2003 Volvo Xc70: MOT pass rate and reliability
61.5% of 2003 Volvo Xc70s pass the MOT first time, measured across 434 DVSA tests on that model year alone. The average one had covered 165,097 miles.
How the 2003 compares
- Against all Volvo Xc70s (74.1%, 17,398 tests): -12.6 points
- Against all 2003 cars (64.7%): -3.2 points
- National first-time pass rate, all cars and years: 77%
Every Volvo Xc70 model year
Pass rates fall as cars age, so the only fair comparison for a 2003 car is other cars of the same age. The full run for the Volvo Xc70:
| Year | Pass rate | Tests | Avg mileage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 61.5% | 434 | 165,097 |
| 2004 | 59.3% | 727 | 165,260 |
| 2005 | 63.5% | 1,244 | 162,334 |
| 2006 | 66% | 1,155 | 151,617 |
| 2007 | 67.6% | 1,271 | 146,376 |
| 2008 | 73.1% | 974 | 143,841 |
| 2009 | 77.5% | 1,006 | 137,055 |
| 2010 | 76.5% | 1,393 | 137,225 |
| 2011 | 76% | 1,806 | 126,048 |
| 2012 | 75.2% | 1,330 | 116,265 |
| 2013 | 79% | 1,571 | 109,947 |
| 2014 | 80.6% | 1,751 | 97,919 |
| 2015 | 81.4% | 1,605 | 88,135 |
| 2016 | 79% | 1,025 | 79,739 |
What this means if you are buying a 2003 Xc70
The 2003 is a weaker year for this model, passing 12.6 points less often than the Volvo Xc70 average. Some of that is simply age, so compare it against the 2003 figure for all cars above rather than against newer examples. Check the exact car with the free MOT history checker before you buy, and run its VIN and mileage through our free VIN decoder and clocking check.
What a 23-year-old car fails on
A 2003 car is 23 years old now, and age drives the failure mix more than the badge does. Across all cars tested, these are the categories that actually cause failures:
- Lights and electrical: 10.36% of all cars tested
- Suspension: 8.65% of all cars tested
- Tyres: 6.23% of all cars tested
- Brakes: 6.1% of all cars tested
- Visibility: wipers, washers, glass: 4.65% of all cars tested
- Body, chassis and structure: 3.18% of all cars tested
That is very high mileage. Clutches, dual-mass flywheels and head gaskets have usually been through at least one repair by this point, so ask for evidence rather than assume the car is original everywhere. On a 2003 Volvo Xc70 the average at test was 165,097 miles, so treat anything far above that as a car that has worked harder than its peers, and anything far below as one worth checking for the faults that come from standing still.
The strongest year for this model is 2015 at 81.4%, and the weakest in our data is 2004 at 59.3%. That 22.1 point spread across the model's life is why comparing a 2003 car against a newer one tells you very little.
Nearby model years
- 2004 Volvo Xc70 - 59.3%
- 2005 Volvo Xc70 - 63.5%
- 2006 Volvo Xc70 - 66%