Car statistics
Volvo car statistics
How many Volvo cars are on the road in Great Britain, every Volvo model, its share of new cars over time and which fuels they use, how they do at the MOT and their safety recalls. Built from DVLA licensing records and DVSA MOT results.
- Licensed in Great Britain 751,869 +5.7% on a year earlier
- Rank among makes No. 18 2.2% of licensed cars
- MOT first-time pass rate, 2025 75.4% Cars of the same ages 74.1%
- New registrations in 2025 69,004 3.4% of all new cars
- Most common fuel Diesel 43.0% of those licensed
- Safety recalls since 1992 162 naming 19 Volvo models
How many Volvo cars are on the road?
There were 751,869 Volvo cars licensed in Great Britain at the end of March 2026, and a further 63,582 declared off the road (SORN). That is 2.2% of all licensed cars, or about 1 in 45, making Volvo the No. 18 make on the road. That is 0.7% fewer than the 757,260 licensed in 1994, when this data begins. Petrol makes up 19.3% of licensed Volvo cars, against 54.6% of all cars.
Volvo cars licensed in Great Britain
The count was highest in 1994, when this data begins.
| Year | Licensed |
|---|---|
| 1994 | 757,260 |
| 1995 | 746,515 |
| 1996 | 752,718 |
| 1997 | 748,139 |
| 1998 | 734,241 |
| 1999 | 723,536 |
| 2000 | 695,938 |
| 2001 | 671,809 |
| 2002 | 642,826 |
| 2003 | 609,931 |
| 2004 | 588,791 |
| 2005 | 568,669 |
| 2006 | 540,494 |
| 2007 | 523,423 |
| 2008 | 512,479 |
| 2009 | 506,611 |
| 2010 | 506,257 |
| 2011 | 498,466 |
| 2012 | 494,660 |
| 2013 | 492,523 |
| 2014 | 496,938 |
| 2015 | 509,857 |
| 2016 | 526,182 |
| 2017 | 538,300 |
| 2018 | 556,190 |
| 2019 | 581,757 |
| 2020 | 598,987 |
| 2021 | 622,807 |
| 2022 | 639,368 |
| 2023 | 661,608 |
| 2024 | 699,225 |
| 2025 | 739,705 |
| 2026 | 751,869 |
Source:DfT / DVLA End of March 2026 Updated
Fuel type
Volvo cars
All cars in Great Britain
Source:DfT / DVLA End of March 2026 Updated
Volvo models
36 Volvo models have a page of their own. The most common is the Volvo XC40, with 174,993 licensed: 23.3% of all Volvo cars on the road. Over the last year the XC40 added the most cars on the road (+28,678, +19.6%) and the V50 lost the most (−3,545, −13.6%). The totals above also count models too small for a page of their own.
| Model | Licensed | Change on a year | SORN | Main fuel | MOT pass rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| XC40 | 174,993 | +19.6% | 1,060 | Hybrid | 90.0% |
| XC60 | 149,383 | +7.1% | 2,413 | Diesel | 80.2% |
| XC90 | 91,505 | +3.8% | 6,477 | Diesel | 76.0% |
| V40 | 91,276 | −2.0% | 4,457 | Diesel | 71.6% |
| V60 | 41,893 | +1.0% | 867 | Diesel | 77.5% |
| V70 | 33,671 | −8.5% | 9,601 | Diesel | 63.8% |
| V50 | 22,523 | −13.6% | 3,756 | Diesel | 55.2% |
| EX30 | 21,411 | +83.8% | 343 | Electric | – |
| C30 | 18,239 | −9.4% | 2,083 | Diesel | 58.4% |
| S60 | 17,599 | −7.4% | 4,153 | Diesel | 72.2% |
| V90 | 17,547 | +0.8% | 267 | Diesel | 84.1% |
| XC70 | 14,886 | −4.6% | 1,529 | Diesel | 69.4% |
| S40 | 12,752 | −16.6% | 5,184 | Petrol | 57.7% |
| S90 | 7,212 | −2.6% | 197 | Diesel | 86.8% |
| C40 | 6,806 | −1.4% | 129 | Electric | 89.9% |
| EX40 | 5,568 | +165.8% | 18 | Electric | – |
| C70 | 5,467 | −12.3% | 3,024 | Diesel | 60.0% |
| S80 | 5,410 | −10.5% | 2,361 | Diesel | 69.0% |
| 940 | 1,999 | −4.6% | 2,668 | Petrol | – |
| 850 | 1,247 | −8.6% | 2,299 | Petrol | – |
| EX90 | 1,110 | +568.7% | 13 | Electric | – |
| 240 | 1,015 | −1.3% | 2,003 | Petrol | 65.8% |
| EC40 | 701 | +115.7% | 16 | Electric | – |
| 740 | 576 | −5.6% | 1,770 | Petrol | – |
| 960 | 358 | −12.3% | 674 | Petrol | – |
| S70 | 312 | −10.1% | 477 | Petrol | – |
| 1800 | 299 | −0.3% | 195 | Petrol | – |
| 122 | 195 | +1.0% | 105 | Petrol | – |
| P1800 | 145 | +0.7% | 57 | Petrol | – |
| ES90 | 141 | – | 0 | Electric | – |
| 340 | 138 | −2.1% | 775 | Petrol | – |
| 121 | 132 | −1.5% | 87 | Petrol | – |
| 244 | 130 | +4.8% | 172 | Petrol | – |
| 480 | 118 | −5.6% | 611 | Petrol | – |
| 131 | 102 | +2.0% | 77 | Petrol | – |
| 760 | 102 | 0.0% | 393 | Petrol | – |
MOT pass rates are first-time passes of cars aged three and over in 2025. A dash means too few tests, or a model DVSA’s records do not separate from vans.
New Volvo cars registered each year
Registrations of new Volvo cars in Great Britain peaked at 69,004 in 2025. In 2025, 69,004 were registered for the first time: 3.4% of all new cars, against 3.4% in 2024, Volvo’s best year for share of new cars.
Registered for the first time, by year
| Year | First registrations |
|---|---|
| ’01 | 41,444 |
| ’02 | 41,941 |
| ’03 | 39,183 |
| ’04 | 39,884 |
| ’05 | 38,103 |
| ’06 | 30,392 |
| ’07 | 29,740 |
| ’08 | 32,881 |
| ’09 | 34,406 |
| ’10 | 36,964 |
| ’11 | 32,397 |
| ’12 | 31,642 |
| ’13 | 32,423 |
| ’14 | 40,590 |
| ’15 | 43,166 |
| ’16 | 46,311 |
| ’17 | 45,670 |
| ’18 | 49,941 |
| ’19 | 55,875 |
| ’20 | 46,191 |
| ’21 | 48,260 |
| ’22 | 36,897 |
| ’23 | 50,534 |
| ’24 | 66,448 |
| ’25 | 69,004 |
Source:DfT / DVLA 2001 to 2025 Updated
Share of all new cars
Volvo’s first registrations as a share of every car registered for the first time in Great Britain that year.
| Year | Share of new cars |
|---|---|
| 2001 | 1.6% |
| 2002 | 1.6% |
| 2003 | 1.5% |
| 2004 | 1.5% |
| 2005 | 1.6% |
| 2006 | 1.3% |
| 2007 | 1.2% |
| 2008 | 1.6% |
| 2009 | 1.7% |
| 2010 | 1.9% |
| 2011 | 1.7% |
| 2012 | 1.6% |
| 2013 | 1.5% |
| 2014 | 1.7% |
| 2015 | 1.7% |
| 2016 | 1.7% |
| 2017 | 1.8% |
| 2018 | 2.1% |
| 2019 | 2.4% |
| 2020 | 2.9% |
| 2021 | 2.9% |
| 2022 | 2.3% |
| 2023 | 2.7% |
| 2024 | 3.4% |
| 2025 | 3.4% |
Source:DfT / DVLA 2001 to 2025 Updated
Volvo MOT reliability
In 2025, 75.4% of MOT tests of Volvo cars were passed first time, from 597,957 tests. Cars of the same ages pass 74.1% of the time, so Volvo does better than average for the age of its cars, by 1.3 points. That ranks Volvo No. 26 of the 50 makes with enough tests to compare. 8.0% of Volvo tests found at least one dangerous defect, against 7.3% for all cars.
Among Volvo models with enough tests, the S80 does best for its age (+6.8 points against cars of the same ages) and the V50 does worst (−5.0 points). Average age at test for Volvo cars: 10.1 years.
| Model | Tests | Pass rate | Same ages | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| S80 | 6,207 | 69.0% | 62.2% | +6.8 pts |
| XC70 | 16,660 | 69.4% | 64.0% | +5.4 pts |
| 240 | 1,212 | 65.8% | 61.0% | +4.8 pts |
| S90 | 7,805 | 86.8% | 82.2% | +4.6 pts |
| XC60 | 119,161 | 80.2% | 76.8% | +3.4 pts |
| XC40 | 88,640 | 90.0% | 86.8% | +3.2 pts |
| S60 | 19,150 | 72.2% | 69.7% | +2.5 pts |
| V70 | 37,989 | 63.8% | 61.8% | +2.0 pts |
| XC90 | 74,647 | 76.0% | 74.3% | +1.7 pts |
| V60 | 41,185 | 77.5% | 76.2% | +1.3 pts |
| V90 | 16,673 | 84.1% | 82.8% | +1.3 pts |
| C40 | 1,973 | 89.9% | 89.3% | +0.6 pts |
| C70 | 6,849 | 60.0% | 59.8% | +0.2 pts |
| C30 | 20,617 | 58.4% | 60.5% | −2.1 pts |
| V40 | 97,284 | 71.6% | 73.9% | −2.3 pts |
| S40 | 15,238 | 57.7% | 60.0% | −2.3 pts |
| V50 | 26,141 | 55.2% | 60.2% | −5.0 pts |
Every make and model ranked by MOT pass rate
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
Volvo safety recalls
DVSA lists 162 safety recalls naming a Volvo car model since 1992, across 19 models. 50 were launched from 2016 to 2025, ranking Volvo No. 17 of the makes with recalls in those years. A recall naming several Volvo models counts once.
Recalls launched each year, 2006 to 2025
| Year | Recalls |
|---|---|
| ’06 | 4 |
| ’07 | 9 |
| ’08 | 11 |
| ’09 | 12 |
| ’10 | 18 |
| ’11 | 14 |
| ’12 | 5 |
| ’13 | 3 |
| ’14 | 1 |
| ’15 | 8 |
| ’16 | 5 |
| ’17 | 3 |
| ’18 | 2 |
| ’19 | 8 |
| ’20 | 7 |
| ’21 | 9 |
| ’22 | 1 |
| ’23 | 4 |
| ’24 | 5 |
| ’25 | 6 |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis January 1992 to September 2026 Updated
Models with the most recalls
| Model | Recalls |
|---|---|
| Volvo V70 | 56 |
| Volvo XC60 | 53 |
| Volvo S80 | 49 |
| Volvo XC90 | 43 |
| Volvo S60 | 42 |
| Volvo V60 | 39 |
| Volvo XC70 | 38 |
| Volvo S40 | 32 |
| Volvo V50 | 24 |
| Volvo C30 | 18 |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis January 1992 to September 2026 Updated
Latest Volvo recalls
- 13 Jul 2026 CMA Cell Modules Volvo XC40
- 10 Feb 2026 Seat Recliner Volvo EX30
- 22 Jan 2026 HV Battery Volvo EX30
- 3 Dec 2025 Front seat belts Volvo XC90
- 31 Oct 2025 POT Separation Volvo EX90
Models mostly registered as vans are left out, as on our recalls hub. A recall applies to vehicles built on particular dates or with particular VINs, not to every Volvo. To check a specific car, use GOV.UK’s vehicle recall check. How we match recalls to models.
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis January 1992 to September 2026 Updated
Makes of a similar size
| Rank | Make | Licensed | Change on a year | Main fuel | MOT vs same ages |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 | MINI | 893,867 | +1.5% | Petrol | +5.3 pts |
| 16 | Renault | 885,220 | +0.7% | Petrol | −8.8 pts |
| 17 | Citroën | 787,247 | −3.5% | Petrol | −6.3 pts |
| 18 | Volvo | 751,869 | +5.7% | Diesel | +1.3 pts |
| 19 | SEAT | 602,869 | −0.9% | Petrol | −1.5 pts |
| 20 | Fiat | 597,602 | −3.8% | Petrol | −4.6 pts |
| 21 | Mazda | 568,102 | +0.6% | Petrol | +1.4 pts |
Data sources and methodology
| Figures | Source | Period | Records | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Licensed and SORN counts | Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport | End of March 2026 | 37,339,879 car records (licensed and SORN) | 15 September 2026 |
| Registered for the first time | Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport | 2001 to 2025 | – | 15 September 2026 |
| MOT results | Anonymised MOT tests and results Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency Derived statistics UK Motoring | 2025 | 29,122,953 car MOT tests | 15 September 2026 |
| Safety recalls | Vehicle safety recalls Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency Derived statistics UK Motoring | January 1992 to September 2026 | 7,495 road vehicle recalls (R/) | 15 September 2026 |
- Figures cover Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales). Northern Ireland is not included.
- Make totals count every car DVLA records under the make, including models too small for a page of their own. The rank is among all 525 makes on the record.
- Licensed counts are vehicles with a current tax or exemption at the end of each year (or the latest quarter). SORN counts are shown separately.
- First registrations count cars registered in Great Britain for the first time, including used imports.
- MOT figures cover normal tests of cars aged three and over; retests are excluded. The same-ages figure is what all cars would score with this make’s mix of ages.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.