84.1%
Volvo V90
Volvo V90 MOT pass rate and common problems
The Volvo V90 passed 84.1% of its initial MOT tests in 2025, 11.8 percentage points above the 72.3% UK average. The item testers recorded most often was brake pads less than 1.5 mm thick.
Checking a specific car? Its own results, advisories and recorded mileages are in a free MOT history check.
How the V90 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 V90 runs 8.8 points ahead of the Volvo average. It is 4th of the 18 Volvo models in the data. The average V90 arrived at its test 6.3 years old with 66,413 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.
V90 MOT pass rate by age
The same 2025 tests split by the car's age at test.
Volvo V90 cars aged 3 to 5 years passed 86.1% of MOT tests. For cars aged 11 years and over that fell to 63.4%, a drop of 22.8 percentage points.
| Age at test | Tests | Pass rate | vs UK average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 to 5 years | 7,074 | 86.1% | 13.8 pts above |
| 6 to 10 years | 8,627 | 82.1% | 9.8 pts above |
| 11 years and over | 131 | 63.4% | 8.9 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 V90 failures cluster
Every failure item recorded on Volvo V90 cars in 2025, grouped into the DVSA's test areas.
Tyres and brakes together account for 52.7% of recorded failure items. These are recorded failures across the model, not faults every car has.
The 10 most common V90 MOT failures
Specific items recorded on Volvo V90 cars that failed their 2025 MOT, as a share of all recorded failure items.
Together these 10 items make up 65.9% of everything testers recorded against failed Volvo V90 cars. The rest is spread across many smaller items, and one failed test often records several at once.
What to look at on a V90
The recorded failures above, grouped by area, biggest first.
1
Tyres
Recorded most often: condition has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords, condition has ply or cords exposed, tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm and condition has a bulge, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure. 30% of failure items.
2
Brakes
Recorded most often: brake pads less than 1.5 mm thick. 12.5% of failure items.
3
Body, chassis, structure
Recorded most often: joints constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt. 9% of failure items.
4
Suspension
Recorded most often: coil spring fractured or broken and ball joint excessively worn. 7.8% of failure items.
The car's own MOT history matters more than any model average. A free MOT history check shows whether a specific V90 has failed on these items before, or had them noted as advisories. Buying one? See the used Volvo V90 buying guide.
Already found one?
Check its finance, write-off, theft, mileage and keeper history with a £15 vehicle history report.
Volvo V90 MOT FAQs
What is the Volvo V90 MOT pass rate?
84.1% of Volvo V90 cars passed their initial MOT first time in 2025, from 16,684 tests. That is 11.8 percentage points above the 72.3% average for all cars, and ranks 138th of 575 models.
What does a Volvo V90 most commonly fail its MOT on?
The item testers recorded most often on Volvo V90 cars failing their 2025 MOT was brake pads less than 1.5 mm thick, on 12.5% of failure items. Next were 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%).
Which area causes the most Volvo V90 MOT failures?
Across every recorded failure item, the largest area was tyres at 34%, followed by brakes at 18.7%.
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, against 63.4% for cars aged 11 years and over.
Does this mean every Volvo V90 has these problems?
No. These are the items testers recorded across every Volvo V90 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 V90'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.