Pass rate
80.3%
Around average — 1.7 pts ahead of the 78.6% that cars this age and mileage manage.
Across 8,749 recorded tests.
Typical repair bill £36–£94
2013 Volvo XC90 MOT pass rate
- 2013
- typical 105,215 mi
Most common fault
Brakes
24.9% of faults · 20.9% nationally
mostly worn pads and discs, corroded pipes and a handbrake that will not hold.
Which year to buy
- Best 2020 89.3% pass
- Avoid 2003 70.7% pass
Across the 19 years on record, a spread of 18.6 points. See every year →
- First-attempt pass
- 76.0%
- Typical mileage
- 105k mi
The 2013 Volvo XC90 MOT pass rate is 80.3% of its MOT tests — 1.7 points ahead of what its age and mileage predict. Brakes is the biggest single reason it fails, at 24.9% of what testers record.
Check your postcode
MOT pass rates are national — type your postcode to see how Volvo XC90 does in your corner of the country.
Expert verdict
Advisories: 2.2× the national share
Advisories make up 9.4% of everything recorded on the 2013 Volvo Xc90, against 4.2% nationally — 5.2 points above. Brakes are still the single largest share at 24.9%, but at 20.9% nationally that one is ordinary. Most of what testers record here is advisory — worth reading, not worth walking away from on its own.
- When it fails, it costs. Only 35% of this model’s typical repairs come in under £30 in parts — the failures here tend to be the kind that need a garage rather than a bulb.
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 XC90? Get an email when these numbers change .
How does the 2013 Volvo XC90 compare?
Cars of this age and mileage average 78.6%, so this figure is 1.7 points ahead of what its age and mileage predict. On a first attempt, before any retests, the figure drops to 76.0%. The median 2013 Volvo XC90 in this dataset had covered 105,215 mi.
The most common fuel recorded here is Diesel — 99% of tests, with a 80.3% pass rate. Pass rates also shift with the test month: tests recorded October–March passed 79.8% of the time, April–September 80.9%.
The single most recorded failure item is "Position lamp not working", noted on 3.05% of tests.
- 8,749 recorded tests behind this page.
- 80.3% overall pass rate, 76.0% on a first attempt.
- Across every year of the Volvo XC90, the average is 80.2% — best year 2020 (89.3%), worst 2003 (70.7%).
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
- 8,749
- Typical mileage (median)
- 105,215 mi
- Make and model
- Volvo XC90
- Updated
- 2026-11-05
Source: DVSA anonymised MOT test data (2023–2025), OGL v3.0.
Top part to budget for
Headlight Bulb
Usually a DIY or independent-garage job.
Does mileage affect the XC90 MOT pass rate?
Pass rate by odometer reading. Bar lengths start at 68% so small gaps stay visible.
Fuel type and reliability
Pass rate by fuel type. Diesel is the most common here (99% of tests).
Regional pass rates for the XC90
| Region | Tests | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|
| South East | 2,270 | 80.1% |
| East of England | 1,228 | 80.1% |
| South West | 1,122 | 76.3% |
| North West | 757 | 83.4% |
| Yorkshire | 691 | 82.2% |
| East Midlands | 624 | 81.6% |
| Scotland | 599 | 77.1% |
| West Midlands | 571 | 81.3% |
| Wales | 339 | 81.7% |
| North East | 296 | 83.1% |
| London | 252 | 82.5% |
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 2013 XC90
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 2013 XC90
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 3.0% of tests
“position lamp not working”
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 2.9% 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 tyre tread 1.5% of tests
“tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm”
Check all four tyres cold, including the inner shoulder where wear hides — 1.6mm across the central three-quarters is the legal limit, and most testers fail at 1.6mm without argument.
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 2013 XC90 through its MOT
Across the 10 items that are recorded most often on this model, the average repair comes to £36–£94 — and 35% of those repairs are parts that cost under £30.
- Average repair across the 10 common items
- £36–£94
- 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
- 35%
Estimates from typical UK parts prices, weighted by how often each item appears in 8,749 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 XC90, side by side
19 model years on record, from 2003 to 2021. Across them the pass rate runs from 70.7% to 89.3% — a spread of 18.6 points. The bar under each year is the item that failed it most often.
- 2003 70.7% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2004 70.9% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2005 71.2% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2006 72.3% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2007 72.6% headlamp lens slightly defective
- 2008 74.1% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2009 75.9% position lamp not working
- 2010 76.7% position lamp not working
- 2011 77.8% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2012 79.9% position lamp not working
- 2013 80.3%position lamp not working
- 2014 80.7% position lamp not working
- 2015 83.6% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2016 84.2% track rod end ball joint has…
- 2017 86.8% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2018 88.2% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2019 88.8% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2020 89.3% has a cut in excess of the…
- 2021 88.9% 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 2013 Volvo XC90 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 2013 cars with a similar record
- Volkswagen Amarok 80.3%
- Skoda Rapid 80.2%
- Mitsubishi Shogun 80.2%
- Mercedes-Benz Cla 80.1%
- Vauxhall Agila 80.0%
- Mercedes-Benz Cls 80.0%
Closest pass rates among 2013 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 2013 Volvo XC90 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 13,432 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brakes | 3,375 | 24.90% | 20.89% | +4.01 |
| Tyres | 2,928 | 21.60% | 19.76% | +1.84 |
| Suspension | 2,451 | 18.10% | 20.98% | −2.88 |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 1,539 | 11.30% | 12.21% | −0.91 |
| Non-component advisories | 1,272 | 9.40% | 4.18% | +5.22 |
| Visibility | 618 | 4.60% | 4.97% | −0.37 |
| Steering | 368 | 2.70% | 2.57% | +0.13 |
| Identification of the vehicle | 305 | 2.20% | 1.76% | +0.44 |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 293 | 2.20% | 5.52% | −3.32 |
| Body, chassis, structure | 283 | 2.10% | 5.57% | −3.47 |
The exact failure items, in the tester's words
| Recorded item | Severity | Tests | Est. cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Position lamp not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Major | 3.0% | £5–25 |
| Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view Visibility | Minor | 2.9% | £80–200 |
| Decelerometer (sp) efficiency below requirements Brakes | Major | 2.7% | £45–110 |
| Position lamp not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Rectified | 2.0% | £5–25 |
| Registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Minor | 1.5% | £5–20 |
| Rbt (sp) efficiency below requirements Brakes | Major | 1.5% | £45–110 |
| Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres | Major | 1.5% | £45–95 |
| Has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords Tyres | Major | 1.5% | £45–95 |
| Decelerometer (sp) efficiency less than 50% of the required value Brakes | Major | 1.2% | £45–110 |
| Pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn Suspension | Major | 1.1% | £40–150 |
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 | 20.4% | £45–95 |
| Brake discs in such a condition that it is seriously weakened Brakes | Advisory | 14.0% | £45–110 |
| Pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn Suspension | Advisory | 11.7% | £40–150 |
| Non-component advisories Play in steering rack inner joint(s) Non-component advisories | Advisory | 8.1% | £120–300 |
| Brake pads less than 1.5 mm thick Brakes | Advisory | 5.2% | £18–45 |
| Coil spring corroded so that its cross sectional area is reduced and seriously weakened Suspension | Advisory | 4.3% | £25–65 |
Pass rate by mileage
| Mileage | Tests | Pass rate | Median odometer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-30k | 30 | 86.7% | 24,679 mi |
| 30-60k | 570 | 87.2% | 49,071 mi |
| 60-90k | 2,209 | 82.9% | 77,294 mi |
| 90-120k | 3,003 | 80.9% | 104,667 mi |
| 120k+ | 2,935 | 76.3% | 144,268 mi |
Source: 8,749 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.
2013 XC90 MOT questions
What is the MOT pass rate for a 2013 Volvo XC90?
80.3% of the 8,749 2013 Volvo XC90 tests in this dataset passed, against a national average of 78.6% for cars first used in 2013. First-attempt pass rate: 76.0%.
What are the most common MOT failures on a 2013 Volvo XC90?
The three most recorded items are position lamp not working (3.05%), windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view (2.88%), decelerometer (sp) efficiency below requirements (2.67%). Percentages are the share of tests on this vehicle that recorded the item.
Does mileage affect the 2013 Volvo XC90 MOT pass rate?
Yes. Cars under 30,000 miles passed 86.7% of the time, falling to 76.3% for those over 120,000 miles. The median 2013 Volvo XC90 in this dataset had covered 105,215 mi.
Which fuel type is most reliable for a 2013 Volvo XC90?
Diesel: 80.3% pass rate across 8,694 tests. Petrol: 83.6% pass rate across 55 tests. Shares are of the tests on this vehicle that recorded each fuel type.
Does the season affect the 2013 Volvo XC90 MOT pass rate?
Tests recorded in the winter months (October–March) passed 79.8% of the time; summer months (April–September) passed 80.9%. Brakes, tyres and lights are tested harder in bad weather, but the difference is small on most models.