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Volvo V40, Buying guide, MOT record, UK numbers and recalls

93,497 Volvo V40s are licensed in the UK. In 2025 they passed 71.6% of initial MOT tests, 0.7 points below the 72.3% UK average.

Looking at a specific V40? Check its finance, write-off, stolen, mileage and keeper history. £15, no account needed.

Volvo V40 at the MOT

71.6% of 97,289 initial tests passed in 2025, ranking the V40 320th of 575 models. Volvo V40s 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%.

First-time pass rate, 2025

Share of initial tests passed, retests excluded.

  • Volvo V4071.6%
  • All Volvo modelsThe V40 is 3.7 pts behind75.3%
  • All cars72.3%

Pass rate by age at test

Volvo V40 tests in 2025.

  • 3 to 5 years5,390 tests81.3%
  • 6 to 10 years69,158 tests73.5%
  • 11 years and over22,737 tests63.7%

Where V40s fail

Share of all failure items recorded on Volvo V40 tests in 2025.

  • Suspension21.8%
  • Tyres20.3%
  • Brakes18.3%
  • Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment18.1%
  • Body, chassis, structure6.3%

The 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%).

The MOT page lists every common V40 MOT failure. For one car's own results and advisories, run a free MOT history check.

Full Volvo V40 MOT record

What to look at on a viewing

The V40's most common failure areas, and what a tester checks 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

Volvo V40s in the UK

93,497 were licensed at the end of June 2026. The number licensed has grown 48% since the end of 2014, although it peaked at 106,934 at the end of 2019.

Change since 2014
+48%from 63,090 licensed
Typical year of first use
2016half of those licensed at the end of 2025 were first used in 2016 or earlier
First registered in 2025
202against 17,142 in 2015
Declared off the road
4,7214.8% of those registered, under SORN

Licensed Volvo V40s since 2014

Licensed at each year end and in the latest quarter.

Show the figures
DateLicensed
End of 201463,090
End of 201574,028
End of 201684,729
End of 201793,161
End of 2018101,686
End of 2019106,934
End of 2020103,520
End of 2021101,061
End of 2022100,258
End of 202398,255
End of 202496,481
End of 202594,697
End of June 202693,497

How old they are

Licensed Volvo V40s by year of first use.

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

A further 663 were first used before 2002.

Show the figures
First usedLicensed, end 2025First registered that year
20197,9828,371
201812,68713,495
201713,26614,302
201615,03716,535
201514,92117,142
201415,389
201310,659
20122,174
20110
20101
20091
20080
20070
20060
20051
2004531
2003606
2002427

14,921 V40s first used in 2015 were still licensed at the end of 2025, roughly 87% of the 17,142 first registered that year.

V40 engines and fuel

2.0 litre engines made up 56% of Volvo V40 MOT tests in 2025, followed by 1.6 litre at 29%. Diesel accounts for 63% of licensed V40s and petrol for 37%.

Engine size at MOT, 2025

Share of 97,289 initial MOT tests in 2025.

  • 2.0 litre56.4%
  • 1.6 litre28.5%
  • 1.5 litre12.3%
  • 1.9 litre1.5%
  • 1.8 litre1.1%

Fuel type, licensed V40s

DfT licensing statistics, June 2026.

FuelLicensedShare
Petrol34,29637%
Diesel59,18563%
Battery electric1<0.1%
Hybrid electric2<0.1%
Gas13<0.1%

Volvo V40 recalls

16 DVSA safety recalls launched from 1992 to October 2026 name the Volvo V40. The 8 most recent are below. Each covers vehicles built in a set period, so a recall does not mean every V40 is affected.

  1. Jul 2020 R/2020/210

    There is a risk for trapped air to be in the cooling system which may result in insufficient cooling of engine components

    V40s built Mar 2014 to Nov 2016 · 76,945 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Remedy
    Add an extra degassing line (Bleeder Hose) between the cooling system radiator and the cooling system expansion tank which will evacuate the trapped air

  2. Jul 2020 R/2020/205

    There is a risk for trapped air to be in the cooling system

    V40s built Jun 2013 to Nov 2016 · 15,167 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    There is a risk for trapped air to be in the cooling system which may result in insufficient cooling of engine components.
    Remedy
    Add an extra degassing line (Bleeder Hose) between the cooling system radiator and the cooling system expansion tank which will evacuate the trapped air.

  3. Oct 2019 R/2019/180

    The engine's plastic inlet manifold may melt and deform

    V40s built Jun 2013 to Apr 2019

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    The engines plastic inlet manifold may melt and deform
    Remedy
    Update vehicles with improved soot reducing software cleaning of TMAP and EMAP. Fit additional hoses where necessary.

  4. Jan 2019 R/2018/377

    Small cracks on the inside of a rubber fuel hose

    V40s built Apr 2015 to May 2016 · 30,777 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Remedy
    Replacement of affected fuel hoses.

  5. Jan 2017 R/2017/002

    One or more airbags may fail to deploy in the event of a collision

    V40s built Aug 2016 to Oct 2016 · 1,415 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    It has been identified by the manufacturer that the air-bag initiator does not meet specification. This can therefore result in the initiator not functioning correctly which can lead to none deployment of the air-bag. Should a collision occur then there is an increased risk of injury to the occupants of the vehicle.
    Remedy
    Recall all affected vehicles to replace the air-bags with a new quality assured component.

  6. Oct 2016 R/2016/249

    Coolant leakage may result in a fire

    V40s built Feb 2012 to Apr 2015 · 3,192 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    It has been identified that during the engine warm-up process and under certain driving/climate conditions for instance periods of high acceleration or high engine load immediately after a cold start in cold climates there is the possibility for coolant leakage or oil seepage. This can lead to the possibility in a worst-case scenario of smoke or a slow developing fire in the engine compartment. However the driver will receive a warning message on the Driver's Information Module indicating a low coolant level.
    Remedy
    Recall all affected vehicles to modify the coolant bypass valve and install a new exhaust manifold gasket.

  7. Jun 2016 R/2016/117

    Driver's airbag module may not deploy as intended

    V40s built Apr 2016 to May 2016 · 123 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    Due to a potential manufacturing defect the gas generator in the driver's airbag module may not deploy as intended. This may reduce the affectivities of the airbag.
    Remedy
    On affected vehicles replace the driver's air bag module.

  8. Mar 2014 R/2014/034

    CEM software may malfunction

    V40s built Nov 2013 to Mar 2014 · 1,492 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    A software issue within the Central Electronic Module (CEM) may cause the left hand (nearside) rear light to stop functioning. This will result in the illumination of a warning light on the instrument panel.
    Remedy
    Recall all effected vehicles to install new upgraded software into the CEM.
How to check a specific V40 for recalls

Other Volvo models

The most-tested Volvo models in 2025, against the V40's 71.6% MOT pass rate.

All 18 Volvo models

Volvo V40 FAQs

How many Volvo V40s are there in the UK?

93,497 Volvo V40s were licensed in the UK at the end of June 2026, with a further 4,721 declared off the road (SORN), according to DfT vehicle licensing statistics.

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.

Has the Volvo V40 had any recalls?

16 DVSA safety recalls launched from 1992 to October 2026 name the Volvo V40. The most recent was published in July 2020. 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 V40?

On the car itself, start with the areas it most often fails on: suspension, tyres and brakes. 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 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.

Already found a V40?

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.