86.8%
Volvo S90
Volvo S90 MOT pass rate and common problems
The Volvo S90 passed 86.8% of its initial MOT tests in 2025, 14.5 percentage points above the 72.3% UK average. The item testers recorded most often was brake pads less than 1.5 mm thick.
Checking a specific car? Its own results, advisories and recorded mileages are in a free MOT history check.
How the S90 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 S90 runs 11.6 points ahead of the Volvo average. It is 3rd of the 18 Volvo models in the data. The average S90 arrived at its test 6.7 years old with 69,736 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.
S90 MOT pass rate by age
The same 2025 tests split by the car's age at test.
Volvo S90 cars aged 3 to 5 years passed 88.4% of MOT tests. For cars aged 6 to 10 years that fell to 86.3%, a drop of 2.2 percentage points.
| Age at test | Tests | Pass rate | vs UK average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 to 5 years | 2,553 | 88.4% | 16.1 pts above |
| 6 to 10 years | 4,990 | 86.3% | 14 pts above |
| 11 years and over (small sample) | 72 | 61.1% | 11.2 pts below |
That is a smaller decline than most cars show. The UK average of 72.3% covers cars of every age, so compare like with like.
Where S90 failures cluster
Every failure item recorded on Volvo S90 cars in 2025, grouped into the DVSA's test areas.
Tyres and brakes together account for 60.1% of recorded failure items. These are recorded failures across the model, not faults every car has.
The 10 most common S90 MOT failures
Specific items recorded on Volvo S90 cars that failed their 2025 MOT, as a share of all recorded failure items.
Together these 10 items make up 65% of everything testers recorded against failed Volvo S90 cars. The rest is spread across many smaller items, and one failed test often records several at once.
What to look at on a S90
The recorded failures above, grouped by area, biggest first.
1
Tyres
Recorded most often: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm, condition has ply or cords exposed, condition has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords and condition has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure. 29.9% of failure items.
2
Brakes
Recorded most often: brake pads less than 1.5 mm thick. 18.4% of failure items.
3
Suspension
Recorded most often: coil spring fractured or broken. 5.3% of failure items.
4
Steering
Recorded most often: track rod end ball joint has excessive play. 3.6% of failure items.
The car's own MOT history matters more than any model average. A free MOT history check shows whether a specific S90 has failed on these items before, or had them noted as advisories. Buying one? See the used Volvo S90 buying guide.
Already found one?
Check its finance, write-off, theft, mileage and keeper history with a £15 vehicle history report.
Volvo S90 MOT FAQs
What is the Volvo S90 MOT pass rate?
86.8% of Volvo S90 cars passed their initial MOT first time in 2025, from 7,814 tests. That is 14.5 percentage points above the 72.3% average for all cars, and ranks 92nd of 575 models.
What does a Volvo S90 most commonly fail its MOT on?
The item testers recorded most often on Volvo S90 cars failing their 2025 MOT was brake pads less than 1.5 mm thick, on 18.4% of failure items. Next were tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm (11.1%) and condition has ply or cords exposed (9.1%).
Which area causes the most Volvo S90 MOT failures?
Across every recorded failure item, the largest area was tyres at 34.2%, followed by brakes at 25.9%.
Do older Volvo S90 cars fail their MOT more often?
Volvo S90 cars aged 3 to 5 years passed 88.4% of MOT tests in 2025, against 86.3% for cars aged 6 to 10 years.
Does this mean every Volvo S90 has these problems?
No. These are the items testers recorded across every Volvo S90 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 S90'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.