MOT cost .

Volvo

800 Series

2,449 MOT tests analysed. runs below the UK fleet average — here's where 800 Seriess pass, fail, and end up on the retest sheet.

That's 6.3 points below the UK fleet average across our 1,988 tracked models — buyers should expect more first-time fails than the typical UK car.

Pass

69.4%

Pass-after-fix

4.9%

Fail

25.1%

Avg miles

144,496

Pass + Pass-after-fix + Fail = 100%

The picture

800 Series: a below-average pass rate worth digging into

Across 2,449 MOT tests, the 800 Series returns 69.4% first-time pass — well below the UK fleet average. The single most-logged Major fail is a split CV-joint boot. A missing CV-joint boot and windscreen damage round out the top three. Average tested mileage sits at 144,496, which is the lens to read those failure rankings through. If you own one and the next test is close, the ranked list below is a sensible pre-test checklist.

Top ten reasons for rejection.

  1. 01

    A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot severely deteriorated

    198 occurrences · 8.1% of tests

  2. 02

    A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc

    115 occurrences · 4.7% of tests

  3. 03

    Windscreen or window damaged or seriously discoloured but not adversely affecting driver's view

    111 occurrences · 4.5% of tests

  4. 04

    Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen

    97 occurrences · 4.0% of tests

  5. 05

    A rear registration plate lamp or light source missing or inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources

    88 occurrences · 3.6% of tests

  6. 06

    Parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement

    84 occurrences · 3.4% of tests

  7. 07

    A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn

    81 occurrences · 3.3% of tests

  8. 08

    A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning

    69 occurrences · 2.8% of tests

  9. 09

    Warning device shows system malfunction

    68 occurrences · 2.8% of tests

  10. 10

    Parking brake inoperative on one side

    58 occurrences · 2.4% of tests

Counts cover Major and Dangerous defects logged at test. Advisory items excluded so this shows why a car was rejected, not just what the tester flagged in passing.

Worst-case fix budget · top 2 failures

£28–£80

If every one of this 800 Series's most-logged Major fails hit at the same MOT, that's the real-world UK garage range. Reality is usually one or two items, not all of them. Open the estimator →

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Build your own retest budget.

Tools that pre-empt a retest.

Picked against this car's top failure patterns. Affiliate links to Amazon UK — we earn a small cut at no cost to you. Disclosed up-front, doesn't shape the data.

Item 01 · Amazon UK

Bosch Aerotwin wiper blades

Cheap wipers fail the test on smear streaks. Bosch Aerotwins last a winter and clear a screen properly.

Search Amazon UK

Item 02 · Amazon UK

H7 / W21W bulb pack

A spare-bulb kit lives in the boot. Test morning is not the time to find your stop-lamp's gone.

Search Amazon UK

Buying or keeping a 800 Series?

Use the failure ranking as a pre-test checklist or a haggling lever. Treat the headline pass rate as a fleet-wide trend, not a guarantee on any individual car.

If you own a 800 Series and your last MOT looked nothing like the ranked failures above, that's normal — individual cars vary widely. The ranking shows the patterns testers flag most often across the country.