57.7%
Volvo S40
Volvo S40 MOT pass rate and common problems
The Volvo S40 passed 57.7% of its initial MOT tests in 2025, 14.6 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 S40 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 S40 runs 17.6 points behind the Volvo average. It is 17th of the 18 Volvo models in the data. The average S40 arrived at its test 17.5 years old with 110,330 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.
S40 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 to 5 years (small sample) | 1 | 0% | 72.3 pts below |
| 6 to 10 years (small sample) | 3 | 100% | 27.7 pts above |
| 11 years and over | 15,234 | 57.7% | 14.6 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 S40 failures cluster
Every failure item recorded on Volvo S40 cars in 2025, grouped into the DVSA's test areas.
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment and suspension together account for 49.2% of recorded failure items. These are recorded failures across the model, not faults every car has.
The 10 most common S40 MOT failures
Specific items recorded on Volvo S40 cars that failed their 2025 MOT, as a share of all recorded failure items.
Together these 10 items make up 36.7% of everything testers recorded against failed Volvo S40 cars. The rest is spread across many smaller items, and one failed test often records several at once.
What to look at on a S40
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, headlamp aim too low and individual direction indicators incorrect colour. 13.3% 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. 12.5% of failure items.
3
Tyres
Recorded most often: condition has ply or cords exposed and tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm. 6.1% 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 S40 has failed on these items before, or had them noted as advisories. Buying one? See the used Volvo S40 buying guide.
Already found one?
Check its finance, write-off, theft, mileage and keeper history with a £15 vehicle history report.
Volvo S40 MOT FAQs
What is the Volvo S40 MOT pass rate?
57.7% of Volvo S40 cars passed their initial MOT first time in 2025, from 15,238 tests. That is 14.6 percentage points below the 72.3% average for all cars, and ranks 515th of 575 models.
What does a Volvo S40 most commonly fail its MOT on?
The item testers recorded most often on Volvo S40 cars failing their 2025 MOT was position lamp not working, on 6% of failure items. Next were coil spring fractured or broken (5.4%) and joints constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt (4.7%).
Which area causes the most Volvo S40 MOT failures?
Across every recorded failure item, the largest area was lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment at 25%, followed by suspension at 24.2%.
Does this mean every Volvo S40 has these problems?
No. These are the items testers recorded across every Volvo S40 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 S40'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.