Volvo V90 R-Design B5 MOT Pass Rate & Official DVSA Failure Statistics

Volvo V90 R-Design B5 MOT History and Failure Rates vs UK National Average

The Volvo V90 R-Design B5 passed on its first attempt in 87.2%, and its overall record sits +7.7 percentage points above the national average for all cars. These figures come from every recorded DVSA MOT test for the Volvo V90 R-Design B5 in the 2023–2025 data: 159 tests across 2 model years (2020–2021). 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 V90 R-Design B5 MOT Problems by Failure Category

Every MOT failure a tester records belongs to one inspection section of the DVSA manual. For the Volvo V90 R-Design B5, the Tyres 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 V90 R-Design B5's recorded defect strings, merged across its year pages.

Top Recorded Volvo V90 R-Design B5 DVSA MOT Test Statistics & Defect Descriptions

The descriptions below are the exact DVSA failure strings testers recorded most often for the Volvo V90 R-Design B5, each with how many of the model's 159 tests it was noted on.

• "Has ply or cords exposed" (Major) — noted on about 5 Volvo V90 R-Design B5 tests, 3.1% of the model's MOT record.
• "Has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords" (Major) — noted on about 3 Volvo V90 R-Design B5 tests, 1.9% of the model's MOT record.
• "Brake pads less than 1.5 mm thick" (Major) — noted on about 3 Volvo V90 R-Design B5 tests, 1.9% of the model's MOT record.
• "Coil spring fractured or broken" (Major) — noted on about 3 Volvo V90 R-Design B5 tests, 1.9% of the model's MOT record.
• "Has a bulge, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure" (Major) — noted on about 2 Volvo V90 R-Design B5 tests, 1.3% of the model's MOT record.
• "Flexible brake hoses excessively twisted" (Major) — noted on about 1 Volvo V90 R-Design B5 tests, 0.6% of the model's MOT record.

Best and Worst Volvo V90 R-Design B5 Model Years by Pass Rate

The strongest Volvo V90 R-Design B5 model year on record is 2020 (90.6% across 53 tests), and the weakest is 2021 (87.7%). The gap between them is 2.9 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 V90 R-Design B5 Owners

These checks follow this Volvo V90 R-Design B5's own most-recorded failure strings, starting with what a tester is most likely to flag on a Volvo V90 R-Design B5.

• 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.

• 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 brake pipes — “flexible brake hoses excessively twisted”

  Brake pipes run under the car, usually in front of the rear wheels. Flaking or crusty metal is what fails; a light dusting of surface rust does not. Worth asking a garage to look while it is on a ramp.

Derived from the DVSA failure strings testers recorded for the Volvo V90 R-Design B5. A check that finds nothing means the item is likely fine, not that the test is guaranteed.

Frequently Asked Questions: Volvo V90 R-Design B5 MOT & Reliability