Volvo V50: MOT pass rate and reliability data

The Volvo V50 fails its first MOT more often than the average UK car, by 16.3 percentage points. These figures come from the DVSA's full year of anonymised MOT results, covering 30,103 individual Volvo V50 tests. Nothing here is an estimate or a survey.

The numbers

What this means if you are buying one

A 60.4% first-time pass rate means roughly 40 in every 100 Volvo V50s 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 V50 tested had covered 130,266 miles and was built around 2009.

What this means at salvage auction

Pass rate is a proxy for what a car costs to keep on the road. The Volvo V50 sits 16.3 points below the national average, ranked 1,946 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 V50 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 V50: £225 at UK salvage auction, from 6 ended listings, not independently confirmed sales.

Most common MOT failures on a Volvo V50

1. A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc, 7.4% of tests (4.86x the national rate for this defect)
2. Lamp emitted colour, position or intensity not in accordance with the requirements, 2.4% of tests (4.04x 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, 2.7% of tests (3.58x the national rate for this defect)
4. A tyre cords visible or damaged, 5.3% of tests (3.15x the national rate for this defect)
5. A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened, 6.3% of tests (2.78x 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, 5.7% of tests (2.57x the national rate for this defect)
7. A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, 12.1% of tests (2.4x the national rate for this defect)
8. A shock absorber damaged to the extent that it does not function or showing signs of severe leakage, 2.2% of tests (2.33x the national rate for this defect)
9. The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements, 5.1% of tests (2.15x the national rate for this defect)
10. Parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement, 2.7% of tests (2.1x the national rate for this defect)

From 30,082 DVSA-tracked Volvo V50 tests, 2024. DVSA testers marked 6.13% of these flagged Volvo V50 defects as "dangerous", meaning the tester judged the car unsafe to drive away, against 5.11% nationally.

Most common MOT advisories on a Volvo V50

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 V50 before it actually fails on it.

1. A wheel badly distorted or wear between wheel and hub at spigot mounting, 3.7% of tests (3.47x the national rate for this advisory)
2. Lamp emitted colour, position or intensity not in accordance with the requirements, 4.7% of tests (3.45x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
3. Excessive fluctuation in brake effort through each wheel revolution., 2.7% of tests (3.16x the national rate for this advisory)
4. A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened, 11.1% of tests (2.36x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
5. A suspension component excessively damaged or corroded, 12% of tests (2.31x the national rate for this advisory)
6. Exhaust system leaking or insecure, 6.3% of tests (2.23x the national rate for this advisory)
7. A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, 27.5% of tests (2.06x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
8. Number plate inscription missing or illegible, 4.5% of tests (1.71x the national rate for this advisory)
9. Fluid leaking excessively and likely to harm the environment or to pose a safety risk to other road users, 8.9% of tests (1.6x the national rate for this advisory)
10. Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements, 41.2% of tests (1.55x the national rate for this advisory)

From 30,082 DVSA-tracked Volvo V50 tests, 2024.

Volvo V50 pass rate by model year

From its 2004 to its 2012 model year, the Volvo V50's first-time pass rate has risen 6.8 points, from 57.7% to 64.5%, the usual pattern: a newer model year is a younger car today, so it fails less. First-time pass rate for each Volvo V50 year:

• 2004 Volvo V50 - 57.7% first-time pass, 832 tests
• 2005 Volvo V50 - 57.4% first-time pass, 1,927 tests
• 2006 Volvo V50 - 58.8% first-time pass, 2,691 tests
• 2007 Volvo V50 - 60.2% first-time pass, 2,807 tests
• 2008 Volvo V50 - 59.4% first-time pass, 5,196 tests
• 2009 Volvo V50 - 62.2% first-time pass, 4,529 tests
• 2010 Volvo V50 - 61.7% first-time pass, 4,607 tests
• 2011 Volvo V50 - 61.2% first-time pass, 4,197 tests
• 2012 Volvo V50 - 64.5% first-time pass, 3,117 tests

Volvo V50 by fuel type

The Volvo V50's two most-tested fuel types split by 2.2 points: diesel passes first time 60.4% of the time (23,930 tests) against 62.6% for petrol (5,975 tests).

• Diesel Volvo V50 - 60.4% first-time pass, 23,930 tests
• Petrol Volvo V50 - 62.6% first-time pass, 5,975 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 C30 - 65.2%
• Volvo S60 - 75.2%

Models with a similar pass rate

• Volkswagen Lt - 60.6%
• Alfa Romeo GT - 60.5%
• Citroen Ds3 - 60.4%
• Ldv Maxus - 60.4%
• Alfa Romeo 159 - 60.1%
• Chrysler Pt Cruiser - 60.1%

If this car is a salvage or write-off

• Does high mileage mean a worse MOT pass rate? The workhorses say no
• Britain's most and least reliable cars: 33 million MOT tests analysed
• 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?

Embed this data

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All 2,005 models ranked by MOT pass rate