Volvo V40 MOT Pass Rate & Official DVSA Failure Statistics

Volvo V40 MOT History and Failure Rates vs UK National Average

The Volvo V40 passed on its first attempt in 76.2%, and its overall record sits −0.5 percentage points below the national average for all cars. These figures come from every recorded DVSA MOT test for the Volvo V40 in the 2023–2025 data: 352,255 tests across 13 model years (2000–2019). 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 V40 MOT Problems by Failure Category

Every MOT failure a tester records belongs to one inspection section of the DVSA manual. For the Volvo V40, the Suspension 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 V40's recorded defect strings, merged across its year pages.

Top Recorded Volvo V40 DVSA MOT Test Statistics & Defect Descriptions

The descriptions below are the exact DVSA failure strings testers recorded most often for the Volvo V40, each with how many of the model's 352,255 tests it was noted on.

• "Coil spring fractured or broken" (Major) — noted on about 19,536 Volvo V40 tests, 5.5% of the model's MOT record.
• "Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view" (Minor) — noted on about 5,363 Volvo V40 tests, 1.5% of the model's MOT record.
• "Joints constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt" (Major) — noted on about 4,483 Volvo V40 tests, 1.3% of the model's MOT record.
• "Brake pads less than 1.5 mm thick" (Major) — noted on about 4,414 Volvo V40 tests, 1.3% of the model's MOT record.
• "Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm" (Major) — noted on about 4,353 Volvo V40 tests, 1.2% of the model's MOT record.
• "Has ply or cords exposed" (Major) — noted on about 3,810 Volvo V40 tests, 1.1% of the model's MOT record.

Best and Worst Volvo V40 Model Years by Pass Rate

The strongest Volvo V40 model year on record is 2019 (87.0% across 27,222 tests), and the weakest is 2004 (67.0%). The gap between them is 20.0 points. Years with fewer than 50 recorded tests are excluded, so these are the years with enough MOT history to mean something.

Volvo V40 reliability is improving in the DVSA data — the pass rate moves about 1.9 points a year across the most recent model years shown above.

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

Pre-MOT Inspection Checklist for Volvo V40 Owners

These checks follow this Volvo V40's own most-recorded failure strings, starting with what a tester is most likely to flag on a Volvo V40.

• 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.

• the brakes — “brake pads less than 1.5 mm thick”

  Look through the spokes of each wheel at the pad — less than 3mm of friction material, or a lip on the disc edge, is the usual failure. Check the handbrake holds on a slope with a few clicks, not at the top of its travel.

Derived from the DVSA failure strings testers recorded for the Volvo V40. A check that finds nothing means the item is likely fine, not that the test is guaranteed.

Where the Volvo V40 is most common

Across every V40 model year on record (2000–2019): 142,582 Volvo V40 cars tested in a recordable postcode area, across 352,235 tests. Birmingham (B) has the most, with 3,844 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 V40 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 V40 MOT & Reliability