Volvo C30 MOT failures and reliability
In 2023 the Volvo C30 took 24,499 MOT tests in Britain and passed 59% of them first time, below the national average of 71% for all cars. The figures below come from the DVSA's record of every test, so they show what testers actually found on these cars rather than what owners report.
- MOT tests in 2023
- 24,499
- First-time pass rate
- 59%
- All cars
- 71%
What the C30 fails on
Share of tests with at least one failure in each area, against the figure for all cars.
- Lights and electrics18.7% (all cars 11.3%)
- Suspension15.9% (all cars 9.0%)
- Tyres9.5% (all cars 6.4%)
- Brakes8.8% (all cars 6.8%)
- Body and structure6.7% (all cars 3.5%)
- Visibility6.0% (all cars 4.8%)
- Exhaust and emissions3.6% (all cars 3.1%)
- Steering2.9% (all cars 1.8%)
Most common failure items
Share of tests on which each item was recorded.
- Position lamp: not working 6.6%
- Coil spring: fractured or broken 5.0%
- Suspension arms, pins and bushes: pin or bush excessively worn 4.2%
- Joints: constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt 4.1%
- Registration plate lamp(s): inoperative in the case of a single lamp or all lamps 3.5%
- Tyres, condition: has ply or cords exposed 3.3%
- Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm 3.3%
- Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick 2.5%
Most common advisories
- Tread depth: worn close to legal limit/worn on edge 23.8%
- Suspension arms, pins and bushes: pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement 12.1%
- Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened 9.5%
- Brake pads: wearing thin 8.0%
- Tyres, condition: slightly damaged/cracking or perishing 8.0%
- Coil spring: corroded 5.4%
- Engine oil leaks: leak, but not excessive 5.1%
- Individual direction indicators: slightly discoloured 3.4%
Pass rate by year of registration
Older cars fail more often whatever the model, so compare a car with others of the same age.
| First registered | Tests | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2007 | 2,478 | 57% |
| 2008 | 3,504 | 54% |
| 2009 | 5,623 | 57% |
| 2010 | 5,457 | 59% |
| 2011 | 3,333 | 61% |
| 2012 | 2,978 | 66% |
| 2013 | 1,000 | 68% |
Typical mileage by age
Average odometer reading at the MOT, by the car's age in years at the test.
| Age at test | Average mileage |
|---|---|
| 10 years | 75,818 miles |
| 11 years | 83,847 miles |
| 12 years | 96,276 miles |
| 13 years | 100,652 miles |
| 14 years | 100,379 miles |
| 15 years | 109,428 miles |
| 16 years | 105,217 miles |
| 17 years | 113,192 miles |
Check a particular C30
Model figures tell you what to look out for. To see one car's own MOT history, mileage and tax, enter its registration.
Other Volvo models
- Volvo XC60
- Volvo V40
- Volvo XC90
- Volvo XC40
- Volvo V70
- Volvo V60
- Volvo V50
- Volvo S60
- Volvo S40
- Volvo XC70
- Volvo V90
- Volvo C70
- Volvo S80
- Volvo S90
- Volvo 900 Series
- Volvo 800 Series
- Volvo 240
Source: Department for Transport, Anonymised MOT tests and results, 2023, cars and light vans, normal tests only. Pass rates are first-time passes; a pass after repair at the test station counts as a fail. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.