Volvo S40 Reliability: MOT Pass Rate by Year & Engine

Verdict

The Volvo S40 passes its MOT first time on 57.0% of tests, about the same as a typical car of the same age and mileage (57.3%). That puts it ahead of 49% of cars on UK roads once age and mileage are taken into account.

By year of first registration, the 2006 S40 does best (beats 63% of cars) and the 2009 worst (beats 50%).

Of its engines, the 2.0 Diesel does best (beats 54%) and the 1.6 Diesel worst (beats 44%).

Better than average on visibility, emissions & leaks, seat belts & airbags.

Watch these weak spots

Coil springs1.5×as often as a typical car

Suspension arm bushes1.7×as often as a typical car

Drive shaft (CV) joints1.5×as often as a typical car

Number plate lights1.5×as often as a typical car

MOT pass rate by age

First-time pass rate at each MOT by the car’s age in years.

Volvo S40Typical car, same age & mileage

Best and worst years

By year of first registration, ranked against all cars on UK roads after adjusting for age and mileage. Green = better than half of cars.

Beats 21%

Beats 18%

Beats 38%

Beats 41%

Beats 38%

Beats 32%

Beats 42%

Beats 55%

Beats 63%

Beats 60%

Beats 52%

Beats 50%

Beats 48%

Beats 35%

Beats 40%

Engines

All years, most common first. Grades compare each car with cars of the same age and mileage (A = best 20% of cars on UK roads, E = worst 20%), so an older or higher-mileage car can grade above one with a higher pass rate.

Engine	Years	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
2.0 Diesel	2004–2012	48,653	57.1%	Beats 54%	C
1.6 Petrol	1999–2010	42,062	58.5%	Beats 54%	C
1.8 Petrol	2000–2009	39,537	54.0%	Beats 44%	C
1.6 Diesel	2005–2012	39,147	58.8%	Beats 44%	C
1.9 Petrol	1998–2004	9,611	51.4%	Beats 37%	D
2.4 Petrol	2004–2007	7,457	59.6%	Beats 60%	B
1.9 Diesel	2002–2004	6,479	47.4%	Beats 37%	D
2.0 Petrol	2007–2012	6,321	68.8%	Beats 61%	B
2.4 Diesel	2008–2008	1,915	54.7%	Beats 48%	C
2.5 Petrol	2004–2004	1,058	56.6%	Beats 62%	B

Where it fails

Each area compared with a typical car of the same age and mileage, in points of pass rate. Tap or hover an area to see what to check.

Better than typicalTypicalWorse than typical

Suspension: 17.7% of tests fail on suspension, against 16.5% for a typical car of the same age and mileage. Listen for knocks over speed bumps and push each corner down: it should settle at once.

Every MOT area

Share of tests failing on each area, against a typical car of the same age and mileage (black line).

Lights & electrics

19.9% vs 20.5%

Suspension

17.7% vs 16.5%

Brakes

11.2% vs 12.0%

Tyres

8.8% vs 7.8%

Body & structure

6.4% vs 6.9%

Visibility

5.5% vs 7.0%

Emissions & leaks

4.5% vs 5.9%

Steering

3.9% vs 3.5%

Seat belts & airbags

1.6% vs 2.2%

Wheels

0.6% vs 0.5%

Buying one or MOT due? Check these

Coil springs 1.5× typical
Look behind each wheel for a snapped coil (often the bottom one) and listen for clunks over bumps.
Suspension arm bushes 1.7× typical
Listen for knocks over speed bumps and feel for wandering or vague steering.
Number plate lights 1.5× typical
Walk around with the lights on: bulb failures are the easiest MOT fails to avoid.
Tyre damage & cracking
Look for cuts, bulges and cracking on both sidewalls of every tyre.
Headlight aim
Park facing a wall at night: both dipped beams should sit level and dip to the left.
Headlight bulbs & units
Check dipped and main beam on both sides.

Pass rate by mileage

First-time pass rate by mileage at the test.

Volvo S40Typical car

Most common MOT failures

Item	This car	Typical	vs typical
Sidelights	6.0%	5.5%	1.1×
Coil springs	5.6%	3.7%	1.5×
Tyre damage & cracking	5.3%	4.0%	1.3×
Headlight aim	5.0%	5.3%	0.9×
Drive shaft (CV) joints	3.7%	2.6%	1.5×
Headlight bulbs & units	3.6%	3.8%	1.0×
Number plate lights	3.5%	2.4%	1.5×
Suspension arm bushes	3.4%	2.0%	1.7×
Handbrake performance	3.3%	2.8%	1.1×
Tyre tread depth	3.2%	3.5%	0.9×

Specific defects found

Tester wording for the most frequent failure items, per 1,000 tests.

Defect	per 1,000
A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn	65.3
A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened	55.5
The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements	49.5
A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning	47.7
A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc	37.9
Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements	32.2
A rear registration plate lamp or light source missing or inoperative in the case of a single lamp or all lamps	30.2
A headlamp or light source missing, inoperative or more than ½ not functioning in the case of LED	27.9

Check another car

Pick a make and model to see its MOT pass rate, best and worst years and weak spots.

Every year and engine

Tap a year to see its engines. Grades compare each car with cars of the same age and mileage (A = best 20% of cars on UK roads, E = worst 20%), so an older or higher-mileage car can grade above one with a higher pass rate.

2012 Volvo S403 engines64.7% passC

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
1.6 Diesel	7,768	61.0%	Beats 27%	D
2.0 Petrol	2,686	72.8%	Beats 67%	B
2.0 Diesel	1,127	71.4%	Beats 71%	B

2011 Volvo S403 engines60.8% passD

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
1.6 Diesel	7,378	57.7%	Beats 28%	D
2.0 Diesel	3,420	62.3%	Beats 43%	C
2.0 Petrol	2,520	68.0%	Beats 52%	C

2010 Volvo S403 engines60.4% passC

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
1.6 Diesel	9,511	58.8%	Beats 44%	C
2.0 Diesel	6,031	60.7%	Beats 50%	C
1.6 Petrol	2,596	65.9%	Beats 59%	C

2009 Volvo S404 engines59.6% passC

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
1.6 Diesel	7,321	58.8%	Beats 51%	C
1.6 Petrol	6,840	60.3%	Beats 47%	C
2.0 Diesel	6,084	58.9%	Beats 50%	C
1.8 Petrol	1,623	63.0%	Beats 57%	C

2008 Volvo S405 engines57.4% passC

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
1.6 Petrol	11,278	58.9%	Beats 54%	C
2.0 Diesel	8,010	56.1%	Beats 52%	C
1.8 Petrol	6,596	56.8%	Beats 45%	C
2.4 Diesel	1,915	54.7%	Beats 48%	C
1.6 Diesel	1,690	59.6%	Beats 63%	B

2007 Volvo S406 engines58.6% passB

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
2.0 Diesel	7,472	55.5%	Beats 54%	C
1.6 Petrol	5,192	61.5%	Beats 66%	B
1.8 Petrol	3,493	59.1%	Beats 60%	C
2.4 Petrol	1,679	61.7%	Beats 61%	B
1.6 Diesel	1,568	57.6%	Beats 60%	B
2.0 Petrol	1,115	61.2%	Beats 65%	B

2006 Volvo S405 engines58.6% passB

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
2.0 Diesel	7,659	56.2%	Beats 61%	B
1.6 Petrol	5,156	61.0%	Beats 67%	B
1.8 Petrol	4,192	57.7%	Beats 58%	C
2.4 Petrol	1,734	62.3%	Beats 64%	B
1.6 Diesel	1,652	60.6%	Beats 72%	B

2005 Volvo S405 engines54.8% passC

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
2.0 Diesel	6,435	52.6%	Beats 55%	C
1.8 Petrol	5,359	53.7%	Beats 48%	C
1.6 Petrol	4,355	57.2%	Beats 59%	C
1.6 Diesel	2,259	54.4%	Beats 58%	C
2.4 Petrol	1,873	60.8%	Beats 66%	B

2004 Volvo S407 engines51.2% passC

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
1.8 Petrol	6,080	51.1%	Beats 36%	D
1.9 Diesel	2,528	46.3%	Beats 34%	D
2.0 Diesel	2,415	52.3%	Beats 56%	C
2.4 Petrol	2,171	55.0%	Beats 51%	C
1.9 Petrol	1,586	51.6%	Beats 37%	D
1.6 Petrol	1,334	48.7%	Beats 28%	D
2.5 Petrol	1,058	56.6%	Beats 62%	B

2003 Volvo S404 engines48.6% passD

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
1.8 Petrol	4,684	48.1%	Beats 29%	D
1.9 Diesel	2,423	47.3%	Beats 36%	D
1.9 Petrol	1,963	50.8%	Beats 37%	D
1.6 Petrol	1,792	49.4%	Beats 30%	D

2002 Volvo S404 engines50.2% passD

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
1.8 Petrol	3,394	50.0%	Beats 35%	D
1.9 Petrol	1,722	50.1%	Beats 38%	D
1.9 Diesel	1,528	49.3%	Beats 45%	C
1.6 Petrol	1,199	52.0%	Beats 37%	D

2001 Volvo S402 engines52.0% passC

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
1.8 Petrol	2,488	52.3%	Beats 41%	C
1.9 Petrol	1,915	51.5%	Beats 41%	C

2000 Volvo S403 engines53.1% passD

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
1.8 Petrol	1,628	53.9%	Beats 43%	C
1.9 Petrol	1,379	54.0%	Beats 44%	C
1.6 Petrol	1,203	50.9%	Beats 27%	D

1999 Volvo S401 engine48.0% passE

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
1.6 Petrol	1,117	48.0%	Beats 18%	E

1998 Volvo S401 engine50.7% passD

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
1.9 Petrol	1,046	50.7%	Beats 21%	D

FAQ

What is the Volvo S40 MOT pass rate?

57.0% of MOT tests on the Volvo S40 were passed first time, based on 202,240 tests between 2018 and 2026 of cars first registered 1998–2012. A typical car of the same age and mileage passes 57.3% of the time.

Is the Volvo S40 reliable?

On MOT results it rates C (average): it passes first time less often than a typical car of the same age and mileage and does better than 49% of cars on UK roads. MOT results cover safety and emissions items, not every kind of breakdown.

Which Volvo S40 year is best?

Among years with enough data, the 2006 S40 does best for its age and mileage: it beats 63% of cars on UK roads. The 2009 does worst: it beats 50%.

Which Volvo S40 engine is best?

Across all years, the 2.0 Diesel does best: it beats 54% of cars on UK roads. The 1.6 Diesel does worst: it beats 44%.

What are the most common MOT failures on the Volvo S40?

The most common failure items are sidelights, coil springs, tyre damage & cracking. Compared with similar cars, coil springs comes up 1.5× as often.

How we calculate this. We use official MOT results for cars tested in Great Britain from 2018 to 2026. Each car is compared with typical cars of the same age and mileage, so old and new cars are judged fairly; “pts” are percentage points above or below them. Differences also reflect how cars are used and maintained, not only how they are built.

Volvo S40 reliability

Verdict

Watch these weak spots

MOT pass rate by age

Best and worst years

Engines

Where it fails

Every MOT area

Buying one or MOT due? Check these

Pass rate by mileage

Most common MOT failures

Specific defects found

Every year and engine

FAQ