2025 MOT results
Volvo V50 common problems
The most common reason a Volvo V50 fails its MOT is a split joint boot, on 15.5% of its 11,717 failed tests in 2025. Against other cars of the same age, 3 faults stand out: a split joint boot at 15.5% of failures against 6.2% expected; a tyre worn through to the cords at 9.4% of failures against 4.5% expected; worn suspension bushes at 9.0% of failures against 5.4% expected.
- Tests in 2025 26,141 Cars aged three and over
- Failed first time 44.8% 11,717 tests
- Found a dangerous defect 15.1% Unsafe to drive away
- Ended with an advisory 68.3% A problem to watch, not a failure
What fails a Volvo V50 MOT
Each bar is the share of failed Volvo V50 tests with that defect. Where we can compare it with cars of the same registration years, the marker shows what an average car of those ages records (12 of the 12 items below).
Most common reasons for failure
A test can fail for more than one defect, so shares add up to more than 100%.
| Defect | Share of failed tests |
|---|---|
| Drive shafts: constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt Body, chassis, structure | 15.5% |
| Position lamp: not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 15.0% |
| Coil spring: fractured or broken Suspension | 14.7% |
| Tyres: ply or cords exposed Tyres | 9.4% |
| Suspension arms: pin or bush excessively worn Suspension | 9.0% |
| Tyres: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres | 6.9% |
| Suspension arms: ball joint excessively worn Suspension | 6.7% |
| Headlamp: not working on dipped beam Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 5.8% |
| Parking brake efficiency below requirements Brakes | 5.7% |
| Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick Brakes | 5.7% |
| Headlamp aim: too low Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 5.3% |
| Malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction Noise, emissions and leaks | 4.5% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
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Split joint boot
15.5% of failures 6.2% expected 2.5 times as often
A split rubber boot on a joint or driveshaft. The joint may still be sound, but dirt and water get in once the boot is open.
Turn the wheels to full lock and look behind them for greasy splits in the rubber concertina.
-
Sidelight out
15.0% of failures 13.3% expected about as expected
A sidelight, also called a position lamp, not working. It marks the width of the car at night.
Walk round the car with the lights on and the hazards going; these are the cheapest failures to avoid.
-
Broken coil spring
14.7% of failures 9.9% expected 1.5 times as often
A broken suspension spring, which usually snaps in the bottom coil and often fails on both sides within a year.
Look at each corner for a sagging ride height, and listen for a knock over speed bumps.
-
Tyre worn through to the cords
9.4% of failures 4.5% expected 2.1 times as often
The tyre is worn or damaged far enough to expose the cords underneath, which is a dangerous defect.
Run a hand round the inner and outer walls of each tyre, which is where kerbing shows.
-
Worn suspension bushes
9.0% of failures 5.4% expected 1.7 times as often
Worn rubber bushes in a suspension arm, letting the arm move under load.
Perished or cracked rubber at the inner ends of the lower arms, visible with the wheel turned.
-
Tyre worn below the legal limit
6.9% of failures 7.1% expected about as expected
A tyre worn past the 1.6mm legal minimum across the middle three quarters of the tread.
A 20p coin in the main grooves: if the outer band of the coin is visible, the tyre is close to the limit.
Which parts of the car fail
Suspension is the area that most often fails a Volvo V50, on 46.1% of failed tests. The widest gap against cars of the same registration years is body, chassis, structure, on 22.3% against 15.8% expected.
Failure categories
DVSA's own sections of the test. The marker is what cars of the same registration years record.
| Defect category | Share of failed tests |
|---|---|
| Suspension | 46.1% |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 40.9% |
| Tyres | 23.9% |
| Brakes | 22.8% |
| Body, chassis, structure | 22.3% |
| Visibility | 12.4% |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 11.4% |
| Steering | 10.2% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
What testers warn about
68.3% of Volvo V50 tests ended with at least one advisory: a fault the tester found that did not fail the test. On Volvo V50s, these are the items to ask about on a car you are viewing, because they are what the last tester expected to go next.
Most common advisories
Share of all tests, passes included.
| Advisory | Share of tests |
|---|---|
| Tread depth: worn close to legal limit or worn on edge Tyres | 28.0% |
| Suspension arms: pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement Suspension | 12.7% |
| Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened Brakes | 11.7% |
| Brake pads: wearing thin Brakes | 9.8% |
| Engine oil leak, but not excessive Noise, emissions and leaks | 9.2% |
| Coil spring: corroded Suspension | 8.1% |
| Tyres: slightly damaged or cracking or perishing Tyres | 7.1% |
| Sub-frame: corroded but not seriously weakened Suspension | 6.1% |
| Registration plates: deteriorated but not likely to be misread Identification of the vehicle | 4.7% |
| Suspension arm: corroded but not seriously weakened Suspension | 4.1% |
| Play in steering rack inner joint(s) Non-component advisories | 4.1% |
| Exhaust system: minor leak of exhaust gases Body, chassis, structure | 3.8% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
What changes as a Volvo V50 gets older
A 2012 Volvo V50 failed 41.0% of its MOT tests in 2025; a 2006 one failed 47.2%. What fails changes as much as how often, and these are the two years themselves rather than an average across them.
2012 Volvo V50 41.0% failed, from 3,004 tests
- Split joint boot 21.6%
- Broken coil spring 19.7%
- Worn suspension bushes 12.0%
- Tyre worn through to the cords 10.9%
- Tyre worn below the legal limit 7.0%
- Sidelight out 6.8%
2006 Volvo V50 47.2% failed, from 2,278 tests
- Split joint boot 15.1%
- Sidelight out 11.9%
- Broken coil spring 11.8%
- Weak handbrake 10.3%
- Tyre worn through to the cords 8.6%
- Worn suspension bushes 8.4%
Shares are of each year's failed tests. Every MOT a particular car has had, with the defects and advisories written at each test, is on GOV.UK's MOT history service from the registration, free.
Volvo V50 problems: common questions
What is the most common problem with a Volvo V50?
Of the faults that fail an MOT, “Drive shafts: constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt” is the most common: it appears on 15.5% of failed Volvo V50 tests. Across categories, suspension is the area that most often fails one, on 46.1% of failed tests.
How often does a Volvo V50 fail its MOT?
44.8% of Volvo V50 tests in 2025 were not passed first time, from 26,141 tests of cars aged three and over. Allowing for the age and mileage of the cars tested, that gives it a UK Motoring Reliability Score of 41 out of 100, where 50 is as expected.
Does anything fail more often on a Volvo V50 than on other cars?
Yes. “Drive shafts: constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt” appears on 15.5% of its failures against 6.2% for cars of the same age, and “Tyres: ply or cords exposed” appears on 9.4% of its failures against 4.5% for cars of the same age. Where an item is missing from the national figures for a year, we use the smallest share those figures show, so the comparison never overstates the difference.
Are these the same as breakdowns or known faults?
No. These are the items a tester recorded at the MOT, which covers condition and safety: lamps, brakes, tyres, suspension, corrosion and emissions. A gearbox that is unpleasant, an infotainment screen that has died, or a car that will not start on a cold morning are not part of the test, so they are not in these figures.
Where do the figures come from?
Every normal MOT test of a Volvo V50 aged three and over in Great Britain in 2025, from DVSA's anonymised MOT results. Retests are excluded, and the same fault on more than one wheel counts once.
Data stories to read next
Data sources and methodology
| Figures | Source | Period | Records | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MOT defects and advisories | Anonymised MOT tests and results Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency Derived statistics UK Motoring | 2025 | 26,141 MOT tests | 19 September 2026 |
- Shares for defects are of failed tests; shares for advisories are of all tests. A test can carry several defects, so shares add to more than 100%.
- The expected share is what an average car of the same registration years records, weighted by where this model’s failures fall. Where an item is outside the national figures for a year, the smallest share those figures show is used in its place, which is an upper bound, so the comparison never overstates a model’s problems. No expectation is published where less than 80% of the model’s failures can be compared.
- Great Britain only: DVSA does not run MOT testing in Northern Ireland. Cars under three years old are not tested.
- The descriptions of what each part does are general and the same on every model. Every figure comes from the MOT data.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.