All generations and engines together · 14,002 MOT tests in the 2025 data
Computed from DVSA MOT results, all of Great Britain, 2025. Nothing here is opinion.
Share of tests where each item was recorded. The dark tick is the class average across all tracked models; bars are scaled within each group.
The rows that judge the model rather than its keeper. 14,002 tests in this band.
Tyres, pads and stone chips say more about how the car was driven and maintained than about how it was built.
Owner folklore from forums and the motoring press. Most of it never shows up in an MOT, which is why this section exists at all.
On the five-cylinder petrol (2.5T/T5) the timing belt tensioner has been reported to fail from as little as 50,000 miles, and when it lets go the belt jumps or snaps and the engine can be a write-off, with owners quoted around £6,000 for a rebuild. On the four-cylinder diesels Volvo shortened the official belt-change interval to roughly 87,500 miles (down from an earlier 150,000-mile figure) after belts were found cracking before then. A preventive kit change is around £295-£450; a snapped belt runs into the thousands.
Diesel C30s used mostly for short runs struggle to complete a full DPF regeneration, leading to warning lights, limp mode, and eventually a blocked filter. On D5s specifically, unfinished regen cycles can push extra diesel into the sump and dilute the engine oil, showing up as a rising oil level on the dipstick; Volvo's fix is a software reprogram plus an oil drain rather than routine servicing. DPF cleaning runs roughly £400-800, a replacement filter £1,200-2,000+.
Owners report creaks, groans and knocks from the rear end, traced to worn suspension bushes and mounts, showing up from around 60,000 miles on cars from the first model year onward. This lines up with the measured data for the C30, where suspension is the standout MOT failure category for this coupe-gt segment: the noise owners describe and the actual test failures look like the same underlying wear. A bush replacement is cheap in isolation (roughly £100-300 a corner) but left alone it drags other suspension parts down with it.
Flywheel failure and clutch problems are recurring topics on Volvo owner forums for the C30, concentrated on diesel manual cars doing a lot of stop-start driving. The tell-tale signs are a rattly, vibrating idle and a clutch pedal that starts to feel odd or fails to disengage cleanly; it typically shows up from around 70,000-100,000 miles. Replacing the dual-mass flywheel along with the clutch commonly costs £700-1,200. Doesn't apply to petrol or automatic cars in the same way.
Cars fitted with the Teves Mk60 ABS/ESP system (rather than the Bosch alternative) have a recognised weak point in wheel-speed or boost-pressure sensors, throwing an ABS/ESP warning light, usually on cars around 3-5 years old. Separately, a failing combined instrument panel can trigger a false 'SRS Airbag Service Urgent' message even with sound airbags. Sensor repairs start around £225 independently; an instrument panel replacement is closer to £700 at a dealer. No recall covers either fault, it's just a known pattern on affected cars.
Automatic (Geartronic) C30s can shift hesitantly or jerkily at low speed, especially from cold, a common owner complaint against the smoother manual box. Separately, 2008 model-year cars were subject to a recall covering a gear-shift mechanism that could jam. Neither issue applies to manual-gearbox cars.
Built from the two sections above.
Same segment (Coupés, convertibles & GT), best MOT record first. Compare before you shortlist.