58.4%
Volvo C30
Volvo C30 MOT pass rate and common problems
The Volvo C30 passed 58.4% of its initial MOT tests in 2025, 13.9 percentage points below the 72.3% UK average. The item testers recorded most often was position lamp not working.
Checking a specific car? Its own results, advisories and recorded mileages are in a free MOT history check.
How the C30 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 C30 runs 16.9 points behind the Volvo average. It is 16th of the 18 Volvo models in the data. The average C30 arrived at its test 15.2 years old with 105,339 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.
C30 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 | 20,617 | 58.4% | 13.9 pts below |
Every Volvo C30 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 C30 failures cluster
Every failure item recorded on Volvo C30 cars in 2025, grouped into the DVSA's test areas.
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment and suspension together account for 51.1% of recorded failure items. These are recorded failures across the model, not faults every car has.
The 10 most common C30 MOT failures
Specific items recorded on Volvo C30 cars that failed their 2025 MOT, as a share of all recorded failure items.
Together these 10 items make up 41.9% of everything testers recorded against failed Volvo C30 cars. The rest is spread across many smaller items, and one failed test often records several at once.
What to look at on a C30
The recorded failures above, grouped by area, biggest first.
1
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment
Recorded most often: position lamp not working, registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of a single lamp or all lamps and individual direction indicators incorrect colour. 14.1% of failure items.
2
Suspension
Recorded most often: coil spring fractured or broken, pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn and ball joint excessively worn. 13.5% of failure items.
3
Tyres
Recorded most often: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm and condition has ply or cords exposed. 7.3% of failure items.
4
Body, chassis, structure
Recorded most often: joints constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt. 4.7% of failure items.
The car's own MOT history matters more than any model average. A free MOT history check shows whether a specific C30 has failed on these items before, or had them noted as advisories. Buying one? See the used Volvo C30 buying guide.
Already found one?
Check its finance, write-off, theft, mileage and keeper history with a £15 vehicle history report.
Volvo C30 MOT FAQs
What is the Volvo C30 MOT pass rate?
58.4% of Volvo C30 cars passed their initial MOT first time in 2025, from 20,617 tests. That is 13.9 percentage points below the 72.3% average for all cars, and ranks 508th of 575 models.
What does a Volvo C30 most commonly fail its MOT on?
The item testers recorded most often on Volvo C30 cars failing their 2025 MOT was position lamp not working, on 7.5% of failure items. Next were coil spring fractured or broken (5.4%) and pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn (5.3%).
Which area causes the most Volvo C30 MOT failures?
Across every recorded failure item, the largest area was lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment at 28.3%, followed by suspension at 22.8%.
Does this mean every Volvo C30 has these problems?
No. These are the items testers recorded across every Volvo C30 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 C30'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.