All generations and engines together · 59,197 MOT tests in the 2025 data · typical mileage at age 7: 76k
Middling among SUVs, by age and by mileage. 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.
On pre-2015 D5 and 2.4D diesels the timing belt tensioner can let go well short of its interval, sometimes from around 50-65k miles, and if it does the belt jumps and the engine destroys itself, a repair that can run to several thousand pounds. Volvo's own guidance has the belt, tensioner, pulleys and water pump changed together at 60,000 miles or 4 years rather than the longer figure once quoted, which owners read as a quiet admission the original interval was too long. The same engines are also known for inlet manifold swirl flaps snapping off any time after about 3 years old, and flaps have been reported failing again even after a first replacement.
The angle gear that carries drive from the gearbox to the rear differential on four-wheel-drive cars is a known weak point, with a reputation for failing in cold weather. Volvo has described it in owner correspondence as an inherent fault and offered goodwill contributions on a sliding scale by mileage, though it never ran a full recall. Repairs are typically well over a thousand pounds, and more if the failure has also damaged the transmission output side.
The Geartronic auto box fitted across most UK-spec cars is repeatedly flagged by tow-car owners as marginal, with the transmission oil cooler seen as too small for sustained hauling on hills. Symptoms range from hesitant or flared changes to a gearbox that revs without engaging after a long motorway run. Some cases clear up with a fluid flush, others need a valve body or full rebuild running into four figures, and the same fault pattern turns up across Volvo owner and towing forums rather than in one isolated report.
Cars fitted with the optional Four-C adaptive air suspension (mainly post-2015 cars on Plus and Ultra trim) are a recurring source of "Suspension Service Required" warnings, one corner sitting low overnight, and compressor or air spring failures once out of warranty. Suspension is the fault this model's MOT data flags most, and while a leaking air spring itself is a pre-MOT money pit rather than something that necessarily fails the test straight away, it points at the same underlying soft spot the test data is picking up. Expect four figures for a spring or compressor, more if several corners need doing.
Second-generation cars (2015 on) get recurring complaints about the Sensus infotainment system rebooting itself, software updates that fix a glitch only for it to come back, and 12V battery or charging faults that can cause a wider electrical shutdown. Owners report repeat dealer visits without the problem fully going away. It is not tied to one engine or trim and turns up on both diesel and plug-in hybrid cars.
On T8 hybrid cars the high-voltage battery pack can lose range faster than the brochure figure suggests, with some owners reporting electric-only range down to a fraction of new after 5-6 years, and a smaller number of early or rapid failures needing a full pack replacement within a few years of purchase. Volvo has sometimes offered a partial goodwill contribution rather than a free fix once the car is out of warranty. Only affects the T8 plug-in hybrid, not the diesel or mild-hybrid petrol range.
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. 21,584 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.