Volvo Xc90: MOT pass rate and reliability data

The Volvo Xc90 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 58,856 individual Volvo Xc90 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 Xc90s 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 Xc90 tested had covered 104,576 miles and was built around 2013.

What this means at salvage auction

Pass rate is a proxy for what a car costs to keep on the road. On a Volvo Xc90 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 Xc90 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 Xc90s actually sold for at UK salvage auction, from 3 real settled sales.

Most common MOT failures on a Volvo Xc90

1. Parking brake efficiency less than 50% of the required value, 2.3% of tests (8.37x the national rate for this defect)
2. Warning device shows system malfunction, 0.9% of tests (3x the national rate for this defect)
3. Parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement, 2.9% of tests (2.99x the national rate for this defect)
4. A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning, 3.5% of tests (2.12x the national rate for this defect)
5. Parking brake inoperative on one side, 0.9% of tests (2.05x the national rate for this defect)
6. A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play, 1.4% of tests (1.52x the national rate for this defect)
7. The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements, 2.3% of tests (1.29x the national rate for this defect)
8. A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, 4.4% of tests (1.19x the national rate for this defect)
9. Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements, 2.6% of tests
10. A tyre seriously damaged, 2.2% of tests

From 94,109 DVSA-tracked Volvo Xc90 tests, 2024. DVSA testers marked 5.68% of these flagged Volvo Xc90 defects as "dangerous", meaning the tester judged the car unsafe to drive away, against 4.97% nationally.

Volvo Xc90 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 Xc90 year:

• 2003 Volvo Xc90 - 60.9% first-time pass, 667 tests
• 2004 Volvo Xc90 - 62.6% first-time pass, 2,073 tests
• 2005 Volvo Xc90 - 63.1% first-time pass, 2,975 tests
• 2006 Volvo Xc90 - 63.7% first-time pass, 2,340 tests
• 2007 Volvo Xc90 - 62.5% first-time pass, 2,440 tests
• 2008 Volvo Xc90 - 67.8% first-time pass, 1,574 tests
• 2009 Volvo Xc90 - 70.5% first-time pass, 3,259 tests
• 2010 Volvo Xc90 - 70% first-time pass, 5,907 tests
• 2011 Volvo Xc90 - 70% first-time pass, 4,214 tests
• 2012 Volvo Xc90 - 76.2% first-time pass, 2,913 tests
• 2013 Volvo Xc90 - 74.9% first-time pass, 2,420 tests
• 2014 Volvo Xc90 - 76.2% first-time pass, 2,278 tests
• 2015 Volvo Xc90 - 79.6% first-time pass, 2,697 tests
• 2016 Volvo Xc90 - 81% first-time pass, 5,229 tests
• 2017 Volvo Xc90 - 84.9% first-time pass, 5,508 tests
• 2018 Volvo Xc90 - 86.3% first-time pass, 6,240 tests
• 2019 Volvo Xc90 - 87.4% first-time pass, 5,047 tests
• 2020 Volvo Xc90 - 88.1% first-time pass, 656 tests

Volvo Xc90 by fuel type

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

• Diesel Volvo Xc90 - 74.2% first-time pass, 48,357 tests
• Hybrid Volvo Xc90 - 84.9% first-time pass, 5,495 tests
• Petrol Volvo Xc90 - 80% first-time pass, 4,560 tests

Other Volvo models

• Volvo V40 - 76.1%
• Volvo Xc60 - 81.2%
• 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

• Mercedes-Benz 230 - 75.3%
• Peugeot 208 - 75.2%
• Mitsubishi L200 - 75.2%
• Volvo S60 - 75.2%
• Citroen C1 - 75.1%
• London Taxis International Tx4 - 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