38,473 tests in 2025
Volvo V60 reliability and MOT pass rate
80.8% passed first time. The 19.2% fail rate is 3.4 points better than the all-car average, on a median example 9 years old with 81,563 miles.
Pass rate
80.8%
22.6% of all cars failed; 19.2% of these did.
Fixed on the day
3.4%
Passed after a defect was put right during the visit.
Median at test
81,563 mi
9 years old.
Fail rate by age
| Age at test | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 3-5 years | 7,487 | 11.1% |
| 6-9 years | 14,510 | 16.9% |
| 10-13 years | 13,950 | 24.7% |
| 14+ years | 2,484 | 26.9% |
What the V60 fails on
Share of failed tests with at least one fail item in each DVSA inspection section. A test can fail in several sections at once.
- Tyres3,035 dangerous39.4%
- Brakes1,437 dangerous24%
- Suspension84 dangerous23.3%
- Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment5 dangerous16.1%
- Body, chassis, structure13 dangerous10.4%
- Visibility1 dangerous9.8%
- Noise, emissions and leaks3 dangerous9%
- Steering17 dangerous8.3%
Is the V60 getting worse?
The fail rate rose 4.1 points to 21.5% from 2022 to 2025 while the median one tested aged 3 years. Ageing alone would predict about 7.7 points, so it is holding up better than the fleet average for its age.
| Year | Tests | Median age | Fail rate | All cars | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 32,668 | 7 | 17.4% | 22.5% | |
| 2023 | 32,533 | 8 | 19.2% | 22.8% | |
| 2024 | 28,226 | 9 | 20.9% | 23.2% | |
| 2025 | 29,709 | 10 | 21.5% | 22.6% |
Fail rate is first attempts at class 4 tests. Median age is the age of a typical V60 at its test that year, and it is the number to watch: across the whole fleet each extra year of age adds roughly 1.9 points to the fail rate, so a model whose age and fail rate rise together is simply getting older.
The exact defects that fail it
Every failure item DVSA recorded against a V60 in 2025, counted by how many tests each one appeared on.
- 1Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick1,088 tests
- 2Condition: has ply or cords exposed889 tests
- 3Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm855 tests
- 4Condition: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords786 tests
- 5Joints: constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt602 tests
- 6Shock absorbers: has a serious fluid leak566 tests
- 7Malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction466 tests
- 8Coil spring: fractured or broken387 tests
What wears out first
Advisories are the tester flagging wear that is still legal. A typical V60 collects 2.41 of them per test, and these are the ones that come up most. Treat it as the running-repairs list for the next year or two.
- 1Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm7,360 tests
- 2Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick4,161 tests
- 3Brake discs: in such a condition that it is seriously weakened2,590 tests
- 4Condition: has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure2,257 tests
- 5Coil spring: corroded so that its cross sectional area is reduced and seriously weakened1,807 tests
- 6Pins and bushes: pin or bush excessively worn1,309 tests
- 7Shock absorbers: has a serious fluid leak1,133 tests
- 8Brake discs: significantly and obviously worn1,118 tests
Questions
What is the Volvo V60 MOT pass rate?
80.8% of the 38,473 Volvo V60 first-attempt MOTs in 2025 passed. The fail rate of 19.2% compares with 22.6% across all cars. A further 3.4% passed after a defect was fixed during the test visit.
What does a Volvo V60 usually fail on?
The single most common failure is "Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick", recorded on 1,088 failed tests, followed by "Condition: has ply or cords exposed" and "Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm". By section, tyres appears in 39.4% of failures, brakes appears in 24% of failures, suspension appears in 23.3% of failures.
Does age change the odds?
Sharply. At 3 to 5 years old the fail rate was 11.1%; at 14+ years it was 26.9%. The median Volvo V60 tested in 2025 was 9 years old with 81,563 miles.
Is the Volvo V60 getting less reliable?
The fail rate rose 4.1 points to 21.5% from 2022 to 2025 while the median one tested aged 3 years. Ageing alone would predict about 7.7 points, so it is holding up better than the fleet average for its age.
First-attempt class 4 tests, 2025, from DVSA’s anonymised MOT data (OGL v3, retrieved 2026-09-12). DVSA records newer cars trim by trim; this page adds every V60 trim together. Year-on-year figures come from the same DVSA extracts for 2026 and earlier years. Full method on the pass rates hub.
DVSA has published 39 safety recalls naming the Volvo V60: Volvo V60 recalls.
Other Volvo models
Checking a particular V60?
The odds above are the model. The car in front of you has its own record: every test, every advisory, the mileage at each one.
Due a test? Find an approved MOT station near you.