62.8%
Volvo 800 Series
Volvo 800 Series MOT pass rate and common problems
The Volvo 800 Series passed 62.8% of its initial MOT tests in 2025, 9.5 percentage points below the 72.3% UK average. The item testers recorded most often was joints constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt.
Checking a specific car? Its own results, advisories and recorded mileages are in a free MOT history check.
How the 800 Series compares
Initial MOT tests in 2025, retests excluded. A car that failed and was repaired at the test station counts as a fail.
75.3%
Volvo average
72.3%
UK average, all cars
The 800 Series runs 12.5 points behind the Volvo average. It is 14th of the 18 Volvo models in the data. The average 800 Series arrived at its test 29.4 years old with 146,205 miles recorded.
A pass rate records whether cars met the roadworthiness standard on test day. It is not a reliability score, and part of any gap reflects how old the tested cars were.
800 Series MOT pass rate by age
The same 2025 tests split by the car's age at test.
| Age at test | Tests | Pass rate | vs UK average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 years and over | 1,641 | 62.8% | 9.5 pts below |
Every Volvo 800 Series tested in 2025 was aged 11 years and over, so there is no other age group to compare with. The UK average of 72.3% covers cars of every age, so compare like with like.
Where 800 Series failures cluster
Every failure item recorded on Volvo 800 Series cars in 2025, grouped into the DVSA's test areas.
Brakes and lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment together account for 42% of recorded failure items. These are recorded failures across the model, not faults every car has.
The 10 most common 800 Series MOT failures
Specific items recorded on Volvo 800 Series cars that failed their 2025 MOT, as a share of all recorded failure items.
Together these 10 items make up 33.8% of everything testers recorded against failed Volvo 800 Series cars. The rest is spread across many smaller items, and one failed test often records several at once.
What to look at on a 800 Series
The recorded failures above, grouped by area, biggest first.
1
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment
Recorded most often: position lamp not working, headlamp aim projected beam image is obviously incorrect and side repeaters not working. 8.1% of failure items.
2
Brakes
Recorded most often: rbt (sp) efficiency below requirements and anti-lock braking system warning lamp indicates an abs fault. 7.7% of failure items.
3
Body, chassis, structure
Recorded most often: joints constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt. 5.5% of failure items.
4
Visibility
Recorded most often: wipers does not clear the windscreen effectively. 4.9% of failure items.
The car's own MOT history matters more than any model average. A free MOT history check shows whether a specific 800 Series has failed on these items before, or had them noted as advisories. Buying one? See the used Volvo 800 Series buying guide.
Already found one?
Check its finance, write-off, theft, mileage and keeper history with a £15 vehicle history report.
Volvo 800 Series MOT FAQs
What is the Volvo 800 Series MOT pass rate?
62.8% of Volvo 800 Series cars passed their initial MOT first time in 2025, from 1,641 tests. That is 9.5 percentage points below the 72.3% average for all cars, and ranks 462nd of 575 models.
What does a Volvo 800 Series most commonly fail its MOT on?
The item testers recorded most often on Volvo 800 Series cars failing their 2025 MOT was joints constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt, on 5.5% of failure items. Next were wipers does not clear the windscreen effectively (4.9%) and rbt (sp) efficiency below requirements (4%).
Which area causes the most Volvo 800 Series MOT failures?
Across every recorded failure item, the largest area was brakes at 21.5%, followed by lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment at 20.5%.
Does this mean every Volvo 800 Series has these problems?
No. These are the items testers recorded across every Volvo 800 Series that failed in 2025. They show where the model most often needs attention, not the condition of any individual car.
How do I see a specific Volvo 800 Series's MOT history?
Enter its registration on the free Carpeep MOT history check to see that car's own test results, failures, advisories and recorded mileages.
MOT figures are aggregated from the DVSA MOT Anonymised data set for 2025: class 4 initial tests, retests excluded, with failure items from failed tests (advisories and minor defects excluded), licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. MOT results describe roadworthiness at test, not mechanical reliability.