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MOT results · tests in 2025 · Great Britain

Volvo XC40 reliability: what the MOT shows

88,016 XC40s had an MOT in 2025. 90.0% passed first time, against 86.0% for other cars of the same age and mileage. That is 4.0 points better than comparable cars.

90.0%passed first time

+4.0points against cars of the same age and mileage

1.3×as many brake failures as comparable cars

Report card

Volvo XC40 MOT results by registration year

Each dot compares how often XC40s of that year failed on one area of the test with cars of the same age and mileage.

Much betterBetterAbout the sameWorseMuch worse

Year	Passed first time	Against same age and mileage	MOTs
2018	87.3%	+6.3	6,688
2019	87.3%	+3.9	15,033
2020	90.0%	+4.0	24,454
2021	91.0%	+3.7	24,985
2022	91.8%	+3.4	16,847

Much worse: failed on that area at least 1.5 times as often. Worse: 1.15 to 1.5 times. Better: up to 0.87 times. Much better: two-thirds as often or less. Gaps under half a percentage point count as about the same. Registration year is the year the car was first used.

Volvo XC40 years to avoid, going by the MOT

Ahead2018 to 2022+3.4 to +6.3 ptsMost common failures: brake pads (less than 1.5 mm thick) in 2018, 2019 and 2020; condition (has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords) in 2021 and 2022. 88,007 MOTs.

Well behind: 5 or more points below cars of the same age and mileage. Behind: 1.5 to 5 points below. Level: within 1.5 points. Ahead: 1.5 or more points above.

What fails

Volvo XC40 common faults at the MOT

3.0% of XC40 MOTs failed on brakes, against 2.3% for cars of the same age and mileage, and 4.3% on tyres, against 5.2%.

Most common failures

Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick2.6%Cars of the same age and mileage: 1.3%

Condition: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords2.0%Cars of the same age and mileage: 1.8%

Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm1.1%Cars of the same age and mileage: 1.5%

Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively0.7%Cars of the same age and mileage: 1.9%

Condition: has ply or cords exposed0.6%Cars of the same age and mileage: 1.0%

Headlamp aim: too high0.4%Cars of the same age and mileage: 0.7%

Linkage: fractured0.3%Cars of the same age and mileage: 0.0%

Condition: has a bulge, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure0.2%Cars of the same age and mileage: 0.4%

XC40Same age and mileage

Fails more often than other cars

Linkage: fractured31.5×0.25% of XC40 MOTs (222) against 0.01% for cars of the same age and mileage

Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick2.0×2.62% of XC40 MOTs (2,309) against 1.34% for cars of the same age and mileage

Mileage

Ahead at every mileage

XC40s pass more often than cars of the same age and mileage at every mileage, by 3.1 to 6.9 points. The gap is widest at 120k+ miles.

XC40, first-time pass rateCars of the same age and mileage

Petrol, diesel or hybrid XC40

Diesels passed 86.9% first time, 4.8 points above comparable cars; petrols passed 89.2%, 3.2 points above comparable cars. Diesels had a median of 54,037 miles at the test, against 35,611 for petrols.

Fuel	MOTs	Passed first time	Same age and mileage	Gap (pts)	Median miles
Petrol	41,202	89.2%	86.0%	+3.2	35,611
Hybrid	31,204	92.3%	87.1%	+5.2	32,319
Diesel	11,328	86.9%	82.1%	+4.8	54,037
Electric	4,282	88.7%	87.8%	+0.9	30,043

Against rivals

XC40 against other premium SUVs

Cars registered 2014 to 2021, each against cars of the same age and mileage. The XC40 ranks 12 of 18.

Model	MOTs	Passed first time	Same age and mileage	Gap (pts)
1. Range Rover	39,880	85.2%	76.5%	+8.7
2. Audi Q5	85,227	85.7%	77.9%	+7.8
3. Range Rover Sport	75,077	84.2%	77.2%	+7.0
4. Land Rover Discovery	67,572	82.7%	76.4%	+6.3
5. Jaguar I-Pace	17,780	91.1%	85.4%	+5.8
6. BMW X1	82,175	84.9%	79.3%	+5.7
7. Range Rover Evoque	148,573	83.4%	78.1%	+5.2
8. BMW X3	72,125	84.4%	79.2%	+5.2
9. Audi Q3	110,455	83.4%	78.2%	+5.1
10. Volvo XC60	90,526	81.8%	76.8%	+5.0
11. Volvo XC90	40,591	83.5%	78.5%	+5.0
12. Volvo XC40	71,168	89.6%	85.4%	+4.1
13. Jaguar F-Pace	53,345	84.6%	80.5%	+4.1
14. Land Rover Defender	26,707	84.0%	80.4%	+3.6
15. Jaguar E-Pace	31,252	87.1%	83.6%	+3.5
16. Land Rover Discovery Sport	109,161	81.0%	77.7%	+3.2
17. Mercedes GLA	86,403	82.8%	80.2%	+2.6
18. Range Rover Velar	32,716	84.3%	82.2%	+2.1

Check these before you buy a used XC40

What testers most often noted as advisories on XC40s in 2025: wear that passed but was close to failing. Figures in brackets are for cars of the same age and mileage.

Tread depth: worn close to legal limit/worn on edge13% (13%)
Brake pads: wearing thin11% (7%)
Condition: slightly damaged/cracking or perishing6% (7%)
Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened4% (6%)
Brake discs: worn, but not excessively4% (2%)
Condition: has a cut but not deep enough to reach the ply or cords3% (2%)
Tread depth: worn close to legal limit/worn on edge2% (2%)
Condition: slightly damaged1% (1%)

Questions about XC40 reliability

Is the Volvo XC40 reliable?

At the MOT, 90.0% of 88,016 XC40 MOTs in 2025 passed first time, against 86.0% for cars of the same age and mileage. 2018 to 2022: ahead (+3.4 to +6.3 points).

Which Volvo XC40 years should I avoid?

None stand out: every registration year is within 1.5 points of cars of the same age and mileage, or ahead of them.

What is the most common MOT failure on a XC40?

Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick: 2.6% of XC40 MOTs, against 1.3% for cars of the same age and mileage.

Is a diesel or petrol XC40 more reliable?

Petrol XC40s passed 89.2% first time and diesels 86.9%. Against cars of the same age and mileage, petrols were 3.2 points above and diesels 4.8 points above.

Is the XC40 more reliable than the Range Rover Evoque?

For cars registered 2014 to 2021, the Range Rover Evoque passed 83.4% first time, +5.2 points against comparable cars. The XC40 passed 89.6%, +4.1 points.

How we measure

Data. Every car MOT in Great Britain in 2025 (31,475,521 first tests on cars first used 2005 to 2022), from DVSA's anonymised MOT test data. Retests are left out.

Passed first time. A car passed if its first test that year ended in a pass. Cars that failed and were fixed within the hour count as fails, as DVSA counts them.

Same age and mileage. We group every car by the year it was first used and its mileage (under 30k, 30–60k, 60–90k, 90–120k, over 120k). The comparison figure is what those groups scored, weighted to match the XC40's mix of ages and mileages.

Model. Every car DVSA records as a Volvo XC40: 51 recorded model names, from "XC40" to trims such as "XC40 RDESIGN PRO T5 RECHARGE A".

The full method, including how each report-card dot and year group is decided.