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Volvo V70, Buying guide, MOT record, UK numbers and recalls

33,635 Volvo V70s are licensed in the UK. In 2025 they passed 63.8% of initial MOT tests, 8.5 points below the 72.3% UK average.

Looking at a specific V70? Check its finance, write-off, stolen, mileage and keeper history. £15, no account needed.

Volvo V70 at the MOT

63.8% of 37,989 initial tests passed in 2025, ranking the V70 446th of 575 models. Volvo V70s aged 6 to 10 years passed 79.3% of MOT tests in 2025; for examples aged 11 years and over that fell to 62%.

First-time pass rate, 2025

Share of initial tests passed, retests excluded.

  • Volvo V7063.8%
  • All Volvo modelsThe V70 is 11.5 pts behind75.3%
  • All cars72.3%

Pass rate by age at test

Volvo V70 tests in 2025.

  • 6 to 10 years3,920 tests79.3%
  • 11 years and over34,066 tests62%

Where V70s fail

Share of all failure items recorded on Volvo V70 tests in 2025.

  • Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment30.5%
  • Brakes16.6%
  • Suspension16.4%
  • Tyres11%
  • Body, chassis, structure7.1%

The items testers recorded most often were position lamp not working (7.4%), headlamp aim projected beam image is obviously incorrect (4.5%) and pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn (4.1%).

The MOT page lists every common V70 MOT failure. For one car's own results and advisories, run a free MOT history check.

Full Volvo V70 MOT record

What to look at on a viewing

The V70's most common failure areas, and what a tester checks in each.

  1. 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.30.5% of V70 failure items

  2. 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.16.6% of V70 failure items

  3. Suspension

    Listen for knocks over bumps, check the car sits level, and look for leaking shock absorbers and split rubber gaiters.16.4% of V70 failure items

Volvo V70s in the UK

33,635 were licensed at the end of June 2026. The number licensed has fallen 59% since the end of 2014.

Change since 2014
−59%from 82,624 licensed
Typical year of first use
2008half of those licensed at the end of 2025 were first used in 2008 or earlier
First registered in 2025
180against 2,148 in 2015
Declared off the road
9,86823% of those registered, under SORN

Licensed Volvo V70s since 2014

Licensed at each year end and in the latest quarter.

Show the figures
DateLicensed
End of 201482,624
End of 201579,701
End of 201675,166
End of 201769,285
End of 201863,184
End of 201957,787
End of 202053,197
End of 202149,194
End of 202245,639
End of 202341,835
End of 202438,324
End of 202535,091
End of June 202633,635

How old they are

Licensed Volvo V70s by year of first use.

  • Licensed at the end of 2025
  • First registered that year
Show the figures
First usedLicensed, end 2025First registered that year
2016726839
20151,9312,148
20141,857
20131,624
20121,432
20111,891
20102,484
20093,127
20082,772
20072,147
20062,053
20052,597
20042,179
20031,800
20021,640
20011,109
2000925
1999679
1998542
1997343

1,931 V70s first used in 2015 were still licensed at the end of 2025, roughly 90% of the 2,148 first registered that year.

V70 engines and fuel

2.4 litre engines made up 63% of Volvo V70 MOT tests in 2025, followed by 2.0 litre at 25%. Diesel accounts for 71% of licensed V70s and petrol for 29%.

Engine size at MOT, 2025

Share of 37,979 initial MOT tests in 2025.

  • 2.4 litre63.1%
  • 2.0 litre24.6%
  • 2.5 litre5.3%
  • 1.6 litre3.7%
  • 2.3 litre2.5%

Fuel type, licensed V70s

DfT licensing statistics, June 2026.

FuelLicensedShare
Petrol9,60329%
Diesel23,94171%
Hybrid electric1<0.1%
Gas900.3%

Volvo V70 recalls

56 DVSA safety recalls launched from 1992 to October 2026 name the Volvo V70. The 8 most recent are below. Each covers vehicles built in a set period, so a recall does not mean every V70 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

    V70s built Nov 2013 to Apr 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

    V70s built Nov 2012 to May 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. Jul 2020 R/2020/192

    Potential breakage/fatigue of a flexible steel cable supporting the front seatbelt anchor point

    V70s built Mar 2007 to Apr 2016 · 170,160 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Remedy
    Replace the seat belt fastener with a new designed seat belt fastening.

  4. Oct 2019 R/2019/180

    The engine's plastic inlet manifold may melt and deform

    V70s built Nov 2012 to Apr 2016

    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.

  5. Jan 2019 R/2018/377

    Small cracks on the inside of a rubber fuel hose

    V70s built Apr 2015 to May 2016 · 30,777 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Remedy
    Replacement of affected fuel hoses.

  6. Oct 2016 R/2016/249

    Coolant leakage may result in a fire

    V70s built May 2010 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. Feb 2016 R/2016/027

    Stalling and loss of steering power assistance

    V70s built Apr 2015 to Feb 2016 · 7,237 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    Involved vehicles may have a software issue which could cause the engine to momentarily cut-out and restart while driving. This could also cause disturbances in some electrical systems such as shut down of the instrument cluster infotainment system and loss of power steering assistance.
    Remedy
    Recall the vehicles that are likely to be affected and upgrade the software of the control units.

  8. Jan 2016 R/2015/253

    Fuel guage may not show fuel level correctly

    V70s built Nov 2014 to Apr 2015 · 1,109 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    Fuel gauge may not show correct level
    Remedy
    The remedy is not yet available for all models. Until a remedy is available the manufacturer advises to maintain fuel level above approx one third.
How to check a specific V70 for recalls

Other Volvo models

The most-tested Volvo models in 2025, against the V70's 63.8% MOT pass rate.

All 18 Volvo models

Volvo V70 FAQs

How many Volvo V70s are there in the UK?

33,635 Volvo V70s were licensed in the UK at the end of June 2026, with a further 9,868 declared off the road (SORN), according to DfT vehicle licensing statistics.

Is the Volvo V70 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 63.8% first-time pass rate for the Volvo V70 across 37,989 tests in 2025, below the 72.3% average for all cars.

Has the Volvo V70 had any recalls?

56 DVSA safety recalls launched from 1992 to October 2026 name the Volvo V70. 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 V70?

On the car itself, start with the areas it most often fails on: lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment, brakes and suspension. 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 V70'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 V70?

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.