71.6%
Volvo V40
Volvo V40 MOT pass rate and common problems
The Volvo V40 passed 71.6% of its initial MOT tests in 2025, 0.7 percentage points below the 72.3% UK average. The item testers recorded most often was coil spring fractured or broken.
Checking a specific car? Its own results, advisories and recorded mileages are in a free MOT history check.
How the V40 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 V40 runs 3.7 points behind the Volvo average. It is 9th of the 18 Volvo models in the data. The average V40 arrived at its test 9.6 years old with 78,395 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.
V40 MOT pass rate by age
The same 2025 tests split by the car's age at test.
Volvo V40 cars aged 3 to 5 years passed 81.3% of MOT tests. For cars aged 11 years and over that fell to 63.7%, a drop of 17.6 percentage points.
| Age at test | Tests | Pass rate | vs UK average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 to 5 years | 5,390 | 81.3% | 9 pts above |
| 6 to 10 years | 69,158 | 73.5% | 1.2 pts above |
| 11 years and over | 22,737 | 63.7% | 8.6 pts below |
That is a steep decline with age, so the headline rate flatters older examples. The UK average of 72.3% covers cars of every age, so compare like with like.
Where V40 failures cluster
Every failure item recorded on Volvo V40 cars in 2025, grouped into the DVSA's test areas.
Suspension and tyres together account for 42.2% of recorded failure items. These are recorded failures across the model, not faults every car has.
The 10 most common V40 MOT failures
Specific items recorded on Volvo V40 cars that failed their 2025 MOT, as a share of all recorded failure items.
Together these 10 items make up 51.6% of everything testers recorded against failed Volvo V40 cars. The rest is spread across many smaller items, and one failed test often records several at once.
What to look at on a V40
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 and condition has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords. 15.3% of failure items.
2
Suspension
Recorded most often: coil spring fractured or broken. 13.2% of failure items.
3
Brakes
Recorded most often: brake pads less than 1.5 mm thick and anti-lock braking system warning lamp indicates an abs fault. 8.5% of failure items.
4
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment
Recorded most often: position lamp not working and headlamp aim too low. 7.2% of failure items.
The car's own MOT history matters more than any model average. A free MOT history check shows whether a specific V40 has failed on these items before, or had them noted as advisories. Buying one? See the used Volvo V40 buying guide.
Already found one?
Check its finance, write-off, theft, mileage and keeper history with a £15 vehicle history report.
Volvo V40 MOT FAQs
What is the Volvo V40 MOT pass rate?
71.6% of Volvo V40 cars passed their initial MOT first time in 2025, from 97,289 tests. That is 0.7 percentage points below the 72.3% average for all cars, and ranks 320th of 575 models.
What does a Volvo V40 most commonly fail its MOT on?
The item testers recorded most often on Volvo V40 cars failing their 2025 MOT was coil spring fractured or broken, on 13.2% of failure items. Next were tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm (6%) and condition has ply or cords exposed (5.7%).
Which area causes the most Volvo V40 MOT failures?
Across every recorded failure item, the largest area was suspension at 21.8%, followed by tyres at 20.3%.
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, against 63.7% for cars aged 11 years and over.
Does this mean every Volvo V40 has these problems?
No. These are the items testers recorded across every Volvo V40 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 V40'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.