Volvo V40 MOT failures and reliability
In 2023 the Volvo V40 took 100,495 MOT tests in Britain and passed 73% 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
- 100,495
- First-time pass rate
- 73%
- All cars
- 71%
What the V40 fails on
Share of tests with at least one failure in each area, against the figure for all cars.
- Suspension9.8% (all cars 9.0%)
- Tyres7.8% (all cars 6.4%)
- Lights and electrics6.4% (all cars 11.3%)
- Brakes5.3% (all cars 6.8%)
- Visibility2.8% (all cars 4.8%)
- Exhaust and emissions2.5% (all cars 3.1%)
- Body and structure1.9% (all cars 3.5%)
- Seat belts and airbags0.6% (all cars 1.0%)
Most common failure items
Share of tests on which each item was recorded.
- Coil spring: fractured or broken 7.7%
- Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm 2.4%
- Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick 2.4%
- Tyres, condition: has ply or cords exposed 2.4%
- Position lamp: not working 1.8%
- Tyres, condition: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords 1.7%
- Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively 1.4%
- Headlamp aim: too low 1.3%
Most common advisories
- Tread depth: worn close to legal limit/worn on edge 19.6%
- Brake pads: wearing thin 10.4%
- Tyres, condition: slightly damaged/cracking or perishing 8.1%
- Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened 6.3%
- Suspension arms, pins and bushes: pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement 3.0%
- Non-component advisories: Child Seat fitted not allowing full inspection of adult belt 2.2%
- Brake discs: worn, but not excessively 2.0%
- Non-component advisories: Nail in tyre 1.9%
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 355 | 51% |
| 2001 | 607 | 54% |
| 2002 | 824 | 51% |
| 2003 | 1,182 | 48% |
| 2004 | 982 | 45% |
| 2012 | 2,384 | 66% |
| 2013 | 11,403 | 68% |
| 2014 | 16,294 | 69% |
| 2015 | 15,675 | 70% |
| 2016 | 15,425 | 75% |
| 2017 | 13,584 | 79% |
| 2018 | 12,982 | 81% |
| 2019 | 8,321 | 86% |
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 |
|---|---|
| 4 years | 29,878 miles |
| 5 years | 38,407 miles |
| 6 years | 49,069 miles |
| 7 years | 59,082 miles |
| 8 years | 71,196 miles |
| 9 years | 81,042 miles |
| 10 years | 92,918 miles |
| 11 years | 99,974 miles |
| 19 years | 123,912 miles |
| 20 years | 123,973 miles |
Check a particular V40
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 XC90
- Volvo XC40
- Volvo V70
- Volvo V60
- Volvo V50
- Volvo C30
- 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.