84.1%
Volvo V90 pass rate
Used Volvo V90 buying guide
In 2025, Volvo V90 cars passed 84.1% of 16,684 initial MOT tests, 11.8 points above the 72.3% UK average. Here is where it fails and what to check before you buy.
Looking at a specific V90? Check its finance, write-off, stolen, mileage and keeper history. £15, no account needed.
Volvo V90 MOT record in brief
Initial MOT tests in 2025, retests excluded.
72.3%
UK average, all cars
+11.8
percentage points above average
Ranked on pass rate the V90 sits 138th of 575 models in the data. Volvo as a brand averaged 75.3%, so this model runs 8.8 points ahead of its own brand. Volvo V90 cars 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%.
A pass rate is not a reliability score. The full Volvo V90 MOT record has the pass rate by age, every common failure and how the V90 compares with similar cars.
V90 fuel types
Diesel made up 61.1% of Volvo V90 MOT tests in 2025, against 39.3% across all models in this data. Most used examples you look at will be diesels.
Where the V90 fails its MOT
Where Volvo V90 cars that failed their 2025 MOT were marked down, as a share of all recorded failure items.
The specific 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%). See every common V90 MOT failure.
These are DVSA failure records across every Volvo V90 that failed, not a claim that every V90 has these problems.
What should you check when buying a used V90?
The areas above, most common first, and what an MOT tester looks at 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.
4
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. 11.3% of V90 failure items.
5
Body, chassis, structure
Look underneath and along the sills for corrosion, and check for damaged or poorly repaired panels. 10.4% of V90 failure items.
None of this replaces the car's own record. Run a free MOT history check on the registration to see every test, advisory and recorded mileage for that car.
What the MOT record doesn't tell you
Knowing Volvo V90 failures cluster around tyres and brakes tells you what to inspect. It tells you nothing about whether the car is safe to buy. An MOT does not show money still owed on the car, a write-off, a theft record or a clocked odometer.
Check the exact V90 you are looking at. One £15 report, instant results, backed by a £30,000 data guarantee. More on the Volvo history check.
- Outstanding finance
- Write-off records
- Stolen markers
- Mileage history
- Previous keepers
Other used Volvo models
The most-tested Volvo models in 2025, with how their MOT pass rate compares with the V90.
Used Volvo V90 FAQs
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.
Do older Volvo V90 cars fail their MOT more often?
Volvo V90 cars 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%. On an older example, the car's own MOT history tells you more than the model average.
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 history: outstanding finance, insurance write-off records, stolen markers, mileage and previous keepers. None of these appear in the MOT record or on the V5C.
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.
MOT figures are aggregated from the DVSA MOT Anonymised data set for 2025 (class 4 initial tests, retests excluded), licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. MOT results describe roadworthiness at test, not mechanical reliability.