All generations and engines together · 75,370 MOT tests in the 2025 data · typical mileage at age 7: 58k
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. 11,761 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.
Several XC40 faults have turned out to be software, not hardware: a reversing camera that can go blank in gear (Volvo recalled this twice, most recently in late 2025), a brake control module fault that can falsely kill the ABS, ESC and traction control warning lights, and a false emergency-call fault. Owners have separately reported the touchscreen freezing after the car's sat in strong sun, and sat-nav voice guidance dropping out mid-route. The fixes are free, but only if they've actually been applied.
Very early UK-built cars had brake pedals that weren't riveted correctly, letting the pedal move out of position and potentially reducing braking performance; Volvo recalled these in 2018/19. Separately, Honest John logged owner reports from the same period of a stiff pedal that wouldn't trip the starter safety switch, and one claim of brake failure on a dual carriageway. On its own the safety-switch fault is a nuisance; the point of overlap with a genuine recall is what makes it worth checking.
Press reviews consistently mark the XC40 down for how hard it rides on the larger alloy wheel options, especially over potholed and pockmarked town roads. That lines up with the wider picture in the measured MOT data, where suspension is the standout fault category for small SUVs as a class. It doesn't prove parts are failing early on the XC40 specifically, just that the firmer wheel and tyre combinations get noticed and complained about more, so treat a firm test drive as a wheel-size question first and a wear question second.
On plug-in hybrid and full-electric Recharge versions, the Battery Energy Control Module could reset unexpectedly and disconnect the high-voltage system, cutting drive power while moving. Volvo issued a free software recall for this in 2021. On a used PHEV or EV, get confirmation the recall has been carried out and check there's no warning message about reduced power on start-up.
Unlike a lot of rivals in this class, the XC40's petrol and diesel engines run on a timing belt rather than a chain. It's a scheduled service item, not a defect, but it's the kind of thing a private seller can quietly let slide, and a belt failure on these engines means serious, expensive damage rather than a limp home. Don't take a seller's word for it; ask to see it stamped in the service book.
Built from the two sections above.
Same segment (Small SUVs), best MOT record first. Compare before you shortlist.