Volvo V50 MOT failures and reliability
In 2023 the Volvo V50 took 33,780 MOT tests in Britain and passed 55% 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
- 33,780
- First-time pass rate
- 55%
- All cars
- 71%
What the V50 fails on
Share of tests with at least one failure in each area, against the figure for all cars.
- Suspension20.3% (all cars 9.0%)
- Lights and electrics18.5% (all cars 11.3%)
- Tyres10.8% (all cars 6.4%)
- Brakes10.1% (all cars 6.8%)
- Body and structure9.1% (all cars 3.5%)
- Visibility5.8% (all cars 4.8%)
- Exhaust and emissions4.8% (all cars 3.1%)
- Steering4.0% (all cars 1.8%)
Most common failure items
Share of tests on which each item was recorded.
- Coil spring: fractured or broken 7.0%
- Position lamp: not working 6.8%
- Joints: constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt 6.3%
- Tyres, condition: has ply or cords exposed 4.3%
- Suspension arms, pins and bushes: pin or bush excessively worn 3.9%
- Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm 3.2%
- Headlamp: not working on dipped beam 2.6%
- Headlamp aim: too low 2.6%
Most common advisories
- Tread depth: worn close to legal limit/worn on edge 26.9%
- Suspension arms, pins and bushes: pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement 12.0%
- Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened 10.6%
- Brake pads: wearing thin 9.4%
- Engine oil leaks: leak, but not excessive 7.0%
- Tyres, condition: slightly damaged/cracking or perishing 6.8%
- Coil spring: corroded 6.5%
- Registration plates: deteriorated but not likely to be misread 3.8%
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2004 | 1,027 | 53% |
| 2005 | 2,471 | 51% |
| 2006 | 3,251 | 55% |
| 2007 | 3,268 | 55% |
| 2008 | 5,961 | 53% |
| 2009 | 5,086 | 54% |
| 2010 | 5,050 | 56% |
| 2011 | 4,439 | 57% |
| 2012 | 3,220 | 60% |
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 |
|---|---|
| 11 years | 111,490 miles |
| 12 years | 122,098 miles |
| 13 years | 122,048 miles |
| 14 years | 123,127 miles |
| 15 years | 132,317 miles |
| 16 years | 136,906 miles |
| 17 years | 139,221 miles |
| 18 years | 137,770 miles |
| 19 years | 132,182 miles |
Check a particular V50
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 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.