Volvo S40 MOT Pass Rate & Official DVSA Failure Statistics

Volvo S40 MOT History and Failure Rates vs UK National Average

The Volvo S40 passed on its first attempt in 63.9%, and its overall record sits −8.5 percentage points below the national average for all cars. These figures come from every recorded DVSA MOT test for the Volvo S40 in the 2023–2025 data: 69,731 tests across 14 model years (2000–2013). A test still carries exactly one pass or fail verdict.

Figures are computed from every recorded DVSA test for this model in the 2023–2025 data.

Most Common Volvo S40 MOT Problems by Failure Category

Every MOT failure a tester records belongs to one inspection section of the DVSA manual. For the Volvo S40, the Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment section leads the record — the breakdown below shows where the recorded failures cluster, then the exact strings behind the three biggest sections.

Shares are over the Volvo S40's recorded defect strings, merged across its year pages.

Top Recorded Volvo S40 DVSA MOT Test Statistics & Defect Descriptions

The descriptions below are the exact DVSA failure strings testers recorded most often for the Volvo S40, each with how many of the model's 69,731 tests it was noted on.

• "Registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources" (Minor) — noted on about 4,501 Volvo S40 tests, 6.5% of the model's MOT record.
• "Joints constant velocity boot severely deteriorated" (Minor) — noted on about 3,335 Volvo S40 tests, 4.8% of the model's MOT record.
• "Coil spring fractured or broken" (Major) — noted on about 3,026 Volvo S40 tests, 4.3% of the model's MOT record.
• "Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view" (Minor) — noted on about 2,492 Volvo S40 tests, 3.6% of the model's MOT record.
• "Position lamp not working" (Major) — noted on about 2,185 Volvo S40 tests, 3.1% of the model's MOT record.
• "Joints constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt" (Major) — noted on about 2,185 Volvo S40 tests, 3.1% of the model's MOT record.

Best and Worst Volvo S40 Model Years by Pass Rate

The strongest Volvo S40 model year on record is 2012 (74.4% across 5,012 tests), and the weakest is 2003 (69.5%). The gap between them is 4.9 points. Years with fewer than 50 recorded tests are excluded, so these are the years with enough MOT history to mean something.

Newest model year first. Only years with at least 50 recorded tests are listed.

Pre-MOT Inspection Checklist for Volvo S40 Owners

These checks follow this Volvo S40's own most-recorded failure strings, starting with what a tester is most likely to flag on a Volvo S40.

• the lights — “registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources”

  Switch everything on and walk round the car: both headlamps on dip and main, every indicator, both brake lights, reverse, fog and the two number-plate lamps. A bulb is a few pounds and a five-minute job.

• the coil springs — “coil spring fractured or broken”

  Look up inside each wheel arch with a torch, all the way round the spring. A snapped spring usually breaks at the very bottom coil, where a quick glance will not reach.

• the windscreen — “windscreen damaged”

  Check the driver’s side of the screen within the swept area for chips and cracks; anything larger than 10mm in the driver’s central view is a fail. Most chips can be resin-repaired for far less than a new screen.

Derived from the DVSA failure strings testers recorded for the Volvo S40. A check that finds nothing means the item is likely fine, not that the test is guaranteed.

Where the Volvo S40 is most common

Across every S40 model year on record (2000–2013): 26,717 Volvo S40 cars tested in a recordable postcode area, across 69,728 tests. Birmingham (B) has the most, with 907 cars tested there. Cars are counted by the postcode area of the MOT station, so this is where they were tested, not necessarily where their owners live.

The twenty areas with the most Volvo S40 cars in the record, sorted by car count — sort the columns for a different question. Cars tested at a station whose postcode area could not be resolved are counted in the model's total but in no area, so the shares add up to slightly under 100% even across every area, and an area's cars are a subset of the model's. Pass rate is blank below 30 tests in an area, where a percentage is noise rather than a finding. How this model's pass rate varies by postcode →

Frequently Asked Questions: Volvo S40 MOT & Reliability