All generations and engines together · 40,039 MOT tests in the 2025 data · typical mileage at age 7: 78k
Worse than most saloons and estates for its age, and about average per mile driven. Watch suspension and corrosion. A used buy worth some caution. Check the MOT history for repeating suspension advisories before you go.
Split by first-registration year. Cars registered in a changeover year can belong to either generation.
Owner folklore from forums and the motoring press, with how well each report stands up. Most of it never shows up in an MOT, which is why this section exists at all.
On a batch of these cars the crankshaft wasn't hardened properly and can fail without warning, causing sudden and catastrophic engine failure with knocking noises and loss of power as the warning signs. Volvo issued an official recall and the fix was a full engine replacement, done free at a dealer. If you're buying secondhand, get the VIN checked with a dealer to confirm the recall work was actually carried out and not just flagged as outstanding.
Owners regularly report clonks and creaks from the front end, usually strut top mounts, coil springs, dampers and the bushes holding it together, with some reporting the same parts needing replacing again within months of a fix. It shows up from around eight years old onward and gets worse with age more than mileage. This lines up with the measured MOT data for the segment, where suspension is the standout fault category for saloons and estates like the V60, so a knock from the front is worth taking seriously rather than waving off as owner grumbling.
On the five-cylinder diesels, soot-burning regeneration cycles inject extra fuel that can dilute the engine oil, so the dipstick creeps from normal towards the max mark between services rather than dropping. Volvo's response was a software update that warns the driver once oil is over-full, and dealers were told to underfill new cars to buy some margin, rather than fixing the cause. It's more of a maintenance habit than a sudden failure, but a long run on badly diluted oil will accelerate wear.
Early four-cylinder D4 diesels, before the piston ring and EGR design changed for the 2017 model year, have a reputation among owners as heavy oil users, with some calling them outright "oil burners". EGR cooler and valve failure is the other common complaint, with one owner quoting over £1,000 for a new cooler, valve and cam cover. Later D4 cars with the revised parts get a noticeably better reputation on the same forums, so an engine build date matters more here than a simple mileage cut-off.
Bluetooth dropping out, satnav map and traffic data disappearing, Apple/Android connectivity failing and the alarm throwing a "service required" message are recurring complaints on the owners' forum, alongside occasional rear camera and On-Call system faults. None of it strands the car, but it's the kind of fault that comes back after a supposed fix and can be fiddly to chase down once out of warranty.
On 60-series cars from 2008 on, the windscreen bonding can fail along the top edge, letting water track down the inside of the glass and pool in the front passenger footwell, in bad cases described as an inch deep. It's one of the most discussed faults on the owners' forum, and the fix is to remove and rebond the screen, typically £75-£280 depending on where it's done. Volvo has sometimes resisted goodwill claims on older cars by calling it wear and tear, so budget for it yourself.
Ranked from this model’s own MOT record, then from what owners report.
Saveable checklistThe physical checks its own defect data says are worth your time, most telling first.
These judge the seller’s upkeep rather than the model, and they are where the haggling money is.
The physical checks its own defect data says are worth your time, most telling first.
These judge the seller’s upkeep rather than the model, and they are where the haggling money is.
The physical checks its own defect data says are worth your time, most telling first.
These judge the seller’s upkeep rather than the model, and they are where the haggling money is.
Drawn from the reports above rather than the MOT data. These are the model-specific ones.
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. 14,555 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.
Same segment (Saloons & estates), best MOT record first. Compare before you shortlist.