage auction

Pass rate is a proxy for what a car costs to keep on the road. On a Volvo S60 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 S60 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 S60s actually sold for at UK salvage auction.

Most common MOT failures on a Volvo S60

1. Parking brake inoperative on one side, 1.3% of tests (2.8x the national rate for this defect)
2. The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements, 3.4% of tests (1.93x the national rate for this defect)
3. Parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement, 1.7% of tests (1.76x the national rate for this defect)
4. A tyre cords visible or damaged, 2% of tests (1.68x the national rate for this defect)
5. A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play, 1.6% of tests (1.64x the national rate for this defect)
6. A shock absorber damaged to the extent that it does not function or showing signs of severe leakage, 1.1% of tests (1.6x the national rate for this defect)
7. a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm, 2.2% of tests (1.46x the national rate for this defect)
8. A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning, 2.3% of tests (1.41x the national rate for this defect)
9. A headlamp or light source missing, inoperative or more than ½ not functioning in the case of LED, 1.1% of tests (1.19x the national rate for this defect)
10. Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements, 2.7% of tests (1.17x the national rate for this defect)

From 27,157 DVSA-tracked Volvo S60 tests, 2024. DVSA testers marked 5.74% of these flagged Volvo S60 defects as "dangerous", meaning the tester judged the car unsafe to drive away, against 4.97% nationally.

Volvo S60 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 S60 year:

• 2001 Volvo S60 - 64.9% first-time pass, 288 tests
• 2002 Volvo S60 - 70.5% first-time pass, 641 tests
• 2003 Volvo S60 - 68.8% first-time pass, 906 tests
• 2004 Volvo S60 - 66.9% first-time pass, 1,107 tests
• 2005 Volvo S60 - 69.4% first-time pass, 1,284 tests
• 2006 Volvo S60 - 68.6% first-time pass, 1,011 tests
• 2007 Volvo S60 - 67.1% first-time pass, 592 tests
• 2008 Volvo S60 - 67.3% first-time pass, 342 tests
• 2010 Volvo S60 - 75% first-time pass, 636 tests
• 2011 Volvo S60 - 76.1% first-time pass, 1,815 tests
• 2012 Volvo S60 - 73.8% first-time pass, 1,750 tests
• 2013 Volvo S60 - 77.4% first-time pass, 1,430 tests
• 2014 Volvo S60 - 79.4% first-time pass, 1,393 tests
• 2015 Volvo S60 - 78.9% first-time pass, 1,244 tests
• 2016 Volvo S60 - 83.4% first-time pass, 1,166 tests
• 2017 Volvo S60 - 84.9% first-time pass, 1,071 tests
• 2018 Volvo S60 - 85.9% first-time pass, 879 tests
• 2019 Volvo S60 - 87.9% first-time pass, 580 tests

Volvo S60 by fuel type

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

• Diesel Volvo S60 - 75.4% first-time pass, 13,320 tests
• Petrol Volvo S60 - 76.1% first-time pass, 4,879 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

• Peugeot 208 - 75.2%
• Mitsubishi L200 - 75.2%
• Volvo Xc90 - 75.2%
• Citroen C1 - 75.1%
• London Taxis International Tx4 - 75.1%
• Volvo S80 - 75.1%

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