69,949 tests in 2025
Volvo Xc90 reliability and MOT pass rate
79.7% passed first time. The 20.3% fail rate is 2.3 points better than the all-car average, on a median example 9 years old with 85,469 miles.
Pass rate
79.7%
22.6% of all cars failed; 20.3% of these did.
Fixed on the day
3.9%
Passed after a defect was put right during the visit.
Median at test
85,469 mi
9 years old.
Fail rate by age
| Age at test | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 3-5 years | 16,357 | 11.3% |
| 6-9 years | 22,327 | 14.7% |
| 10-13 years | 9,623 | 23.2% |
| 14+ years | 21,414 | 31.8% |
What the Xc90 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.
- Brakes3,205 dangerous42.7%
- Tyres4,179 dangerous31.9%
- Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment21 dangerous28.9%
- Suspension174 dangerous24.2%
- Steering86 dangerous10.7%
- Visibility6 dangerous8.8%
- Body, chassis, structure42 dangerous8%
- Noise, emissions and leaks8 dangerous4.8%
Is the Xc90 getting worse?
The fail rate fell 2 points to 22.1% from 2022 to 2025, against a rising rate across all cars.
| Year | Tests | Median age | Fail rate | All cars | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 64,373 | 10 | 24.1% | 22.5% | |
| 2023 | 62,405 | — | 23.7% | 22.8% | |
| 2024 | 56,584 | — | 23.5% | 23.2% | |
| 2025 | 58,343 | — | 22.1% | 22.6% |
Fail rate is first attempts at class 4 tests. Median age is the age of a typical Xc90 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 Xc90 in 2025, counted by how many tests each one appeared on.
- 1Position lamp: not working1,758 tests
- 2Condition: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords1,589 tests
- 3Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm1,344 tests
- 4Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick1,275 tests
- 5Ball joint: ball joint excessively worn1,238 tests
- 6Condition: has ply or cords exposed1,124 tests
- 7Decelerometer (sp): efficiency below requirements1,108 tests
- 8Rbt (sp): efficiency below requirements955 tests
What wears out first
Advisories are the tester flagging wear that is still legal. A typical Xc90 collects 2.72 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 1.6mm11,873 tests
- 2Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick6,263 tests
- 3Pins and bushes: pin or bush excessively worn5,916 tests
- 4Brake discs: in such a condition that it is seriously weakened5,566 tests
- 5Non-component advisories: Play in steering rack inner joint(s)3,676 tests
- 6Condition: has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure3,271 tests
- 7Sub-frame: corroded and seriously weakened3,126 tests
- 8Ball joint: ball joint excessively worn3,099 tests
Questions
What is the Volvo Xc90 MOT pass rate?
79.7% of the 69,949 Volvo Xc90 first-attempt MOTs in 2025 passed. The fail rate of 20.3% compares with 22.6% across all cars. A further 3.9% passed after a defect was fixed during the test visit.
What does a Volvo Xc90 usually fail on?
The single most common failure is "Position lamp: not working", recorded on 1,758 failed tests, followed by "Condition: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords" and "Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm". By section, brakes appears in 42.7% of failures, tyres appears in 31.9% of failures, lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment appears in 28.9% of failures.
Does age change the odds?
Sharply. At 3 to 5 years old the fail rate was 11.3%; at 14+ years it was 31.8%. The median Volvo Xc90 tested in 2025 was 9 years old with 85,469 miles.
Is the Volvo Xc90 getting less reliable?
The fail rate fell 2 points to 22.1% from 2022 to 2025, against a rising rate across all cars.
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 Xc90 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 43 safety recalls naming the Volvo Xc90: Volvo Xc90 recalls.
Other Volvo models
Checking a particular Xc90?
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.