All generations and engines together · 15,739 MOT tests in the 2025 data · typical mileage at age 7: 82k
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. 8,806 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.
T8 Twin Engine cars carry a lithium-ion pack behind the rear seats, and owners on the Volvo Owners Club forum report the claimed electric-only range dropping off well before the car reaches five years old, with some asking whether a replacement pack is worth it once out of warranty. Check how much of Volvo's high-voltage battery warranty is left rather than trusting the dash range estimate. Replacement out of warranty is not cheap, expect a four-figure bill if a dealer diagnoses genuine pack degradation rather than a software recalibration.
Owners report the touchscreen running slow to respond, sat-nav position drifting off the actual road, and occasional freezes that need a reboot to clear. Software updates arrive periodically and fix some of it, but not all, and some owners are still chasing the same niggles years apart. It's an annoyance rather than a safety issue and won't strand the car, but worth checking on a test drive.
The D3/D4/D5 diesel engines use a rubber timing belt rather than a chain, unlike a lot of rivals' modern diesels, and a belt change isn't always obvious in service records. On an older, higher-mileage diesel with no documented belt change, budget for one rather than assume it's fit-and-forget. These are interference engines, so a snapped belt means a wrecked top end and a bill running well into four figures.
A scatter of owners report ABS/ESC warning lights appearing with no repeatable fault found, engine management lights triggering on sensor faults rather than anything mechanical, and the odd morning where neither key fob will unlock the car. It isn't one well-defined failure, more a pattern of small electrical gremlins that usually clear with a dealer reset or software update. Worth noting when buying used, not a reason to walk away on its own.
At least one documented case of a panoramic sunroof letting water into the cabin on a 2018 car at around 15,000 miles, most likely blocked drain channels rather than a design fault. It's a known failure mode on panoramic sunroofs across the industry, so worth checking for damp carpets or headlining stains, but there isn't enough reported volume on the V90 specifically to call it a pattern.
Built from the two sections above.
Same segment (Saloons & estates), best MOT record first. Compare before you shortlist.