All generations and engines together · 13,271 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. 13,271 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 diesel engines the turbo can fail if it hasn't had the recommended low-ash synthetic oil, or oil changes have been stretched: carbon deposits build up and block the feed pipes, starving the turbo of oil. Owners report failures from around 60,000-90,000 miles, with one Honest John reader quoting £2,500 for a new turbo plus the engine clean that comes with it. No recall exists, so it comes down to service history rather than a fault Volvo has acknowledged.
The tensioner on the five-cylinder 2.5-litre petrol engine can fail well ahead of the belt's own service interval, in some reported cases by around 50,000 miles, throwing the belt and wrecking the engine. Owners on Volvo forums describe rebuild bills approaching £6,000. It doesn't affect the four-cylinder petrols or the diesel engines, which use different belt and chain setups.
Owners of the 1.6 D2/DRIVe manual report a clonk from the drivetrain, usually a worn dual-mass flywheel, sometimes with a juddering clutch on top. It tends to appear from around 70,000-100,000 miles and a flywheel-and-clutch replacement runs roughly £600-£900. Petrol and automatic diesel variants aren't affected.
A long-running forum complaint, common enough that one thread is titled simply "the dreaded front end clunk": knocking or creaking from the front over bumps or on full lock, blamed variously on anti-roll bar drop links, wishbone bushes and top strut mounts. It tends to surface from around 60,000 miles and fixing the worn arms, bushes or links usually costs £150-£400 per side. The measured MOT-failure data for this class marks suspension as the model's weak point, so the folklore and the figures agree even though owners argue over exactly which part is to blame.
The Powershift automatic needs its fluid and microfilter changed roughly every 40,000 miles. Skip it and owners report delayed gear engagement, hesitant changes and, in some cases, reluctance to select reverse. A proper service at a specialist costs a few hundred pounds, but a box that's already been run dirty can mean a four-figure repair. Manual V50s aren't affected.
Later 2.0D and D5 models fitted with a DPF struggle to regenerate if the car is mostly used for short, low-speed journeys, bringing on a warning light, sluggish performance and heavier fuel use. Owners are advised to preventively clean or replace the EGR valve around 80,000-100,000 miles before it starts clogging the turbo and filter behind it. A forced DPF clean or replacement typically runs £300-£1,000 depending on how far it's gone.
Built from the two sections above.
Same segment (Saloons & estates), best MOT record first. Compare before you shortlist.