Pass rate, every year
2,011 tests across 3 model years, 2020–2022.
+7.4 pts vs the national average
Pass rate, every year
2,011 tests across 3 model years, 2020–2022.
+7.4 pts vs the national average
Best year to buy
2022 89.7%
The strongest of the 3 years on record. See the 2022 page →
Worst year to buy
2020 86.4%
3.3 points below the 2022 peak. See the 2020 page →
The Volvo XC90 Rdesign Pro MOT pass rate is 88.4%, +7.4 percentage points above the UK average. That is 2,011 DVSA MOT tests recorded between 2020 and 2022. This page lists the most common Volvo XC90 Rdesign Pro MOT failures by category, names the best and worst model years, and finishes with a pre-MOT checklist you can run at home.
The Volvo XC90 Rdesign Pro passed on its first attempt in 87.1%, and its overall record sits +7.4 percentage points above the national average for all cars. These figures come from every recorded DVSA MOT test for the Volvo XC90 Rdesign Pro in the 2023–2025 data: 2,011 tests across 3 model years (2020–2022). A test still carries exactly one pass or fail verdict.
| Measure | This model |
|---|---|
| Tests analysed | 2,011 |
| Overall pass rate | 88.4% |
| Passed on first attempt | 87.1% |
| Average mileage at test | 36,153 mi |
| Model years covered | 2020–2022 (3 years) |
| Versus UK national average | +7.4 pts above |
Figures are computed from every recorded DVSA test for this model in the 2023–2025 data.
Every MOT failure a tester records belongs to one inspection section of the DVSA manual. For the Volvo XC90 Rdesign Pro, the Tyres section leads the record — the breakdown below shows where the recorded failures cluster, then the exact strings behind the three biggest sections.
| Inspection section | Share of failures |
|---|---|
| Tyres | 59% |
| Visibility | 27% |
| Brakes | 12% |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 1% |
| Suspension | 1% |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 1% |
Shares are over the Volvo XC90 Rdesign Pro's recorded defect strings, merged across its year pages.
Around 59% of the recorded Volvo XC90 Rdesign Pro failures fall in the Tyres section of the MOT inspection manual. Testers recorded "Has a bulge, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure" (2.7%), "Has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords" (2.4%), "Has ply or cords exposed" (1.6%) among the Volvo XC90 Rdesign Pro's tyres faults.
Around 27% of the recorded Volvo XC90 Rdesign Pro failures fall in the Visibility section of the MOT inspection manual. Testers recorded "Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view" (1.7%), "Wipers blade defective" (1.3%), "Wipers does not clear the windscreen effectively" (0.6%) among the Volvo XC90 Rdesign Pro's visibility faults.
Around 12% of the recorded Volvo XC90 Rdesign Pro failures fall in the Brakes section of the MOT inspection manual. Testers recorded "Brake pads less than 1.5 mm thick" (1.3%), "Brake performance not tested unable to be tested" (0.3%) among the Volvo XC90 Rdesign Pro's brakes faults.
The descriptions below are the exact DVSA failure strings testers recorded most often for the Volvo XC90 Rdesign Pro, each with how many of the model's 2,011 tests it was noted on.
The strongest Volvo XC90 Rdesign Pro model year on record is 2022 (89.7% across 282 tests), and the weakest is 2020 (86.4%). The gap between them is 3.3 points. Years with fewer than 50 recorded tests are excluded, so these are the years with enough MOT history to mean something.
Volvo XC90 Rdesign Pro reliability is improving in the DVSA data — the pass rate moves about 1.6 points a year across the most recent model years shown above.
| Year | Tests | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 XC90 Rdesign Pro | 282 | 89.7% |
| 2021 XC90 Rdesign Pro | 1,161 | 89.1% |
| 2020 XC90 Rdesign Pro | 568 | 86.4% |
Newest model year first. Only years with at least 50 recorded tests are listed.
These checks follow this Volvo XC90 Rdesign Pro's own most-recorded failure strings, starting with what a tester is most likely to flag on a Volvo XC90 Rdesign Pro.
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 wipers and washers — “wipers blade defective”
Run the wipers with the screen wet: they should clear it in one sweep without smearing or juddering. Top the washer bottle up and check both jets hit the 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 XC90 Rdesign Pro. A check that finds nothing means the item is likely fine, not that the test is guaranteed.
Across every XC90 Rdesign Pro model year on record (2020–2022): 1,288 Volvo XC90 Rdesign Pro cars tested in a recordable postcode area, across 2,011 tests. Reading (RG) has the most, with 40 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 | Reading (RG) | 40 | 90.8% |
| 2 | Nottingham (NG) | 35 | 91.1% |
| 3 | Ashford (TN) | 33 | 83.9% |
| 4 | Coventry (CV) | 30 | 93.0% |
| 5 | Milton Keynes (MK) | 29 | 88.4% |
| 6 | Kingston upon Thames (KT) | 26 | 86.7% |
| 7 | Glasgow (G) | 26 | 89.5% |
| 8 | Crawley (RH) | 25 | 88.1% |
| 9 | London (W) | 24 | 92.3% |
| 10 | Leicester (LE) | 24 | 89.5% |
| 11 | London (NW) | 23 | 91.2% |
| 12 | Guildford (GU) | 22 | 86.7% |
| 13 | Chelmsford (CM) | 22 | 85.7% |
| 14 | Warrington (WA) | 22 | 81.6% |
| 15 | Birmingham (B) | 22 | 87.5% |
| 16 | Oxford (OX) | 22 | 87.5% |
| 17 | Sheffield (S) | 21 | 86.1% |
| 18 | Maidstone (ME) | 20 | 90.3% |
| 19 | York (YO) | 20 | 93.3% |
| 20 | Swindon (SN) | 20 | — |
The twenty areas with the most Volvo XC90 Rdesign Pro 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 →
88.4% of the 2,011 recorded Volvo XC90 Rdesign Pro MOT tests ended in a pass, +7.4 percentage points above the national average. 87.1% of those passed on the first attempt.
2022 is the strongest Volvo XC90 Rdesign Pro year on record at 89.7%, while 2020 is the weakest at 86.4%. The year-by-year table below lists every model year with at least 50 recorded tests.
The most recorded Volvo XC90 Rdesign Pro failures are "Has a bulge, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure" and "Has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords" — together around 5% of tests, mostly in the Tyres section.