Pass rate
81.4%
Around average — 5.5 pts ahead of the 75.9% that cars this age and mileage manage.
Across 7,507 recorded tests.
Typical repair bill £29–£78
2011 Volvo V70 MOT pass rate
- 2011
- typical 128,096 mi
Check your postcode
Most common fault
Suspension
22.0% of faults · 21.0% nationally
mostly worn arm bushes, split ball-joint boots and broken coil springs.
Part only £35–£75 for Suspension pin or bush excessively worn. What fitting it takes →
7.8 pts down across model years — 9.1% in 2000, 1.3% in 2016.
Which year to buy
- Best 2017 94.1% pass
- Avoid 2002 71.4% pass
Across the 18 years on record, a spread of 22.7 points. See every year →
- First-attempt pass
- 77.5%
- Typical mileage
- 128k mi
The 2011 Volvo V70 MOT pass rate is 81.4% of its MOT tests — 5.5 points ahead of what its age and mileage predict. Suspension is the biggest single reason it fails, at 22.0% of what testers record.
Expert verdict
Beats its own age and mileage
Once you allow for how old and how far these cars have been driven, the expected pass rate is 75.9% and this one manages 81.4% — 5.5 points ahead of what its age and mileage predict.
Written from this page's own figures: fault shares against the national composition, the like-for-like pass rate, and the priced repair list. How these are worked out
Watching a Volvo V70? Get an email when these numbers change .
How does the 2011 Volvo V70 compare?
Cars of this age and mileage average 75.9%, so this figure is 5.5 points ahead of what its age and mileage predict. On a first attempt, before any retests, the figure drops to 77.5%. The median 2011 Volvo V70 in this dataset had covered 128,096 mi.
95% of the tests on this vehicle ran on Diesel, which passed 81.2% of the time. Pass rates also shift with the test month: tests recorded October–March passed 81.7% of the time, April–September 81.1%.
The single most recorded failure item is "Registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources", noted on 4.92% of tests.
- 7,507 recorded tests behind this page.
- 81.4% overall pass rate, 77.5% on a first attempt.
- Across every year of the Volvo V70, the average is 76.6% — best year 2017 (94.1%), worst 2002 (71.4%).
Figures count every completed test on this vehicle-year in the dataset, including retests. See methodology for the exact definition.
This page's data
- Tests analysed
- 7,507
- Typical mileage (median)
- 128,096 mi
- Make and model
- Volvo V70
- Updated
- 2026-11-07
Source: DVSA anonymised MOT test data (2023–2025), OGL v3.0.
Top part to budget for
Number Plate Lamp
Usually a DIY or independent-garage job.
Does mileage affect the V70 MOT pass rate?
Pass rate by odometer reading. Bar lengths start at 70% so small gaps stay visible.
Fuel type and reliability
Pass rate by fuel type. Diesel is the most common here (95% of tests).
Where the Volvo V70 is most common
Across all V70 model years on record (2000–2017): 55,587 Volvo V70 cars tested in a recordable postcode area, across 146,276 tests. Birmingham (B) has the most, with 1,285 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.
| # | Postcode area | Cars | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Birmingham (B) | 1,285 | 81.9% |
| 2 | Nottingham (NG) | 1,170 | 78.4% |
| 3 | Peterborough (PE) | 1,104 | 77.4% |
| 4 | Ashford (TN) | 1,078 | 75.9% |
| 5 | Reading (RG) | 1,059 | 78.8% |
| 6 | Ipswich (IP) | 973 | 77.4% |
| 7 | Norwich (NR) | 941 | 76.3% |
| 8 | Oxford (OX) | 934 | 76.5% |
| 9 | Sheffield (S) | 923 | 79.5% |
| 10 | York (YO) | 914 | 72.7% |
| 11 | Guildford (GU) | 903 | 74.4% |
| 12 | Leicester (LE) | 886 | 79.0% |
| 13 | Exeter (EX) | 856 | 70.6% |
| 14 | Gloucester (GL) | 852 | 75.8% |
| 15 | Bristol (BS) | 835 | 71.7% |
| 16 | Southampton (SO) | 823 | 78.2% |
| 17 | Portsmouth (PO) | 817 | 74.2% |
| 18 | Brighton (BN) | 796 | 72.2% |
| 19 | High Wycombe (HP) | 768 | 75.0% |
| 20 | Derby (DE) | 754 | 77.4% |
The twenty areas with the most Volvo V70 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 →
Regional pass rates for the V70
| Region | Tests | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|
| South East | 1,385 | 82.9% |
| South West | 1,152 | 78.4% |
| East of England | 926 | 82.1% |
| North West | 760 | 84.1% |
| West Midlands | 698 | 80.2% |
| Yorkshire | 687 | 83.1% |
| East Midlands | 651 | 83.4% |
| Scotland | 551 | 75.0% |
| Wales | 343 | 82.5% |
| North East | 266 | 80.5% |
| London | 86 | 89.5% |
Regions come from the postcode area recorded at the test station. Areas on region borders are assigned to the region with the majority of their population.
What fails a 2011 V70
Everything a tester recorded on this vehicle, grouped into the inspection sections that produced it. The notch on each bar is the national share, so you can see at a glance whether this car is unusual or just ordinary.
A test can record several items, so these percentages do not add up to 100%. The exact strings, with prices, are in the full DVSA record at the bottom of this page.
Before your test
Three checks worth doing on a 2011 V70
These are not generic tips — they are the faults recorded most often on this exact model, rewritten as things you can check yourself. All three take about ten minutes and cost nothing.
-
Check the lights 4.9% of tests
“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.
-
Check the windscreen 4.3% of tests
“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.
-
Check the brakes 1.8% of tests
“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.
Shares are the proportion of tests on this vehicle that recorded the item, so they overlap: one test can record several.
What it costs to get a 2011 V70 through its MOT
Across the 10 items that are recorded most often on this model, the average repair comes to £29–£78 — and 42% of those repairs are parts that cost under £30.
- Average repair across the 10 common items
- £29–£78
- Cheapest common item: registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the…
- £5–£20
- Dearest common item: windscreen damaged
- £80–£200
- Common items a careful owner can do at home
- 80%
- Repairs that still cost under £30
- 42%
Estimates from typical UK parts prices, weighted by how often each item appears in 7,507 MOT tests on this vehicle. They exclude diagnostics, retest fees and garage labour where the part is a DIY fit, and they are not figures from the DVSA dataset. Older and higher-mileage examples cost more than the average. How these estimates are built → · All MOT repair costs → · Cheapest cars to put through a test →
Every year of the V70, side by side
18 model years on record, from 2000 to 2017. Across them the pass rate runs from 71.4% to 94.1% — a spread of 22.7 points. The bar under each year is the item that failed it most often.
- 2000 72.8% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2001 71.6% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2002 71.4% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2003 71.5% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2004 71.7% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2005 72.9% headlamp lens slightly defective
- 2006 73.6% headlamp lens slightly defective
- 2007 74.9% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2008 78.3% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2009 76.6% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2010 80.1% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2011 81.4%registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2012 81.2% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2013 81.1% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2014 84.1% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2015 86.1% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2016 87.2% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2017 94.1% has ply or cords exposed
Colour is the pass rate on a fixed scale, so a block means the same thing on any model. Each year links to its own page with the full fault breakdown.
Compare the 2011 Volvo V70 with another year
The raw pass rate mostly measures age. The year comparison adds the like-for-like figure, the mileage bands and the repair bill.
Other 2011 cars with a similar record
- BMW 5 Series 81.4%
- Ford Fusion 81.5%
- Land Rover Range Rover Evoque 81.6%
- MINI Mini 81.2%
- Land Rover Range Rover 81.2%
- Audi A6 81.2%
Closest pass rates among 2011 cars with at least 2,000 tests, so a small sample cannot flatter itself into the list. See the full rankings: best and worst MOT pass rates.
The full DVSA record for the 2011 Volvo V70 10 failure items · 6 advisories · 10 inspection categories · mileage brackets · all of it in the page, none of it above the fold
Every inspection category
Shares of the 13,651 individual items recorded on this vehicle, and the same share across all cars nationally. A single test can record several items, so a row is not a percentage of tests.
| Category | Items | This car | Nationally | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Suspension | 3,044 | 22.00% | 20.98% | +1.02 |
| Tyres | 2,847 | 20.50% | 19.76% | +0.74 |
| Brakes | 2,217 | 16.00% | 20.89% | −4.89 |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 2,006 | 14.50% | 12.21% | +2.29 |
| Body, chassis, structure | 775 | 5.60% | 5.57% | +0.03 |
| Visibility | 707 | 5.10% | 4.97% | +0.13 |
| Non-component advisories | 672 | 4.80% | 4.18% | +0.62 |
| Steering | 661 | 4.80% | 2.57% | +2.23 |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 431 | 3.10% | 5.52% | −2.42 |
| Identification of the vehicle | 291 | 2.10% | 1.76% | +0.34 |
The exact failure items, in the tester's words
| Recorded item | Severity | Tests | Est. cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Minor | 4.9% | £5–20 |
| Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view Visibility | Minor | 4.3% | £80–200 |
| Position lamp not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Major | 2.6% | £5–25 |
| Position lamp not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Rectified | 1.8% | £5–25 |
| Brake pads less than 1.5 mm thick Brakes | Major | 1.8% | £18–45 |
| Track rod end ball joint has excessive play Steering | Major | 1.7% | £18–45 |
| Pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn Suspension | Major | 1.4% | £40–150 |
| Has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords Tyres | Major | 1.3% | £45–95 |
| Has ply or cords exposed Tyres | Major | 1.3% | £45–95 |
| Track rod end ball joint dust cover damaged or deteriorated, but preventing the ingress of dirt Steering | Minor | 1.2% | £18–45 |
Severity is as recorded: Major and Dangerous fail the test outright; Minor and Advisory do not. Costs are estimates from typical UK parts prices — see how they are built.
What testers noted without failing the car
Advisories are the early warnings — the same parts a year or two before they fail. Reading them is how you tell a car that has been maintained from one that has been patched.
| Recorded item | Severity | Tests | Est. cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres | Advisory | 21.1% | £45–95 |
| Coil spring corroded so that its cross sectional area is reduced and seriously weakened Suspension | Advisory | 9.9% | £25–65 |
| Brake pads less than 1.5 mm thick Brakes | Advisory | 9.7% | £18–45 |
| Pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn Suspension | Advisory | 8.8% | £40–150 |
| Brake discs in such a condition that it is seriously weakened Brakes | Advisory | 8.6% | £45–110 |
| Exhaust system system insecure Body, chassis, structure | Advisory | 6.9% | £45–120 |
Pass rate by mileage
| Mileage | Tests | Pass rate | Median odometer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-30k | 35 | 94.3% | 22,982 mi |
| 30-60k | 338 | 91.1% | 49,260 mi |
| 60-90k | 1,086 | 86.1% | 76,507 mi |
| 90-120k | 1,803 | 83.2% | 105,740 mi |
| 120k+ | 4,225 | 78.7% | 162,581 mi |
Source: 7,507 recorded tests on this vehicle-year. Every row above is recomputed from the same DVSA extract as the rest of the page — see the methodology.
2011 V70 MOT questions
What is the MOT pass rate for a 2011 Volvo V70?
81.4% of the 7,507 2011 Volvo V70 tests in this dataset passed, against a national average of 75.9% for cars first used in 2011. First-attempt pass rate: 77.5%.
What are the most common MOT failures on a 2011 Volvo V70?
The three most recorded items are registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources (4.92%), windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view (4.29%), position lamp not working (2.62%). Percentages are the share of tests on this vehicle that recorded the item.
Does mileage affect the 2011 Volvo V70 MOT pass rate?
Yes. Cars under 30,000 miles passed 94.3% of the time, falling to 78.7% for those over 120,000 miles. The median 2011 Volvo V70 in this dataset had covered 128,096 mi.
Which fuel type is most reliable for a 2011 Volvo V70?
Diesel: 81.2% pass rate across 7,111 tests. Petrol: 85.6% pass rate across 396 tests. Shares are of the tests on this vehicle that recorded each fuel type.
Does the season affect the 2011 Volvo V70 MOT pass rate?
Tests recorded in the winter months (October–March) passed 81.7% of the time; summer months (April–September) passed 81.1%. Brakes, tyres and lights are tested harder in bad weather, but the difference is small on most models.