55.2%
Volvo V50
Volvo V50 MOT pass rate and common problems
The Volvo V50 passed 55.2% of its initial MOT tests in 2025, 17.1 percentage points below the 72.3% UK average. The item testers recorded most often was joints constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt.
Checking a specific car? Its own results, advisories and recorded mileages are in a free MOT history check.
How the V50 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 V50 runs 20.1 points behind the Volvo average. It is 18th of the 18 Volvo models in the data. The average V50 arrived at its test 16.2 years old with 132,660 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.
V50 MOT pass rate by age
The same 2025 tests split by the car's age at test.
| Age at test | Tests | Pass rate | vs UK average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 to 10 years (small sample) | 3 | 66.7% | 5.6 pts below |
| 11 years and over | 26,138 | 55.2% | 17.1 pts below |
Too few tests fall into some age groups to compare them reliably. The UK average of 72.3% covers cars of every age, so compare like with like.
Where V50 failures cluster
Every failure item recorded on Volvo V50 cars in 2025, grouped into the DVSA's test areas.
Suspension and lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment together account for 47.8% of recorded failure items. These are recorded failures across the model, not faults every car has.
The 10 most common V50 MOT failures
Specific items recorded on Volvo V50 cars that failed their 2025 MOT, as a share of all recorded failure items.
Together these 10 items make up 40.8% of everything testers recorded against failed Volvo V50 cars. The rest is spread across many smaller items, and one failed test often records several at once.
What to look at on a V50
The recorded failures above, grouped by area, biggest first.
1
Suspension
Recorded most often: coil spring fractured or broken, pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn and ball joint excessively worn. 13.8% of failure items.
2
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment
Recorded most often: position lamp not working, headlamp aim too low and headlamp not working on dipped beam. 10.8% of failure items.
3
Tyres
Recorded most often: condition has ply or cords exposed and tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm. 7.5% of failure items.
4
Body, chassis, structure
Recorded most often: joints constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt. 6.5% of failure items.
The car's own MOT history matters more than any model average. A free MOT history check shows whether a specific V50 has failed on these items before, or had them noted as advisories. Buying one? See the used Volvo V50 buying guide.
Already found one?
Check its finance, write-off, theft, mileage and keeper history with a £15 vehicle history report.
Volvo V50 MOT FAQs
What is the Volvo V50 MOT pass rate?
55.2% of Volvo V50 cars passed their initial MOT first time in 2025, from 26,141 tests. That is 17.1 percentage points below the 72.3% average for all cars, and ranks 537th of 575 models.
What does a Volvo V50 most commonly fail its MOT on?
The item testers recorded most often on Volvo V50 cars failing their 2025 MOT was joints constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt, on 6.5% of failure items. Next were position lamp not working (6.1%) and coil spring fractured or broken (6%).
Which area causes the most Volvo V50 MOT failures?
Across every recorded failure item, the largest area was suspension at 25.6%, followed by lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment at 22.3%.
Does this mean every Volvo V50 has these problems?
No. These are the items testers recorded across every Volvo V50 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 V50'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.