76%
Volvo XC90 pass rate
Used Volvo XC90 buying guide
In 2025, Volvo XC90 cars passed 76% of 74,798 initial MOT tests, 3.7 points above the 72.3% UK average. Here is where it fails and what to check before you buy.
Looking at a specific XC90? Check its finance, write-off, stolen, mileage and keeper history. £15, no account needed.
Volvo XC90 MOT record in brief
Initial MOT tests in 2025, retests excluded.
72.3%
UK average, all cars
+3.7
percentage points above average
Ranked on pass rate the XC90 sits 248th of 575 models in the data. Volvo as a brand averaged 75.3%, so this model runs 0.8 points ahead of its own brand. Volvo XC90 cars aged 3 to 5 years passed 87% of MOT tests in 2025; for examples aged 11 years and over that fell to 62.6%.
A pass rate is not a reliability score. The full Volvo XC90 MOT record has the pass rate by age, every common failure and how the XC90 compares with similar cars.
XC90 fuel types
Diesel made up 63.7% of Volvo XC90 MOT tests in 2025, against 39.3% across all models in this data. Most used examples you look at will be diesels.
Where the XC90 fails its MOT
Where Volvo XC90 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 position lamp not working (8.4%), condition has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords (5.4%) and tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm (5%). See every common XC90 MOT failure.
These are DVSA failure records across every Volvo XC90 that failed, not a claim that every XC90 has these problems.
What should you check when buying a used XC90?
The areas above, most common first, and what an MOT tester looks at 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. 27.2% of XC90 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. 23.1% of XC90 failure items.
3
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. 17.2% of XC90 failure items.
4
Suspension
Listen for knocks over bumps, check the car sits level, and look for leaking shock absorbers and split rubber gaiters. 13.8% of XC90 failure items.
5
Visibility
Check the windscreen for chips or cracks in the driver's view, and that the wipers and washers clear it properly. 5.2% of XC90 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 XC90 failures cluster around lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 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 XC90 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 XC90.
Used Volvo XC90 FAQs
Is the Volvo XC90 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 76% first-time pass rate for the Volvo XC90 across 74,798 tests in 2025, above the 72.3% average for all cars.
Do older Volvo XC90 cars fail their MOT more often?
Volvo XC90 cars aged 3 to 5 years passed 87% of MOT tests in 2025; for examples aged 11 years and over that fell to 62.6%. 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 XC90?
On the car itself, start with the areas it most often fails on: lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment, brakes and tyres. 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 XC90'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.