Volvo S80 MOT failures and reliability

In 2023 the Volvo S80 took 7,814 MOT tests in Britain and passed 69% of them first time, close to 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: 7,814
First-time pass rate: 69%
All cars: 71%

What the S80 fails on

Share of tests with at least one failure in each area, against the figure for all cars.

Lights and electrics15.2% (all cars 11.3%)
Brakes7.7% (all cars 6.8%)
Suspension7.6% (all cars 9.0%)
Tyres6.0% (all cars 6.4%)
Visibility4.7% (all cars 4.8%)
Body and structure3.6% (all cars 3.5%)
Steering3.5% (all cars 1.8%)
Exhaust and emissions2.9% (all cars 3.1%)

Most common failure items

Share of tests on which each item was recorded.

Position lamp: not working 5.2%
Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick 2.0%
Headlamp aim: too low 2.0%
Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm 2.0%
Track rod end: ball joint has excessive play 1.9%
Tyres, condition: has ply or cords exposed 1.9%
Washers: provides insufficient washer liquid 1.8%
Headlamp aim: projected beam image is obviously incorrect 1.7%

Most common advisories

Tread depth: worn close to legal limit/worn on edge 18.9%
Suspension arms, pins and bushes: pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement 9.7%
Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened 9.3%
Brake pads: wearing thin 8.0%
Coil spring: corroded 7.6%
Tyres, condition: slightly damaged/cracking or perishing 7.3%
Engine oil leaks: leak, but not excessive 4.7%
Exhaust system: mounting defective 4.0%

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
2002	443	60%
2003	506	60%
2004	514	61%
2005	509	61%
2006	434	63%
2007	849	67%
2008	714	71%
2009	490	69%
2010	612	72%
2011	428	74%
2012	359	77%
2013	428	76%
2014	395	79%
2015	399	82%

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
7 years	72,937 miles
8 years	79,105 miles
9 years	89,756 miles
10 years	97,362 miles
11 years	110,273 miles
12 years	123,255 miles
13 years	125,410 miles
14 years	127,273 miles
15 years	133,100 miles
16 years	134,877 miles
17 years	138,012 miles
18 years	139,985 miles
19 years	135,098 miles
20 years	131,070 miles

Check a particular S80

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

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.