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. On a Volvo V50 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 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 what damaged Volvo V50s actually sold for at UK salvage auction.

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, 5.8% of tests (5.2x the national rate for this defect)
2. Lamp emitted colour, position or intensity not in accordance with the requirements, 1.8% of tests (4.23x 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, 2.1% of tests (3.76x the national rate for this defect)
4. A tyre cords visible or damaged, 4.1% of tests (3.38x the national rate for this defect)
5. A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened, 5% of tests (3.05x 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 (2.7x the national rate for this defect)
7. A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, 9.5% of tests (2.58x 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, 1.7% of tests (2.5x the national rate for this defect)
9. Parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement, 2.2% of tests (2.26x the national rate for this defect)
10. The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements, 3.9% of tests (2.24x the national rate for this defect)

From 44,318 DVSA-tracked Volvo V50 tests, 2024. DVSA testers marked 6.03% of these flagged Volvo V50 defects as "dangerous", meaning the tester judged the car unsafe to drive away, against 4.97% nationally.

Volvo V50 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 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

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

• 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

Embed this data

Run a site about the Volvo V50? Embed the real DVSA pass-rate badge free, linked back to this page.

<a href="https://www.salvageprophet.co.uk/mot/volvo-v50"><img src="https://www.salvageprophet.co.uk/badge/volvo-v50.svg" width="340" height="92" alt="Volvo V50 MOT Pass Rate: 60.4% - Salvage Prophet"></a>

All 2,005 models ranked by MOT pass rate