Car statistics by year

2004 Volvo V40

Volvo V40 cars first registered in 2004: how they did at their 2025 MOT, what failed them, how far they have been driven and how many are still on the road. Compared with every car first registered in 2004, so like is set against like.

A year of the Volvo V40. “2004” is the year of first registration.

Last updated
Records analysed
624 MOT tests of 2004 Volvo V40 cars
Methodology
View methodology
  • MOT first-time pass rate, 2025 47.9% All 2004 cars 57.9%
  • Typical mileage at the MOT 114,800 miles; all 2004 cars 101,100
  • Left at the end of 2025 823 23.7% of the 3,475 at the end of 2014
  • Tests finding a dangerous defect 13.5% All 2004 cars 9.6%
  • Tests with an advisory 74.0% All 2004 cars 70.0%
  • MOT tests in 2025 624 normal tests in Great Britain

How do 2004 Volvo V40s do at their MOT?

In 2025, at about 21 years old, 47.9% of 2004 Volvo V40 MOT tests were passed first time, against 57.9% for all cars first registered in 2004. 2004 Volvo V40s did worse than average for their age, by 10.0 points. A year earlier the same cars passed 48.5% of the time (all 2004 cars 56.5%).

MOT pass rate by year of first registration: Volvo V40 vs all cars

Each pair of bars is one year of first registration, tested in 2025. Older cars pass less often, so compare each Volvo V40 bar with the all-cars bar beside it.

MOT first-time pass rate in 2025 by year of first registration, Volvo V40 compared with all cars
First registered Volvo V40All cars
’02 48.6%59.7%
’03 48.7%58.9%
’04 47.9%57.9%
’12 61.9%63.6%
’13 65.9%66.0%
’14 67.1%69.1%
’15 67.6%72.6%
’16 73.2%75.6%
’17 78.0%79.1%
’18 78.8%81.8%
’19 80.6%84.4%

Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated

Most common MOT failures on the 2004 Volvo V40

Position lamp: not working was the most common single reason a 2004 Volvo V40 failed, on 19.7% of about 300 failed tests. By area of the car, lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment failed most often (53.2% of failed tests; all 2004 cars 49.2%). 13.5% of tests found at least one dangerous defect, against 9.6% for all cars first registered in 2004. A failed test can have several defects, so shares add up to more than 100%.

Most common reasons for failure

Share of failed tests with each defect. The same fault on any wheel or side counts once.

Most common specific MOT defects on failed 2004 Volvo V40 tests, 2025
Defect Share of failed tests
Position lamp: not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 19.7%
Drive shafts: constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt Body, chassis, structure 13.8%
Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively Visibility 12.0%
SRS malfunction indicator lamp: warning lamp indicates a fault Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems 11.1%
Steering rack: gaiter missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt Steering 10.8%
Coil spring: fractured or broken Suspension 9.5%
Rigid brake pipes: excessively corroded Brakes 8.0%
Headlamp: not working on dipped beam Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 7.1%
Parking brake efficiency below requirements Brakes 7.1%
Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick Brakes 6.8%

Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated

Failure categories: Volvo V40 vs all 2004 cars

The marker shows the share for all cars first registered the same year.

Share of failed 2004 Volvo V40 MOT tests with a defect in each category, with all 2004 cars for comparison
Category Share of failed tests
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 53.2%
Brakes 35.4%
Suspension 34.5%
Body, chassis, structure 22.5%
Steering 20.6%
Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems 17.2%
Visibility 16.6%
Tyres 14.5%

Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated

Most common MOT advisories on the 2004 Volvo V40

An advisory is something the tester noticed that did not fail the test but may need work soon. 74.0% of 2004 Volvo V40 tests had at least one (all 2004 cars 70.0%). These are the things to check on one you are thinking of buying.

Most common advisories

Most common MOT advisories on 2004 Volvo V40 tests, 2025
Advisory Share of tests
Rigid brake pipes: corroded, covered in grease or other material Brakes 21.0%
Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened Brakes 18.3%
Tread depth: worn close to legal limit or worn on edge Tyres 16.2%
Tyres: slightly damaged or cracking or perishing Tyres 14.1%
Engine oil leak, but not excessive Noise, emissions and leaks 13.1%
Brake pads: wearing thin Brakes 10.9%
Seat belts: webbing slightly damaged or frayed Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems 9.8%
Registration plates: deteriorated but not likely to be misread Identification of the vehicle 9.3%
Exhaust system: minor leak of exhaust gases Body, chassis, structure 5.3%
Individual direction indicators: slightly discoloured Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 5.3%

Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated

What mileage is normal for a 2004 Volvo V40?

Half of the 2004 Volvo V40s tested in 2025 had covered fewer than 114,800 miles. A quarter had covered fewer than 86,400 and a quarter more than 150,800. For all cars first registered in 2004, the middle figure was 101,100 miles, so 2004 Volvo V40s have been driven 13.6% further than average.

Mileage at the 2025 MOT

Odometer readings at each car’s latest MOT of the year. The bar covers the middle half of cars; the line the middle 80%.

Odometer readings at the 2025 MOT, 2004 Volvo V40 and all 2004 cars, by percentile
10% 25% Median 75% 90% Cars
2004 Volvo V40 65,000 86,400 114,800 150,800 184,000 596
All 2004 cars 51,600 73,300 101,100 133,200 166,100 309,169
miles

Half of the 2004 Volvo V40s tested in 2025 had covered fewer than 114,800 miles.

Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated

How many 2004 Volvo V40s are left?

At the end of 2014, 3,475 2004 Volvo V40s were on the DVLA record in the United Kingdom (these counts start in 2014). By the end of 2025, 823 were: 531 licensed and 292 declared off the road (SORN). That is 23.7% still on the record, against 25.3% for all cars first registered in 2004.

Share still on the record since 2014

Cars licensed or SORN at each year end, as a share of the number at the end of 2014. Cars scrapped or exported leave the record. Late registrations and imports can push the share above 100%.

2004 Volvo V40s on the DVLA record at each year end as a share of the number at the end of 2014, compared with all 2004 cars
Year end 2004 Volvo V40All 2004 cars
2014 100.0%100.0%
2015 94.9%94.1%
2016 89.8%87.1%
2017 81.4%77.1%
2018 70.4%66.7%
2019 60.9%57.2%
2020 52.6%49.7%
2021 43.9%42.3%
2022 38.7%37.0%
2023 32.4%32.8%
2024 27.5%28.5%
2025 23.7%25.3%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of 2025 Updated

Recalls that may affect cars built around 2004

None of the Volvo V40’s 16 recalls in DVSA’s records has build dates that include 2004. 4 have no build dates, so could apply to any year.

The 2004 on this page is the year of first registration, not the year the car was built. A car first registered early in 2004 may have been built in 2003, and recalls apply to particular build dates and VINs, so check the recalls either side too.

Every Volvo V40 recall · Check a specific car on GOV.UK · How we match recalls

Recall details come from manufacturers through DVSA. “Vehicles” is the number the manufacturer reported; “all models” means the figure covers everything in the recall. A recall listed here may not apply to a particular car: only the manufacturer or GOV.UK can say for its VIN.

Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis January 1992 to September 2026 Updated

Other years of the Volvo V40

11 years of the Volvo V40, 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 2013 cars did best at their 2025 MOT (65.9% passed first time) and the 2002 cars worst (48.6%).

Volvo V40s by year of first registration
Year Registered Left Pass rate All cars
2002 969 48.6% 59.7%
2003 1,091 48.7% 58.9%
2004 823 47.9% 57.9%
2012 2,247 61.9% 63.6%
2013 10,937 65.9% 66.0%
2014 17,325 15,734 67.1% 69.1%
2015 15,904 15,183 67.6% 72.6%
2016 15,645 15,178 73.2% 75.6%
2017 13,248 13,365 78.0% 79.1%
2018 12,510 12,781 78.8% 81.8%
2019 7,950 8,036 80.6% 84.4%

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.

Data sources and methodology

Datasets used on this page
Figures Source Period Records Updated
MOT results and mileage Anonymised MOT tests and results Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency
Derived statistics UK Motoring
2025 624 MOT tests of 2004 Volvo V40 cars 15 September 2026
Cars on the record Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport End of 2025 823 cars still on the record (licensed or SORN) 15 September 2026
  • MOT figures cover normal tests in Great Britain in 2025 of Volvo V40 cars first registered in 2004; retests are excluded. “All cars” means every car we match to a model, first registered in 2004.
  • Year of first registration is DVSA’s first-use date: when the car was first registered, in the UK or abroad.
  • Defects and advisories are DVSA’s descriptions made readable. Where on the car a defect was found (side, front or rear) is ignored, so the same fault on any wheel counts once per test.
  • Mileage is the odometer reading at each car’s latest normal MOT of the year, as recorded by the tester. A few readings are in kilometres or mistyped; percentiles are not thrown by a handful of outliers.
  • Cars on the record come from DfT table VEH0124 and cover the United Kingdom, including Northern Ireland; MOT figures cover Great Britain only.
  • 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.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.