57.7%
Volvo S40 pass rate
Used Volvo S40 buying guide
In 2025, Volvo S40 cars passed 57.7% of 15,238 initial MOT tests, 14.6 points below the 72.3% UK average. Here is where it fails and what to check before you buy.
Looking at a specific S40? Check its finance, write-off, stolen, mileage and keeper history. £15, no account needed.
Volvo S40 MOT record in brief
Initial MOT tests in 2025, retests excluded.
72.3%
UK average, all cars
−14.6
percentage points below average
Ranked on pass rate the S40 sits 515th of 575 models in the data. Volvo as a brand averaged 75.3%, so this model runs 17.6 points behind its own brand.
A pass rate is not a reliability score. The full Volvo S40 MOT record has the pass rate by age, every common failure and how the S40 compares with similar cars.
S40 fuel types
Petrol was the most common fuel among Volvo S40 cars tested in 2025. Diesel still made up 46.2% of tests.
Where the S40 fails its MOT
Where Volvo S40 cars that failed their 2025 MOT were marked down, as a share of all recorded failure items.
The specific items testers recorded most often were position lamp not working (6%), coil spring fractured or broken (5.4%) and joints constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt (4.7%). See every common S40 MOT failure.
These are DVSA failure records across every Volvo S40 that failed, not a claim that every S40 has these problems.
What should you check when buying a used S40?
The areas above, most common first, and what an MOT tester looks at in each.
1
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment
Walk round with every light on: headlights, brake lights, indicators, fog lights and the number plate lamp. Check no warning lights stay on after starting. 25% of S40 failure items.
2
Suspension
Listen for knocks over bumps, check the car sits level, and look for leaking shock absorbers and split rubber gaiters. 24.2% of S40 failure items.
3
Brakes
Make sure the pedal feels firm, the car stops in a straight line, the handbrake holds on a slope and no brake warning light is showing. 14.4% of S40 failure items.
4
Tyres
Check tread depth across the full width of every tyre (the legal minimum is 1.6mm), and look for cuts, bulges and uneven wear. 10.1% of S40 failure items.
5
Body, chassis, structure
Look underneath and along the sills for corrosion, and check for damaged or poorly repaired panels. 8.1% of S40 failure items.
None of this replaces the car's own record. Run a free MOT history check on the registration to see every test, advisory and recorded mileage for that car.
What the MOT record doesn't tell you
Knowing Volvo S40 failures cluster around lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment and suspension tells you what to inspect. It tells you nothing about whether the car is safe to buy. An MOT does not show money still owed on the car, a write-off, a theft record or a clocked odometer.
Check the exact S40 you are looking at. One £15 report, instant results, backed by a £30,000 data guarantee. More on the Volvo history check.
- Outstanding finance
- Write-off records
- Stolen markers
- Mileage history
- Previous keepers
Other used Volvo models
The most-tested Volvo models in 2025, with how their MOT pass rate compares with the S40.
Used Volvo S40 FAQs
Is the Volvo S40 reliable?
MOT data does not measure reliability. It records whether a car met the roadworthiness standard on the day of its test. What it does show is a 57.7% first-time pass rate for the Volvo S40 across 15,238 tests in 2025, below the 72.3% average for all cars.
What should I check before buying a used Volvo S40?
On the car itself, start with the areas it most often fails on: lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment, suspension and brakes. Then check the individual car's history: outstanding finance, insurance write-off records, stolen markers, mileage and previous keepers. None of these appear in the MOT record or on the V5C.
How do I check a Volvo S40's history?
Enter the registration of the specific car. A Carpeep car history check reports outstanding finance, write-off category, stolen markers, mileage history, previous keepers, MOT and tax status, import and export markers and scrapped status in one £15 report.
MOT figures are aggregated from the DVSA MOT Anonymised data set for 2025 (class 4 initial tests, retests excluded), licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. MOT results describe roadworthiness at test, not mechanical reliability.