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Volvo V90, Buying guide, MOT record, UK numbers and recalls

17,905 Volvo V90s are licensed in the UK. In 2025 they passed 84.1% of initial MOT tests, 11.8 points above the 72.3% UK average.

Looking at a specific V90? Check its finance, write-off, stolen, mileage and keeper history. £15, no account needed.

Volvo V90 at the MOT

84.1% of 16,684 initial tests passed in 2025, ranking the V90 138th of 575 models. Volvo V90s aged 3 to 5 years passed 86.1% of MOT tests in 2025; for examples aged 11 years and over that fell to 63.4%.

First-time pass rate, 2025

Share of initial tests passed, retests excluded.

  • Volvo V9084.1%
  • All Volvo modelsThe V90 is 8.8 pts ahead75.3%
  • All cars72.3%

Pass rate by age at test

Volvo V90 tests in 2025.

  • 3 to 5 years7,074 tests86.1%
  • 6 to 10 years8,627 tests82.1%
  • 11 years and over131 tests63.4%

Where V90s fail

Share of all failure items recorded on Volvo V90 tests in 2025.

  • Tyres34%
  • Brakes18.7%
  • Suspension11.4%
  • Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment11.3%
  • Body, chassis, structure10.4%

The items testers recorded most often were brake pads less than 1.5 mm thick (12.5%), condition has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords (12.3%) and joints constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt (9%).

The MOT page lists every common V90 MOT failure. For one car's own results and advisories, run a free MOT history check.

Full Volvo V90 MOT record

What to look at on a viewing

The V90's most common failure areas, and what a tester checks in each.

  1. 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.34% of V90 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.18.7% of V90 failure items

  3. Suspension

    Listen for knocks over bumps, check the car sits level, and look for leaking shock absorbers and split rubber gaiters.11.4% of V90 failure items

Volvo V90s in the UK

17,905 were licensed at the end of June 2026. The number licensed has grown 140% since the end of 2018.

Change since 2018
+140%from 7,452 licensed
Typical year of first use
2019half of those licensed at the end of 2025 were first used in 2019 or earlier
First registered in 2025
615against 4,541 in 2019
Declared off the road
2771.5% of those registered, under SORN

Licensed Volvo V90s since 2014

Licensed at each year end and in the latest quarter.

Show the figures
DateLicensed
End of 2014338
End of 2015309
End of 2016716
End of 20173,233
End of 20187,452
End of 201911,568
End of 202013,951
End of 202115,052
End of 202216,485
End of 202317,189
End of 202417,654
End of 202517,839
End of June 202617,905

How old they are

Licensed Volvo V90s by year of first use.

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

A further 99 were first used before 2016.

Show the figures
First usedLicensed, end 2025First registered that year
2025451615
2024360487
2023811872
20221,1231,218
20211,2171,341
20202,3912,573
20194,2934,541
20183,8664,122
20172,7993,066
2016417457

V90 engines and fuel

2.0 litre engines made up 99% of Volvo V90 MOT tests in 2025. Diesel accounts for 54% of licensed V90s and petrol for 19%.

Fuel type, licensed V90s

DfT licensing statistics, June 2026.

FuelLicensedShare
Petrol3,35519%
Diesel9,74554%
Plug-in hybrid1,75010%
Hybrid electric3,05317%
Gas2<0.1%

Volvo V90 recalls

16 DVSA safety recalls launched from 1992 to October 2026 name the Volvo V90. The 8 most recent are below. Each covers vehicles built in a set period, so a recall does not mean every V90 is affected.

  1. Jun 2025 R/2025/211

    BCM2 SW - Safety Notice

    V90s built May 2020 to Jun 2025 · 5,221 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    Affected vehicles may experience a temporary loss of braking functionality after coasting downhill with 'B' mode selected or when using One Pedal Drive. This could potentially lead to a collision.
    Remedy
    Install modified software via an Over the Air (OTA) update.

  2. Mar 2025 R/2025/117

    SPA1 Cell Modules

    V90s built Jun 2019 to Nov 2021 · 3,566 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    On affected vehicles the High Voltage (HV) Battery may have a manufacturing defect which could cause the battery cells to overheat when the HV Battery is fully charged. In a worst-case scenario there is a risk of fire when the vehicle is parked up with a fully charged HV Battery.
    Remedy
    Check and replace the HV Battery if necessary and install modified software.

  3. Nov 2024 R/2024/446

    BCM2 - Push Road

    V90s built Jun 2019 to Oct 2019 · 2,128 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    The rod connecting the brake pedal to the brake booster may not have been assembled correctly. The final torque might not be according to manufacturing specification due to deviations in the equipment. If the rod does disconnect the mechanical connection between brake pedal and brake booster cannot be guaranteed. In the worst-case scenario if the rod disconnects the brake pedal function cannot be guaranteed
    Remedy
    A Volvo retailer will check and if necessary tighten the rod to correct specification.

  4. Jan 2023 R/2023/025

    There may be a potential software error in the brake control module

    V90s built Oct 2022 to Jan 2023 · 10,197 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Remedy
    Update the brake control module software.

  5. Oct 2022 R/2022/313

    A software error may prevent the engine control module from starting the engine

    V90s built Mar 2021 to Oct 2022 · 4,755 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    The Engine Control Module (ECM) may prevent the combustion engine from starting.
    Remedy
    Download updated software.

  6. Sep 2021 R/2021/331

    Potentially insufficient or missing welding connection in the hydraulic unit of the brake system

    V90s built Aug 2019 to Dec 2020 · 28 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    There may be an insufficient or missing welding connection in the Hydraulic Unit of the Brake System.
    Remedy
    Replace the Hydraulic Unit.

  7. Aug 2021 R/2021/282

    Pressure in the fuel tank could cause the fuel level sender to indicate fuel in the tank when it could be empty

    V90s built Jun 2021 to Jul 2021 · 256 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Remedy
    Update software which will allow the electronic fuel tank ventilation valve to release pressure when required.

  8. Jun 2021 R/2021/205

    There is a risk that the 15AMP fuse could blow which will prevent the low pressure fuel pump from operating

    V90s built Oct 2018 to Dec 2019 · 14,380 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    There is a risk that the 15amp fuse could blow which will prevent the low pressure fuel pump operating.
    Remedy
    Replace the 15A fuse with a 20A fuse which can withstand this peak.
How to check a specific V90 for recalls

Other Volvo models

The most-tested Volvo models in 2025, against the V90's 84.1% MOT pass rate.

All 18 Volvo models

Volvo V90 FAQs

How many Volvo V90s are there in the UK?

17,905 Volvo V90s were licensed in the UK at the end of June 2026, with a further 277 declared off the road (SORN), according to DfT vehicle licensing statistics.

Is the Volvo V90 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 an 84.1% first-time pass rate for the Volvo V90 across 16,684 tests in 2025, above the 72.3% average for all cars.

Has the Volvo V90 had any recalls?

16 DVSA safety recalls launched from 1992 to October 2026 name the Volvo V90. The most recent was published in June 2025. 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 V90?

On the car itself, start with the areas it most often fails on: tyres, 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 V90'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 V90?

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.