60%
Volvo C70
Volvo C70 MOT pass rate and common problems
The Volvo C70 passed 60% of its initial MOT tests in 2025, 12.3 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 C70 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 C70 runs 15.3 points behind the Volvo average. It is 15th of the 18 Volvo models in the data. The average C70 arrived at its test 17.9 years old with 96,913 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.
C70 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 to 10 years (small sample) | 2 | 50% | 22.3 pts below |
| 11 years and over | 6,847 | 60% | 12.3 pts below |
Too few tests fall into some age groups to compare them reliably. The UK average of 72.3% covers cars of every age, so compare like with like.
Where C70 failures cluster
Every failure item recorded on Volvo C70 cars in 2025, grouped into the DVSA's test areas.
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment and suspension together account for 43.3% of recorded failure items. These are recorded failures across the model, not faults every car has.
The 10 most common C70 MOT failures
Specific items recorded on Volvo C70 cars that failed their 2025 MOT, as a share of all recorded failure items.
Together these 10 items make up 40.3% of everything testers recorded against failed Volvo C70 cars. The rest is spread across many smaller items, and one failed test often records several at once.
What to look at on a C70
The recorded failures above, grouped by area, biggest first.
1
Suspension
Recorded most often: coil spring fractured or broken, pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn and shock absorbers has a serious fluid leak. 12.7% of failure items.
2
Body, chassis, structure
Recorded most often: joints constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt. 7.4% of failure items.
3
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment
Recorded most often: position lamp not working and headlamp aim too low. 7.4% of failure items.
4
Tyres
Recorded most often: condition has ply or cords exposed and condition has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords. 6.8% of failure items.
The car's own MOT history matters more than any model average. A free MOT history check shows whether a specific C70 has failed on these items before, or had them noted as advisories. Buying one? See the used Volvo C70 buying guide.
Already found one?
Check its finance, write-off, theft, mileage and keeper history with a £15 vehicle history report.
Volvo C70 MOT FAQs
What is the Volvo C70 MOT pass rate?
60% of Volvo C70 cars passed their initial MOT first time in 2025, from 6,849 tests. That is 12.3 percentage points below the 72.3% average for all cars, and ranks 493rd of 575 models.
What does a Volvo C70 most commonly fail its MOT on?
The item testers recorded most often on Volvo C70 cars failing their 2025 MOT was joints constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt, on 7.4% of failure items. Next were coil spring fractured or broken (6.5%) and position lamp not working (4.8%).
Which area causes the most Volvo C70 MOT failures?
Across every recorded failure item, the largest area was lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment at 22.2%, followed by suspension at 21.1%.
Does this mean every Volvo C70 has these problems?
No. These are the items testers recorded across every Volvo C70 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 C70'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.