71.6%
Volvo V40 pass rate
Used Volvo V40 buying guide
In 2025, Volvo V40 cars passed 71.6% of 97,289 initial MOT tests, 0.7 points below the 72.3% UK average. Here is where it fails and what to check before you buy.
Looking at a specific V40? Check its finance, write-off, stolen, mileage and keeper history. £15, no account needed.
Volvo V40 MOT record in brief
Initial MOT tests in 2025, retests excluded.
72.3%
UK average, all cars
−0.7
percentage points below average
Ranked on pass rate the V40 sits 320th of 575 models in the data. Volvo as a brand averaged 75.3%, so this model runs 3.7 points behind its own brand. Volvo V40 cars aged 3 to 5 years passed 81.3% of MOT tests in 2025; for examples aged 11 years and over that fell to 63.7%.
A pass rate is not a reliability score. The full Volvo V40 MOT record has the pass rate by age, every common failure and how the V40 compares with similar cars.
V40 fuel types
Diesel made up 63% of Volvo V40 MOT tests in 2025, against 39.3% across all models in this data. Most used examples you look at will be diesels.
Where the V40 fails its MOT
Where Volvo V40 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 coil spring fractured or broken (13.2%), tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm (6%) and condition has ply or cords exposed (5.7%). See every common V40 MOT failure.
These are DVSA failure records across every Volvo V40 that failed, not a claim that every V40 has these problems.
What should you check when buying a used V40?
The areas above, most common first, and what an MOT tester looks at in each.
1
Suspension
Listen for knocks over bumps, check the car sits level, and look for leaking shock absorbers and split rubber gaiters. 21.8% of V40 failure items.
2
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. 20.3% of V40 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. 18.3% of V40 failure items.
4
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. 18.1% of V40 failure items.
5
Body, chassis, structure
Look underneath and along the sills for corrosion, and check for damaged or poorly repaired panels. 6.3% of V40 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 V40 failures cluster around suspension and tyres 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 V40 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 V40.
Used Volvo V40 FAQs
Is the Volvo V40 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 71.6% first-time pass rate for the Volvo V40 across 97,289 tests in 2025, below the 72.3% average for all cars.
Do older Volvo V40 cars fail their MOT more often?
Volvo V40 cars aged 3 to 5 years passed 81.3% of MOT tests in 2025; for examples aged 11 years and over that fell to 63.7%. On an older example, the car's own MOT history tells you more than the model average.
What should I check before buying a used Volvo V40?
On the car itself, start with the areas it most often fails on: suspension, tyres 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 V40'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.