2025 MOT results
Volvo XC90 common problems
The most common reason a Volvo XC90 fails its MOT is a sidelight out, on 15.4% of its 17,911 failed tests in 2025. Against other cars of the same age, 3 faults stand out: a weak handbrake at 8.4% of failures against 1.0% expected; a sidelight out at 15.4% of failures against 8.5% expected; a cut tyre at 9.6% of failures against 5.9% expected.
- Tests in 2025 74,647 Cars aged three and over
- Failed first time 24.0% 17,911 tests
- Found a dangerous defect 8.3% Unsafe to drive away
- Ended with an advisory 53.0% A problem to watch, not a failure
What fails a Volvo XC90 MOT
Each bar is the share of failed Volvo XC90 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 |
|---|---|
| Position lamp: not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 15.4% |
| Parking brake efficiency below requirements Brakes | 12.7% |
| Tyres: cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords Tyres | 9.6% |
| Parking brake efficiency less than 50% of the required value Brakes | 8.4% |
| Tyres: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres | 8.3% |
| Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick Brakes | 7.8% |
| Tyres: ply or cords exposed Tyres | 6.9% |
| Suspension arms: ball joint excessively worn Suspension | 6.2% |
| Track rod end: ball joint has excessive play Steering | 5.0% |
| Suspension arms: pin or bush excessively worn Suspension | 4.9% |
| Headlamp aim: projected beam image is obviously incorrect Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 4.7% |
| Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively Visibility | 4.3% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
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Sidelight out
15.4% of failures 8.5% expected 1.8 times as often
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.
-
Weak handbrake
12.7% of failures 3.9% expected 3.3 times as often
The handbrake cannot hold the car to the efficiency the test requires, usually from a stretched cable or seized rear callipers.
On a hill, the handbrake should hold the car with a couple of clicks left in the lever.
-
Cut tyre
9.6% of failures 5.9% expected 1.6 times as often
A cut in the tyre deep or long enough to reach the structure underneath, usually from a kerb or debris.
Run a hand round the inner and outer walls of each tyre, which is where kerbing shows.
-
Weak handbrake
8.4% of failures 1.0% expected 8.4 times as often
The handbrake cannot hold the car to the efficiency the test requires, usually from a stretched cable or seized rear callipers.
On a hill, the handbrake should hold the car with a couple of clicks left in the lever.
-
Tyre worn below the legal limit
8.3% of failures 8.3% 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.
-
Worn brake pads
7.8% of failures 6.4% expected somewhat more often
Friction material worn under 1.5mm, thinner than the point most manufacturers call the limit.
Look through the wheel spokes at the pad against the disc; wear indicators squeal before they get this far.
Which parts of the car fail
Brakes is the area that most often fails a Volvo XC90, on 36.5% of failed tests. That is also where it differs most from cars of the same registration years, which record 21.8%.
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 |
|---|---|
| Brakes | 36.5% |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 36.2% |
| Tyres | 28.0% |
| Suspension | 20.2% |
| Visibility | 10.3% |
| Steering | 9.0% |
| Body, chassis, structure | 6.9% |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 4.6% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
What testers warn about
53.0% of Volvo XC90 tests ended with at least one advisory: a fault the tester found that did not fail the test. On Volvo XC90s, 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 | 19.2% |
| Brake pads: wearing thin Brakes | 9.0% |
| Suspension arms: pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement Suspension | 7.9% |
| Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened Brakes | 7.9% |
| Play in steering rack inner joint(s) Non-component advisories | 5.2% |
| Tyres: slightly damaged or cracking or perishing Tyres | 4.7% |
| Sub-frame: corroded but not seriously weakened Suspension | 4.4% |
| Engine oil leak, but not excessive Noise, emissions and leaks | 4.3% |
| Suspension arms: ball joint has slight play Suspension | 4.0% |
| Child seat fitted not allowing full inspection of adult belt Non-component advisories | 3.9% |
| Registration plates: deteriorated but not likely to be misread Identification of the vehicle | 3.3% |
| Tyres: cut but not deep enough to reach the ply or cords Tyres | 2.9% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
What changes as a Volvo XC90 gets older
A 2022 Volvo XC90 failed 12.6% of its MOT tests in 2025; a 2005 one failed 44.0%. What fails changes as much as how often, and these are the two years themselves rather than an average across them.
2022 Volvo XC90 12.6% failed, from 6,213 tests
- Cut tyre 33.0%
- Tyre worn through to the cords 21.4%
- Wiper blades that do not clear the screen 8.9%
- Tyre worn below the legal limit 8.0%
- Bulge in a tyre 7.3%
- Worn brake pads 6.4%
2005 Volvo XC90 44.0% failed, from 2,361 tests
- Weak handbrake 21.8%
- Sidelight out 20.5%
- Headlamp aim out of line 16.4%
- Worn suspension bushes 11.7%
- Lighting fault 8.7%
- Worn steering or suspension joint 8.7%
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 XC90 problems: common questions
What is the most common problem with a Volvo XC90?
Of the faults that fail an MOT, “Position lamp: not working” is the most common: it appears on 15.4% of failed Volvo XC90 tests. Across categories, brakes is the area that most often fails one, on 36.5% of failed tests.
How often does a Volvo XC90 fail its MOT?
24.0% of Volvo XC90 tests in 2025 were not passed first time, from 74,647 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 55 out of 100, where 50 is as expected.
Does anything fail more often on a Volvo XC90 than on other cars?
Yes. “Parking brake efficiency less than 50% of the required value” appears on 8.4% of its failures against 1.0% for cars of the same age, and “Position lamp: not working” appears on 15.4% of its failures against 8.5% 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 XC90 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 | 74,647 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.