Volvo V40 MOT pass rates & common failures

Every completed first-attempt MOT on a Volvo V40 in Great Britain in 2025 — 97,289 tests. Figures cover every V40 first-tested in 2025, all trims grouped. How the V40 ages, what it fails on, and what mileage is normal, computed directly from the official DVSA record of every test.

Pass rate 2025
71.6%
0.7 points below the class-4 average (72.3%); unadjusted for age — the age-matched comparison is below
Tests analysed
97,289
first tests, 2025
Arrived with a dangerous fault
9.0%
of V40 first tests; national 7.3%
Typical mileage at 10 years
83,750
middle half: 63,750–103,750 miles (2,500-mile-band midpoints)

How many Volvo V40 cars are still on the road?

At the end of 2025, DVLA's register held 99,231 Volvo V40 cars that were taxed or on SORN: 94,693 taxed and 4,538 on SORN (Statutory Off Road Notification — kept, but declared off the road by the keeper). The MOT figures above count tests; these count cars, across the whole United Kingdom, cars only. Volvo V40 vans, where they exist, are counted by DVLA as goods vehicles and are not in these figures.

Still taxed, end of 2025
94,693
95.4% of the 99,231 V40 cars taxed or on SORN; 292 model variants grouped
On SORN, end of 2025
4,538
declared off the road by their keepers — 4.6% of that total

How the numbers are moving

The number of taxed V40 cars peaked at 106,929 at the end of 2019 and has since fallen by 12,236 (11.4%) to 94,693 at the end of 2025. Cars on SORN went from 2,654 at the end of 2014 to 4,538 at the end of 2025, up 71.0%. A car leaves the taxed count when it is scrapped, exported or declared off the road; the year-end counts do not say which.

Taxed V40 cars, year by year

Cars of this model taxed and on the road at the end of each year, 2014–2025.

050k100k150k2014201620182020202220242025Year (count at the end of the year)Taxed V40 cars, year 2014: 63kTaxed V40 cars, year 2015: 74kTaxed V40 cars, year 2016: 85kTaxed V40 cars, year 2017: 93kTaxed V40 cars, year 2018: 102kTaxed V40 cars, year 2019: 107kTaxed V40 cars, year 2020: 104kTaxed V40 cars, year 2021: 101kTaxed V40 cars, year 2022: 100kTaxed V40 cars, year 2023: 98kTaxed V40 cars, year 2024: 96kTaxed V40 cars, year 2025: 95k95k
View this chart as a table
YearTaxed V40 cars
201463,077
201574,015
201684,719
201793,155
2018101,681
2019106,929
2020103,516
2021101,059
2022100,255
202398,252
202496,477
202594,693

V40 cars on SORN, year by year

Cars of this model declared off the road at the end of each year, 2014–2025. Its own scale — SORN counts are a fraction of the taxed count.

01k2k3k4k5k2014201620182020202220242025Year (count at the end of the year)V40 cars on SORN, year 2014: 3kV40 cars on SORN, year 2015: 3kV40 cars on SORN, year 2016: 4kV40 cars on SORN, year 2017: 4kV40 cars on SORN, year 2018: 4kV40 cars on SORN, year 2019: 4kV40 cars on SORN, year 2020: 4kV40 cars on SORN, year 2021: 4kV40 cars on SORN, year 2022: 4kV40 cars on SORN, year 2023: 4kV40 cars on SORN, year 2024: 4kV40 cars on SORN, year 2025: 5k5k
View this chart as a table
YearV40 cars on SORN
20142,654
20153,100
20163,566
20173,825
20183,841
20193,948
20204,064
20213,949
20223,989
20234,111
20244,241
20254,538

Which model years survive

Taxed V40 cars at the end of 2025 by year of manufacture, and each year's share of the 94,693 taxed in all. Every build year holding at least 1% has its own row; the rest share one. A build year's count depends on how many were sold that year as well as how many have lasted.

Year of manufacture Taxed, end of 2025Share of taxed V40 cars
20197,9858.4%
201812,69313.4%
201713,27614.0%
201615,05415.9%
201514,96415.8%
201415,48816.4%
201310,80211.4%
20122,1782.3%
All other build years (18 years, each under 1%)2,2532.4%

Population source: Department for Transport / DVLA vehicle licensing statistics, table VEH0124, updated 15 July 2026; counts of the cars on DVLA's register that were taxed or on SORN at the end of each year shown, United Kingdom, cars only, excluding cars recorded with no model name. SortedCars groups DVLA's model name V40 under this model. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. SortedCars is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, DVLA or the Department for Transport.

How the V40 ages

First-time pass rate by vehicle age, V40 vs all cars, 2025.

Volvo V40All cars
50%60%70%80%90%100%3579111315171920Vehicle age (years)Volvo V40, vehicle age 6: 80.6%Volvo V40, vehicle age 7: 78.8%Volvo V40, vehicle age 8: 78%Volvo V40, vehicle age 9: 73.2%Volvo V40, vehicle age 10: 67.6%Volvo V40, vehicle age 11: 67.1%Volvo V40, vehicle age 12: 65.9%Volvo V40, vehicle age 13: 61.9%All cars, vehicle age 3: 88.5%All cars, vehicle age 4: 87.2%All cars, vehicle age 5: 86%All cars, vehicle age 6: 83.5%All cars, vehicle age 7: 80.9%All cars, vehicle age 8: 78.2%All cars, vehicle age 9: 74.9%All cars, vehicle age 10: 71.9%All cars, vehicle age 11: 68.6%All cars, vehicle age 12: 65.8%All cars, vehicle age 13: 63.5%All cars, vehicle age 14: 61.2%All cars, vehicle age 15: 59.3%All cars, vehicle age 16: 58.3%All cars, vehicle age 17: 57.2%All cars, vehicle age 18: 57.4%All cars, vehicle age 19: 57%All cars, vehicle age 20: 57.6%Volvo V40 61.9%All cars 57.6%
View this chart as a table
Age (years)V40 testsV40 pass rateAll cars
68,20180.6%83.5%
712,95478.8%80.9%
813,52578.0%78.2%
915,33773.2%74.9%
1015,38167.6%71.9%
1115,87067.1%68.6%
1211,04965.9%65.8%
132,25361.9%63.5%

Better or worse than the average car?

The V40's pass rate minus the all-cars pass rate at each age, in percentage points. Bars above zero: the V40 beats the average car of that age. Below zero: it trails.

V40 aheadV40 behind
-6-3+0+3+6Age 6: -2.9 points vs the average carAge 7: -2.1 points vs the average car7Age 8: -0.2 points vs the average carAge 9: -1.7 points vs the average car9Age 10: -4.3 points vs the average carAge 11: -1.5 points vs the average car11Age 12: +0.1 points vs the average carAge 13: -1.6 points vs the average car13Vehicle age (years)
View this chart as a table
Age (years)Gap (points)
6-2.9
7-2.1
8-0.2
9-1.7
10-4.3
11-1.5
12+0.1
13-1.6

The V40 fleet on the road, by age

How many took a first MOT in 2025 at each age — the shape of the V40 fleet still in use.

05k10k15k20kAge 6: 8k6Age 7: 12kAge 8: 13k8Age 9: 15kAge 10: 15k10Age 11: 15kAge 12: 11k12Age 13: 2k13Vehicle age (years)
View this chart as a table
Age (years)First tests
68,201
712,954
813,525
915,337
1015,381
1115,870
1211,049
132,253

What a V40 fails on

Where the failure items land when a V40 fails or needs a fix at test, 2025. Use it as a pre-purchase checklist: these are the areas to look at first.

Suspension21.9%
Tyres20.4%
Brakes18.3%
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment18.1%
Body, chassis, structure6.3%
Noise, emissions and leaks6.1%
Visibility5.5%
Steering1.3%

Share of all failure items, 2025 — the 8 biggest categories shown (97.8% of the items); smaller categories are not listed.

The advisories to watch

Where testers most often write "keep an eye on this" for a V40, 2025 — the faults in the post.

Tyres: 39.8% of advisories39.8%Brakes: 27.2% of advisories27.2%Suspension: 16.9% of advisories16.9%Non-component advisories: 6.0% of advisoriesNoise, emissions and leaks: 3.1% of advisoriesLamps, reflectors and electrical equipment: 2.1% of advisories
TyresBrakesSuspensionNon-component advisoriesNoise, emissions and leaksLamps, reflectors and electrical equipment
View this chart as a table
CategoryShare of advisories
Tyres39.8%
Brakes27.2%
Suspension16.9%
Non-component advisories6.0%
Noise, emissions and leaks3.1%
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment2.1%

Petrol, diesel or hybrid V40?

First-time pass rate for the two most-tested V40 fuel types, 2025, against the all-cars average. Fleet ages differ by fuel — newer fleets help the electrified bars.

50%60%70%80%90%100%all cars 72.3%Diesel: 69.0% of 61,326 tests69.0%Diesel61,326 testsPetrol: 76.1% of 35,957 tests76.1%Petrol35,957 tests
View this chart as a table
FuelTestsPass rate
Diesel61,32669.0%
Petrol35,95776.1%

What mileage is normal for a V40?

Mileage recorded at test by vehicle age, 2025. The line is the typical (median) V40; the shaded band holds the middle half. A car far outside the band, in either direction, is worth questions the recorded history can answer.

Typical V40 (median)
0k25k50k75k100k125k150k68101213Vehicle age (years)Age 6: typical 41,250 miles (middle half 28,750–56,250)Age 7: typical 51,250 miles (middle half 36,250–66,250)Age 8: typical 61,250 miles (middle half 43,750–78,750)Age 9: typical 71,250 miles (middle half 53,750–91,250)Age 10: typical 83,750 miles (middle half 63,750–103,750)Age 11: typical 91,250 miles (middle half 71,250–116,250)Age 12: typical 103,750 miles (middle half 78,750–131,250)Age 13: typical 111,250 miles (middle half 83,750–138,750)111k mi

Mileage values are midpoints of 2,500-mile bands.

View this chart as a table
Age (years)Lower quarterTypical (median)Upper quarter
628,75041,25056,250
736,25051,25066,250
843,75061,25078,750
953,75071,25091,250
1063,75083,750103,750
1171,25091,250116,250
1278,750103,750131,250
1383,750111,250138,750

What fails at each age

The V40's failure mix by age band, 2025 — each band's top categories at their true share of that band's failure items; the pale remainder is everything else. How the mix shifts with age is the point of the chart.

TyresSuspensionBrakesBody, chassis, structureLamps, reflectors and electrical equipmentNoise, emissions and leaksSteeringEverything else
View this chart as a table
Age bandCategoryShare of the band's failure items
6-9 yrsTyres32.1%
6-9 yrsSuspension27.0%
6-9 yrsBrakes16.9%
6-9 yrsBody, chassis, structure6.9%
6-9 yrsLamps, reflectors and electrical equipment6.5%
6-9 yrsEverything else10.6%
10-13 yrsSuspension22.7%
10-13 yrsBrakes21.9%
10-13 yrsTyres17.9%
10-13 yrsLamps, reflectors and electrical equipment16.3%
10-13 yrsNoise, emissions and leaks8.1%
10-13 yrsEverything else13.1%
14+ yrsLamps, reflectors and electrical equipment22.9%
14+ yrsSuspension20.2%
14+ yrsBrakes19.1%
14+ yrsBody, chassis, structure8.9%
14+ yrsSteering7.7%
14+ yrsEverything else21.2%

More vehicles we've checked

How these figures are computed. Every number on this page is calculated by SortedCars from the DVSA anonymised MOT results dataset (every MOT test in Great Britain — 2025 for single-year figures; trend figures state their span, currently 2023–2025). Where a figure comes from a sample or uses banded values (mileage is banded to 2,500 miles), the page says so beside the figure. Test class 4 only, first tests only — retests are excluded. Class 4 is the car MOT class and also covers car-derived vans, pickups and motorhomes tested to the same standard; where this page says "cars" it means class 4. Pass rate = passes ÷ (passes + failures + pass-after-rectification): a vehicle that failed and was fixed during the visit counts as a fail. Pass rates describe fleets, not individual machines: they reflect how cars were driven, maintained and used as well as how they were built, and beyond recorded mileage none of that is in the data. A well-kept example of a model with a weak average can still pass; a neglected example of a strong one can still fail. No figure is shown for any group with fewer than 500 tests. Alias spellings of a make in the DVSA file are counted under one make name, and all trims and variants of a model are grouped under one model name, using SortedCars' grouping tables. The taxed and SORN counts on this page are the one exception: they are not computed from MOT records but taken from the Department for Transport's vehicle licensing statistics (DfT/DVLA table VEH0124, updated 15 July 2026, Open Government Licence v3.0), which count the cars on DVLA's register that were taxed or on SORN at the end of each year shown, UK-wide, cars only. They describe a model as a whole, grouped under SortedCars' model names, and say nothing about any one car. “Dangerous” is DVSA's statutory defect category (in force since May 2018): a defect posing an immediate risk to road safety — driving the vehicle before repair is an offence. What these figures are for. These statistics are general information about groups of vehicles. They are not advice, a valuation or a recommendation to buy, avoid or price any particular vehicle, and no decision about one car should rest on them alone — check the car itself and its own records. We take care over the calculations, but we cannot guarantee they are complete, current or free of error, and we accept no liability for loss arising from reliance on them. This does not limit any liability that cannot lawfully be limited — see our Terms & Conditions. If you believe any figure on this page is inaccurate, contact us. SortedCars is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, the DVSA or DVLA. DVSA publishes the raw test records; the statistics on this page are SortedCars' own calculations from them. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.