2004 Volvo Xc90: MOT pass rate and reliability

62.6% of 2004 Volvo Xc90s pass the MOT first time, measured across 2,073 DVSA tests on that model year alone. The average one had covered 160,818 miles.

How the 2004 compares

  • Against all Volvo Xc90s (75.7%, 58,468 tests): -13.1 points
  • Against all 2004 cars (64%): -1.4 points
  • National first-time pass rate, all cars and years: 77%

Every Volvo Xc90 model year

Pass rates fall as cars age, so the only fair comparison for a 2004 car is other cars of the same age. The full run for the Volvo Xc90:

Year Pass rate Tests Avg mileage
2003 60.9% 667 154,248
2004 62.6% 2,073 160,818
2005 63.1% 2,975 158,163
2006 63.7% 2,340 149,583
2007 62.5% 2,440 148,148
2008 67.8% 1,574 142,641
2009 70.5% 3,259 136,435
2010 70% 5,907 130,721
2011 70% 4,214 124,795
2012 76.2% 2,913 114,788
2013 74.9% 2,420 107,674
2014 76.2% 2,278 100,128
2015 79.6% 2,697 88,982
2016 81% 5,229 82,862
2017 84.9% 5,508 72,396
2018 86.3% 6,240 60,871
2019 87.4% 5,047 49,909
2020 88.1% 656 41,593

What this means if you are buying a 2004 Xc90

The 2004 is a weaker year for this model, passing 13.1 points less often than the Volvo Xc90 average. Some of that is simply age, so compare it against the 2004 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 22-year-old car fails on

A 2004 car is 22 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 2004 Volvo Xc90 the average at test was 160,818 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 2020 at 88.1%, and the weakest in our data is 2003 at 60.9%. That 27.2 point spread across the model's life is why comparing a 2004 car against a newer one tells you very little.

Nearby model years

All Volvo Xc90 MOT data · Every model