How many Volvo S80s are still on the road in Great Britain, how many are declared off the road, how new registrations have changed and which fuels they use. Built from DVLA licensing records and 6,207 DVSA MOT tests.
Licensed in Great Britain5,410−10.5% on a year earlier
Declared SORN2,361Off the road, not taxed
MOT first-time pass rate, 202569.0%Cars of the same ages 62.2%
Rank by number licensedNo. 427of 1,159 models we cover
Peak year200824,019 licensed
Average annual mileage6,290miles a year
How many Volvo S80s are left in Great Britain?
There were 5,410 Volvo S80s licensed in Great Britain at the end of March 2026, and a further 2,361 declared off the road (SORN).
That is 77.5% fewer than the peak of 24,019 in 2008.
Volvo S80s licensed in Great Britain
Numbers peaked in 2008 and have fallen every year since, as older cars are scrapped faster than new ones are registered.
In 2025, 69.0% of Volvo S80 MOT tests were passed first time,
against 72.8% for all cars.
Cars of the same ages as the Volvo S80s tested pass 62.2% of the time, so the Volvo S80 does better than average for its age, by 6.8 points. In 2024 its pass rate was 67.8%.
MOT first-time pass rate by age: Volvo S80 vs all cars
Comparing like with like: each bar pair covers cars of the same age, so an older average age does not count against a model.
0%
50%
100%
8–10 years
11–14 years
15–19 years
20+ years
Volvo S80
All cars
MOT first-time pass rate by vehicle age, Volvo S80 compared with all cars
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment is the most common reason a Volvo S80 fails its MOT,
appearing on 45.4% of failed tests. A failed test can have defects in
more than one category, so shares add up to more than 100%.
8.3% of Volvo S80 tests found at least one dangerous defect, against 7.3% for all cars.
Most common MOT failure categories
Share of failed Volvo S80 MOT tests with at least one defect in each category
The single most common reason a Volvo S80 failed its MOT in 2025 was
“Position lamp: not working”, on 15.1% of 1,924 failed tests.
58.9% of tests ended with at least one advisory, a problem to watch that did not fail the test; the most common was “Tread depth: worn close to legal limit or worn on edge”.
The same fault on any wheel or side counts once.
Most common reasons for failure
Share of failed tests with each defect. A test can fail for more than one.
Most common specific MOT defects on failed Volvo S80 tests, 2025
Defect
Share of failed tests
Position lamp: not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment
15.1%
Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick Brakes
7.1%
Tyres: ply or cords exposed Tyres
7.0%
Headlamp aim: too low Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment
6.8%
Drive shafts: constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt Body, chassis, structure
6.5%
Track rod end: ball joint has excessive play Steering
6.3%
Tyres: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres
5.8%
Registration plate lamp(s): inoperative in the case of a single lamp or all lamps Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment
3 years of the Volvo S80, by year of first registration, have their own page with MOT results, common faults, mileage and how many are left. Against all cars of the same age, the 2010 cars did best at their 2025 MOT (71.3% passed first time) and the 2007 cars worst (66.8%).
Registered: cars on the DVLA record at the end of the year they were first registered (these counts start in 2014, so older years show a dash). Left:
licensed or declared SORN at the end of 2025.
Both cover the United Kingdom. Pass rate: first-time passes at normal MOT tests in Great
Britain in 2025; all cars: every car first registered the same year.
Volvo S80 annual mileage
The average Volvo S80 covers 6,290 miles a year,
worked out from odometer readings at consecutive MOT tests.
Average annual mileage by age
0
5k
10k
8,344
8–10 years
7,245
11–14 years
6,439
15–19 years
4,424
20+ years
Average annual mileage of a Volvo S80 by vehicle age
Registrations of Volvo S80s for the first time in Great Britain peaked at 3,830 in 2002. In 2025, 11 were registered. With almost none registered new, the number on the road is likely to keep falling.
Registered for the first time, by year
0
1k
2k
3k
4k
’01
’02
’03
’04
’05
’06
’07
’08
’09
’10
’11
’12
’13
’14
’15
’16
’17
’18
’19
’20
’21
’22
’23
’24
’25
Volvo S80s registered for the first time in Great Britain, by year
Of the 5,768 Volvo S80s licensed in the UK at the end of 2025, 58.6% have an engine of 2,401cc to 2,500cc, and 25.5% have an engine of 1,901cc to 2,000cc. The share with an engine of 2,401cc to 2,500cc has fallen from 79.2% in 2014 to 58.6%. Diesels made up 61.4% of those licensed in 2014 and 78.0% in 2025.
Engine sizes, end of 2025
DVLA records engine size in 100cc bands.
Volvo S80s licensed in the UK at the end of 2025, by engine size
Engine size
Share of those licensed
2,401cc to 2,500cc 3,381 licensed
58.6%
1,901cc to 2,000cc 1,472 licensed
25.5%
1,501cc to 1,600cc 400 licensed
6.9%
2,501cc to 2,600cc 206 licensed
3.6%
2,901cc to 3,000cc 139 licensed
2.4%
Other sizes 170 licensed
2.9%
Source:DfT / DVLAEnd of 2014 to end of 2025Updated
Engine size and fuel together, end of 2025
Engine size and fuel together, end of 2025
Engine size
Fuel
Licensed
Share
2,401–2,500cc
Diesel
2,678
46.4%
1,901–2,000cc
Diesel
1,426
24.7%
2,401–2,500cc
Petrol
681
11.8%
1,501–1,600cc
Diesel
395
6.8%
2,501–2,600cc
Petrol
202
3.5%
2,901–3,000cc
Petrol
137
2.4%
4,401–4,500cc
Petrol
82
1.4%
3,101–3,200cc
Petrol
64
1.1%
Engine sizes, 2014 to 2025
Share of those licensed at the end of each year, for the most common sizes.
Volvo S80s licensed in the UK by fuel type, share of each year’s total
Year
Diesel
Petrol
Other
2014
61.4%
37.4%
1.2%
2015
64.0%
34.9%
1.1%
2016
66.5%
32.4%
1.0%
2017
68.6%
30.5%
1.0%
2018
70.5%
28.6%
0.9%
2019
72.1%
27.2%
0.8%
2020
73.2%
26.1%
0.7%
2021
74.7%
24.5%
0.7%
2022
75.8%
23.6%
0.7%
2023
76.5%
22.8%
0.6%
2024
77.7%
21.8%
0.6%
2025
78.0%
21.5%
0.5%
Source:DfT / DVLAEnd of 2014 to end of 2025Updated
United Kingdom figures from DfT table VEH0220 (licensed cars at the end of each year, SORN
excluded), so they differ slightly from the Great Britain counts elsewhere on this page.
How we use engine sizes.
Volvo S80 fuel economy and CO2
The Vehicle Certification Agency’s new car data lists the Volvo S80 from 2000, when the data begins, to 2016. On the NEDC test (listings 2000 to 2016), official combined fuel economy for its petrol, diesel and other fuel versions ranges from 21.2 to 70.6 mpg, with CO2 of 104 to 293 g/km.
Official NEDC figures by engine and fuel, listed 2000 to 2016
Official NEDC figures by engine and fuel, listed 2000 to 2016
Official figures from laboratory type-approval tests. VCA says they may not be achieved in
real-world driving, and should not be used to rank cars with similar figures.
Engine sizes are rounded to the nearest 0.1 litre. A version is one line in
VCA’s data (description, gearbox, engine and fuel), counted once however many years it was
listed.
Matched from VCA’s model names “S80 Model Year 2002”, “S80 Model Year 04”, “S80 Model Year 03”, “S80 Model Year 2001”. How we use VCA’s figures.
Volvo S80 safety recalls
DVSA lists 49 safety recalls for the Volvo S80 since 1992, the first in 1999. The most recent was launched on 16 July 2020.
There is a risk for trapped air to be in the cooling system which may result in insufficient cooling of engine components
There is a risk for trapped air to be in the cooling system which may result in insufficient cooling of engine components.
Remedy
Add an extra degassing line (Bleeder Hose) between the cooling system radiator and the cooling system expansion tank which will evacuate the trapped air
A recall applies to cars built on particular dates or with particular VINs, not to every Volvo S80. The details come from manufacturers through DVSA, which says they may be delayed or
incomplete. To check a specific car, use GOV.UK’s vehicle recall check or ask the manufacturer or a
dealer. How we match recalls to models.
Figures cover Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales). Northern Ireland is not included.
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 vehicles registered in Great Britain for the first time, including used imports.
Models are grouped by DVLA’s generic model name, so every generation and trim counts together.
MOT figures cover normal tests of cars aged three and over in 2025; retests are excluded. Age is rounded to the nearest year.
DVSA records the model name typed in at the test. We match those names to DVLA’s generic models, so a handful of tests may be counted under a close relative.
