All generations and engines together · 10,909 MOT tests in the 2025 data · typical mileage at age 7: 126k
Middling among SUVs per mile driven. Watch suspension and lights & electrics. A fair used buy, provided its MOT history has no repeating suspension advisories.
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.
The 2.4/2.5-litre five-cylinder petrol and D5 diesel units are interference engines: if the tensioner or idler pulley bearing wears out and lets the belt slip, the pistons meet the valves and the engine is scrap. Volvo's own interval is 10 years or 90-120k miles, but forum reports include tensioners failing well inside that, sometimes from around 50-60k miles if a cheap aftermarket kit was fitted previously. A full belt, tensioner, idler and water pump kit done properly runs £400-700; a belt that lets go costs £4,000-6,000 in engine repair or a replacement engine.
The CEM is the fusebox-computer that runs lights, wipers, locking, the instrument cluster and talks to the immobiliser, and it sits under the passenger footwell carpet. A blocked sunroof or windscreen drain lets water track down to it over months, and it starts misbehaving long before anyone notices a leak: dead turn signals, a blank cluster, seats or mirrors that stop working, sometimes an engine that won't start. A replacement CEM has to be cloned to the car's VIN and keys by a specialist, and the job including parts typically runs £300-600.
AWD XC70s use self-pumping Nivomat units at the rear instead of plain shocks, and they wear out rather than fail suddenly, so the back of the car gradually sits lower and softer over years. This lines up with the measured MOT data for this model, where suspension is the standout fault category, though the MOT test itself usually just sees worn bushes or a failed ride height rather than naming the Nivomats directly. Replacements are Volvo-specific, increasingly hard to source new, and cost £300-600 per side, or more once you add labour for a full pair.
The Geartronic automatic can develop flared or delayed changes, a whine under load, or a jerky shift into 2nd, usually put down to tired fluid and filter rather than a hard fault. Volvo doesn't badge it as a lifetime-fluid box in practice, and cars that have never had the fluid and filter changed are the ones that show symptoms, generally from 100k miles onward. A fluid and filter service is around £200-300; a full rebuild or reconditioned box if it's been ignored runs well into four figures.
The Haldex clutch that sends drive to the rear wheels needs its own fluid and filter change on a shorter interval than most owners expect, particularly on cars used for towing, and neglected examples can throw AWD warning lights or lose rear-drive assistance. Connector corrosion at the Haldex control unit is also a recognised nuisance fault causing intermittent warning lights rather than an actual drive problem. Fluid and filter service is around £150-250; a full Haldex pump or coupling replacement is £500-1,000+.
On D5 units, swirl flaps in the intake can gum up with soot and cause rough idle or a flagged fault, and turbos on high-mileage examples can start whining or smoking once bearings wear, most commonly well past 150k miles. The later Euro6 D4 diesel (pre-AdBlue) is separately known for carbon build-up if it's not run on decent quality diesel, which shows as sluggish response and can point to injector or EGR work. None of this is covered by a recall; it's condition-dependent and comes down to servicing history and fuel used.
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.
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. 1,929 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 (Family & large SUVs), best MOT record first. Compare before you shortlist.