Volvo XC60 MOT pass rate and common problems

The Volvo XC60 passed 80.2% of its initial MOT tests in 2025, 7.9 percentage points above the 72.3% UK average. The item testers recorded most often was coil spring fractured or broken.

Checking a specific car? Its own results, advisories and recorded mileages are in a free MOT history check.

How the XC60 compares

Initial MOT tests in 2025, retests excluded. A car that failed and was repaired at the test station counts as a fail.

80.2%

Volvo XC60

75.3%

Volvo average

72.3%

UK average, all cars

The XC60 runs 4.9 points ahead of the Volvo average. It is 5th of the 18 Volvo models in the data. The average XC60 arrived at its test 8.4 years old with 79,557 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.

XC60 MOT pass rate by age

The same 2025 tests split by the car's age at test.

Volvo XC60 cars aged 3 to 5 years passed 89.6% of MOT tests. For cars aged 11 years and over that fell to 69.7%, a drop of 19.9 percentage points.

Age at testTestsPass ratevs UK average
3 to 5 years 27,379 89.6% 17.3 pts above
6 to 10 years 61,322 79.1% 6.8 pts above
11 years and over 24,606 69.7% 2.6 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 XC60 failures cluster

Every failure item recorded on Volvo XC60 cars in 2025, grouped into the DVSA's test areas.

  • Tyres21.7%
  • Suspension21.7%
  • Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment21.2%
  • Brakes13.7%
  • Visibility7.5%
  • Steering5%

Tyres and suspension together account for 43.4% of recorded failure items. These are recorded failures across the model, not faults every car has.

The 10 most common XC60 MOT failures

Specific items recorded on Volvo XC60 cars that failed their 2025 MOT, as a share of all recorded failure items.

  1. 1Coil spring fractured or brokenSuspension 14.3%
  2. 2Brake pads less than 1.5 mm thickBrakes 7.9%
  3. 3Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mmTyres 7.5%
  4. 4Condition has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cordsTyres 6.5%
  5. 5Wipers does not clear the windscreen effectivelyVisibility 4.2%
  6. 6Condition has ply or cords exposedTyres 3.9%
  7. 7Malfunction indicator lamp inoperative or indicates a malfunctionNoise, emissions and leaks 3.4%
  8. 8Headlamp aim too lowLamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 2.6%
  9. 9Side repeaters not workingLamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 2.6%
  10. 10Stop lamp not workingLamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 2.5%

Together these 10 items make up 55.5% of everything testers recorded against failed Volvo XC60 cars. The rest is spread across many smaller items, and one failed test often records several at once.

What to look at on a XC60

The recorded failures above, grouped by area, biggest first.

1

Tyres

Recorded most often: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm, condition has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords and condition has ply or cords exposed. 18% of failure items.

2

Suspension

Recorded most often: coil spring fractured or broken. 14.3% of failure items.

3

Brakes

Recorded most often: brake pads less than 1.5 mm thick. 7.9% of failure items.

4

Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment

Recorded most often: headlamp aim too low, side repeaters not working and stop lamp not working. 7.7% of failure items.

The car's own MOT history matters more than any model average. A free MOT history check shows whether a specific XC60 has failed on these items before, or had them noted as advisories. Buying one? See the used Volvo XC60 buying guide.

Already found one?

Check its finance, write-off, theft, mileage and keeper history with a £15 vehicle history report.

Volvo XC60 MOT FAQs

What is the Volvo XC60 MOT pass rate?

80.2% of Volvo XC60 cars passed their initial MOT first time in 2025, from 119,337 tests. That is 7.9 percentage points above the 72.3% average for all cars, and ranks 197th of 575 models.

What does a Volvo XC60 most commonly fail its MOT on?

The item testers recorded most often on Volvo XC60 cars failing their 2025 MOT was coil spring fractured or broken, on 14.3% of failure items. Next were brake pads less than 1.5 mm thick (7.9%) and tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm (7.5%).

Which area causes the most Volvo XC60 MOT failures?

Across every recorded failure item, the largest area was tyres at 21.7%, followed by suspension at 21.7%.

Do older Volvo XC60 cars fail their MOT more often?

Volvo XC60 cars aged 3 to 5 years passed 89.6% of MOT tests in 2025, against 69.7% for cars aged 11 years and over.

Does this mean every Volvo XC60 has these problems?

No. These are the items testers recorded across every Volvo XC60 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 XC60'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.