Volvo V40: MOT pass rate and reliability data

The Volvo V40 fails its first MOT more often than the average UK car, by 0.6 percentage points. These figures come from the DVSA's full year of anonymised MOT results, covering 99,297 individual Volvo V40 tests. Nothing here is an estimate or a survey.

The numbers

What this means if you are buying one

A 76.1% first-time pass rate means roughly 24 in every 100 Volvo V40s 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 V40 tested had covered 72,065 miles and was built around 2015.

What this means at salvage auction

Pass rate is a proxy for what a car costs to keep on the road. The Volvo V40 sits 0.6 points below the national average, ranked 1,584 of 2,005 models. On one bought as 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 V40 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 the median recorded closing bid for a damaged Volvo V40: £600 at UK salvage auction, from 13 ended listings, not independently confirmed sales.

Most common MOT failures on a Volvo V40

1. Smoke opacity levels exceed the manufacturer's specified limit, 1% of tests (3.85x the national rate for this defect)
2. A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened, 6.5% of tests (2.83x the national rate for this defect)
3. Warning device shows system malfunction, 1% of tests (2.51x the national rate for this defect)
4. A tyre cords visible or damaged, 3.2% of tests (1.9x the national rate for this defect)
5. a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm, 2.9% of tests (1.34x the national rate for this defect)
6. A tyre seriously damaged, 3.7% of tests (1.31x the national rate for this defect)
7. A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc, 1.9% of tests (1.25x the national rate for this defect)
8. Lamp emitted colour, position or intensity not in accordance with the requirements, 0.7% of tests (1.23x the national rate for this defect)
9. Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements, 3.3% of tests
10. A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, 1.6% of tests

From 99,238 DVSA-tracked Volvo V40 tests, 2024. DVSA testers marked 7.93% of these flagged Volvo V40 defects as "dangerous", meaning the tester judged the car unsafe to drive away, against 5.11% nationally.

Most common MOT advisories on a Volvo V40

An advisory doesn't fail the car - the tester flags it as worth watching, but it still passes. A different list from the failures above: what testers are noting on a Volvo V40 before it actually fails on it.

1. A wheel badly distorted or wear between wheel and hub at spigot mounting, 2.1% of tests (1.92x the national rate for this advisory)
2. Excessive fluctuation in brake effort through each wheel revolution., 1.3% of tests (1.55x the national rate for this advisory)
3. Lamp emitted colour, position or intensity not in accordance with the requirements, 2% of tests (1.44x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
4. a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm, 13.4% of tests (1.43x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
5. Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements, 31.3% of tests (1.17x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
6. A tyre seriously damaged, 16.4% of tests, also fails
7. Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured, 9.6% of tests
8. A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, 9.2% of tests, also fails
9. Brake disc or drum significantly and obviously worn, 3.2% of tests
10. A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened, 2.6% of tests, also fails

From 99,238 DVSA-tracked Volvo V40 tests, 2024.

Volvo V40 pass rate by model year

From its 2001 to its 2019 model year, the Volvo V40's first-time pass rate has risen 21.5 points, from 63.2% to 84.7%, the usual pattern: a newer model year is a younger car today, so it fails less. First-time pass rate for each Volvo V40 year:

• 2000 Volvo V40 - 56.8% first-time pass, 264 tests
• 2001 Volvo V40 - 63.2% first-time pass, 505 tests
• 2002 Volvo V40 - 59.9% first-time pass, 648 tests
• 2003 Volvo V40 - 56.3% first-time pass, 933 tests
• 2004 Volvo V40 - 55.4% first-time pass, 783 tests
• 2012 Volvo V40 - 68.8% first-time pass, 2,334 tests
• 2013 Volvo V40 - 72.7% first-time pass, 11,240 tests
• 2014 Volvo V40 - 73.2% first-time pass, 16,089 tests
• 2015 Volvo V40 - 74.2% first-time pass, 15,556 tests
• 2016 Volvo V40 - 77.5% first-time pass, 15,447 tests
• 2017 Volvo V40 - 80.3% first-time pass, 13,530 tests
• 2018 Volvo V40 - 82% first-time pass, 12,939 tests
• 2019 Volvo V40 - 84.7% first-time pass, 8,219 tests

Volvo V40 by fuel type

The Volvo V40's two most-tested fuel types split by 4.7 points: diesel passes first time 74.7% of the time (62,542 tests) against 79.4% for petrol (36,304 tests).

• Diesel Volvo V40 - 74.7% first-time pass, 62,542 tests
• Petrol Volvo V40 - 79.4% first-time pass, 36,304 tests

Other Volvo models

• 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%
• Volvo S60 - 75.2%

Models with a similar pass rate

• Lexus Ls400 - 76.3%
• Mercedes-Benz Ml - 76.2%
• BMW 728 - 76.2%
• Mercedes-Benz Cls - 76.1%
• Ford Tourneo - 76.1%
• Volkswagen Cc - 76.1%

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
• Do you need an HPI check on a car you know is a write-off?

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All 2,005 models ranked by MOT pass rate