64.7%
Volvo 900 Series
Volvo 900 Series MOT pass rate and common problems
The Volvo 900 Series passed 64.7% of its initial MOT tests in 2025, 7.6 percentage points below the 72.3% UK average. The item testers recorded most often was component mounting prescribed areas prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength.
Checking a specific car? Its own results, advisories and recorded mileages are in a free MOT history check.
How the 900 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 900 Series runs 10.6 points behind the Volvo average. It is 12th of the 18 Volvo models in the data. The average 900 Series arrived at its test 29.8 years old with 156,723 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.
900 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 | 2,898 | 64.7% | 7.6 pts below |
Every Volvo 900 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 900 Series failures cluster
Every failure item recorded on Volvo 900 Series cars in 2025, grouped into the DVSA's test areas.
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment and brakes together account for 38.7% of recorded failure items. These are recorded failures across the model, not faults every car has.
The 10 most common 900 Series MOT failures
Specific items recorded on Volvo 900 Series cars that failed their 2025 MOT, as a share of all recorded failure items.
Together these 10 items make up 30.3% of everything testers recorded against failed Volvo 900 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 900 Series
The recorded failures above, grouped by area, biggest first.
1
Suspension
Recorded most often: component mounting prescribed areas prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength and pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn. 8.4% of failure items.
2
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment
Recorded most often: position lamp not working and stop lamp not working. 7.2% of failure items.
3
Brakes
Recorded most often: rbt (sp) efficiency below requirements and service brake performance excessively binding. 4.3% of failure items.
4
Noise, emissions and leaks
Recorded most often: catalyst emissions lambda reading after 2nd fast idle outside specified limits and emissions not tested unable to be completed. 4% of failure items.
The car's own MOT history matters more than any model average. A free MOT history check shows whether a specific 900 Series has failed on these items before, or had them noted as advisories. Buying one? See the used Volvo 900 Series buying guide.
Already found one?
Check its finance, write-off, theft, mileage and keeper history with a £15 vehicle history report.
Volvo 900 Series MOT FAQs
What is the Volvo 900 Series MOT pass rate?
64.7% of Volvo 900 Series cars passed their initial MOT first time in 2025, from 2,898 tests. That is 7.6 percentage points below the 72.3% average for all cars, and ranks 436th of 575 models.
What does a Volvo 900 Series most commonly fail its MOT on?
The item testers recorded most often on Volvo 900 Series cars failing their 2025 MOT was component mounting prescribed areas prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength, on 5.6% of failure items. Next were position lamp not working (4.2%) and exhaust system has a major leak of exhaust gases (3.7%).
Which area causes the most Volvo 900 Series MOT failures?
Across every recorded failure item, the largest area was lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment at 22.4%, followed by brakes at 16.3%.
Does this mean every Volvo 900 Series has these problems?
No. These are the items testers recorded across every Volvo 900 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 900 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.