carpeep

Volvo S60, Buying guide, MOT record, UK numbers and recalls

18,140 Volvo S60s are licensed in the UK. In 2025 they passed 72.2% of initial MOT tests, in line with the 72.3% UK average.

Looking at a specific S60? Check its finance, write-off, stolen, mileage and keeper history. £15, no account needed.

Volvo S60 at the MOT

72.2% of 19,154 initial tests passed in 2025, ranking the S60 313th of 575 models. Volvo S60s aged 3 to 5 years passed 87.5% of MOT tests in 2025; for examples aged 11 years and over that fell to 65.8%.

First-time pass rate, 2025

Share of initial tests passed, retests excluded.

  • Volvo S6072.2%
  • All Volvo modelsThe S60 is 3.1 pts behind75.3%
  • All cars72.3%

Pass rate by age at test

Volvo S60 tests in 2025.

  • 3 to 5 years2,541 tests87.5%
  • 6 to 10 years5,328 tests76.8%
  • 11 years and over10,992 tests65.8%

Where S60s fail

Share of all failure items recorded on Volvo S60 tests in 2025.

  • Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment27.2%
  • Brakes19.4%
  • Tyres15.6%
  • Suspension15.3%
  • Visibility5.6%

The items testers recorded most often were tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm (4.8%), position lamp not working (4.7%) and brake pads less than 1.5 mm thick (4.6%).

The MOT page lists every common S60 MOT failure. For one car's own results and advisories, run a free MOT history check.

Full Volvo S60 MOT record

What to look at on a viewing

The S60's most common failure areas, and what a tester checks 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.27.2% of S60 failure items

  2. 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.19.4% of S60 failure items

  3. 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.15.6% of S60 failure items

Volvo S60s in the UK

18,140 were licensed at the end of June 2026. The number licensed has fallen 51% since the end of 2014.

Change since 2014
−51%from 37,008 licensed
Typical year of first use
2013half of those licensed at the end of 2025 were first used in 2013 or earlier
First registered in 2025
62against 1,661 in 2015
Declared off the road
4,56020% of those registered, under SORN

Licensed Volvo S60s since 2014

Licensed at each year end and in the latest quarter.

Show the figures
DateLicensed
End of 201437,008
End of 201535,802
End of 201634,273
End of 201731,904
End of 201829,499
End of 201927,652
End of 202026,000
End of 202124,537
End of 202223,226
End of 202321,849
End of 202420,297
End of 202518,867
End of June 202618,140

How old they are

Licensed Volvo S60s by year of first use.

  • Licensed at the end of 2025
  • First registered that year

A further 2,062 were first used before 2005.

Show the figures
First usedLicensed, end 2025First registered that year
202477120
2023361438
2022352433
2021340431
20201,0541,167
20191,1381,221
2018870980
20171,0461,300
20161,1471,535
20151,1991,661
20141,359
20131,357
20121,610
20111,651
2010565
200943
2008267
2007446
2006732
2005913

1,199 S60s first used in 2015 were still licensed at the end of 2025, roughly 72% of the 1,661 first registered that year.

S60 engines and fuel

2.0 litre engines made up 65% of Volvo S60 MOT tests in 2025, followed by 2.4 litre at 21%. Diesel accounts for 63% of licensed S60s and petrol for 29%.

Engine size at MOT, 2025

Share of 19,147 initial MOT tests in 2025.

  • 2.0 litre64.9%
  • 2.4 litre20.6%
  • 1.6 litre11.4%
  • 2.5 litre1.6%

Fuel type, licensed S60s

DfT licensing statistics, June 2026.

FuelLicensedShare
Petrol5,29729%
Diesel11,49863%
Plug-in hybrid5823%
Hybrid electric7404%
Gas230.1%

Volvo S60 recalls

42 DVSA safety recalls launched from 1992 to October 2026 name the Volvo S60. The 8 most recent are below. Each covers vehicles built in a set period, so a recall does not mean every S60 is affected.

  1. Mar 2025 R/2025/117

    SPA1 Cell Modules

    S60s built Feb 2019 to Nov 2021 · 3,566 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    On affected vehicles the High Voltage (HV) Battery may have a manufacturing defect which could cause the battery cells to overheat when the HV Battery is fully charged. In a worst-case scenario there is a risk of fire when the vehicle is parked up with a fully charged HV Battery.
    Remedy
    Check and replace the HV Battery if necessary and install modified software.

  2. Nov 2024 R/2024/446

    BCM2 - Push Road

    S60s built Jun 2019 to Aug 2020 · 2,128 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    The rod connecting the brake pedal to the brake booster may not have been assembled correctly. The final torque might not be according to manufacturing specification due to deviations in the equipment. If the rod does disconnect the mechanical connection between brake pedal and brake booster cannot be guaranteed. In the worst-case scenario if the rod disconnects the brake pedal function cannot be guaranteed
    Remedy
    A Volvo retailer will check and if necessary tighten the rod to correct specification.

  3. Nov 2023 R/2023/340

    The passenger air bag may not have been correctly secured

    S60s built Aug 2018 to Jul 2023 · 17 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Remedy
    Inspect and re torque retaining bolts.

  4. Sep 2023 R/2023/263

    During driving or idle the O-Ring may become twisted or break. Should this occur there could be an oil leak a message for low engine oil level displayed in the vehicle or an unusual smell in the cabin. In a worst case scenario this could cause a thermal event

    S60s built Oct 2021 to Jul 2023 · 13,701 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Remedy
    Replace O-Ring

  5. Jan 2023 R/2023/025

    There may be a potential software error in the brake control module

    S60s built Sep 2022 to Jan 2023 · 10,197 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Remedy
    Update the brake control module software.

  6. Oct 2022 R/2022/313

    A software error may prevent the engine control module from starting the engine

    S60s built Apr 2021 to Sep 2022 · 4,755 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    The Engine Control Module (ECM) may prevent the combustion engine from starting.
    Remedy
    Download updated software.

  7. Sep 2021 R/2021/331

    Potentially insufficient or missing welding connection in the hydraulic unit of the brake system

    S60s built Dec 2020 to Jan 2021 · 28 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    There may be an insufficient or missing welding connection in the Hydraulic Unit of the Brake System.
    Remedy
    Replace the Hydraulic Unit.

  8. Aug 2021 R/2021/282

    Pressure in the fuel tank could cause the fuel level sender to indicate fuel in the tank when it could be empty

    S60s built May 2021 to Jul 2021 · 256 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Remedy
    Update software which will allow the electronic fuel tank ventilation valve to release pressure when required.
How to check a specific S60 for recalls

Other Volvo models

The most-tested Volvo models in 2025, against the S60's 72.2% MOT pass rate.

All 18 Volvo models

Volvo S60 FAQs

How many Volvo S60s are there in the UK?

18,140 Volvo S60s were licensed in the UK at the end of June 2026, with a further 4,560 declared off the road (SORN), according to DfT vehicle licensing statistics.

Is the Volvo S60 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 72.2% first-time pass rate for the Volvo S60 across 19,154 tests in 2025, in line with the 72.3% average for all cars.

Has the Volvo S60 had any recalls?

42 DVSA safety recalls launched from 1992 to October 2026 name the Volvo S60. The most recent was published in March 2025. A recall applies to vehicles built in a set period, so check a specific car on the GOV.UK vehicle recall checker.

What should I check before buying a used Volvo S60?

On the car itself, start with the areas it most often fails on: lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment, brakes and tyres. Then check the individual car's own records. Outstanding finance, insurance write-offs and police stolen markers are not part of the MOT record, so they take a history check.

How do I check a Volvo S60'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.

Already found an S60?

Check its finance, write-off, theft, mileage and keeper history with a £15 vehicle history report.

Across the 1,548 vehicles of every make Carpeep has checked since November 2025, 19% had outstanding finance recorded and 13% an insurance write-off. More on the Volvo history check. To confirm a car's identity, see the Volvo VIN check.

  • Outstanding finance
  • Write-off records
  • Stolen markers
  • Mileage history
  • Previous keepers

MOT figures are aggregated from the DVSA MOT Anonymised data set for 2025 (class 4 initial tests, retests excluded), which also gives the engine sizes. Licensed, SORN, fuel and registration figures are from the Department for Transport vehicle licensing statistics (VEH0120, VEH0124, VEH0160). Recalls are from the DVSA vehicle recalls data, with recalls launched up to October 2026. Government data is used under the Open Government Licence v3.0. MOT results describe roadworthiness at test, not mechanical reliability. History-check findings are anonymous counts from reports bought on Carpeep, each vehicle counted once, and are published only where at least 100 vehicles returned an answer.