Volvo
1,435 MOT tests analysed. sits above the UK fleet average — here's where Xc40 Inscription T4 Recharge As pass, fail, and end up on the retest sheet.
That's 15.2 points above the UK fleet average across our 1,984 tracked models — a confident result.
Pass
92.7%
Pass-after-fix
1.2%
Fail
5.9%
Avg miles
34,098
Pass + Pass-after-fix + Fail = 100%
Petrol cars first registered from January 2006 meet Euro 4 — compliant in London ULEZ, Birmingham CAZ, Bristol CAZ, and Glasgow LEZ.
Performance by cohort
2 year bands · 1,435 tests
Pass rate climbs 1.5 points across the cohorts — newer Xc40 Inscription T4 Recharge A examples clear the test more reliably than the early cars.
Pass
91.4%
Fail
8.1%
PRS
0.5%
Avg mileage at test
37,294 mi
Pass
92.9%
Fail
5.6%
PRS
1.3%
Avg mileage at test
33,621 mi
Cohort = vehicle's first-registration year band. Same model, different generations of build.
The picture
Across 1,435 MOT tests, the Xc40 Inscription T4 Recharge A returns 92.7% first-time pass — comfortably ahead of the UK fleet average. The single most-logged Major fail is windscreen damage. A seriously damaged tyre and a defective wiper blade round out the top three. Average tested mileage sits at 34,098, 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.
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Windscreen or window damaged or seriously discoloured but not adversely affecting driver's view
33 occurrences · 2.3% of tests
A tyre seriously damaged
26 occurrences · 1.8% of tests
Wiper blade defective
23 occurrences · 1.6% of tests
Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements
21 occurrences · 1.5% of tests
A tyre cords visible or damaged
15 occurrences · 1.0% of tests
A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot severely deteriorated
9 occurrences · 0.6% of tests
Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen
7 occurrences · 0.5% of tests
A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc
5 occurrences · 0.3% of tests
Reflector defective or damaged by up to 50% of the reflecting surface
3 occurrences · 0.2% of tests
Tyre obviously under inflated
2 occurrences · 0.1% 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 3 failures
£140–£235
If every one of this Xc40 Inscription T4 Recharge A'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.
Year-band analysis
First-time MOT pass rate split by registration band. A 1.5-point gap between bands is modest — the year you buy Volvo Xc40 Inscription T4 Recharge A makes a small but real difference to MOT outcomes.
Best band to buy
92.9%
2021+ registration
the 2021-on band climbs to 92.9% — a 1.5-point improvement. Failures here are mostly wear items: damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view, has a cut in excess of the… — the structural issues that drag down older examples don't appear in the top-10 for this band. Post-2020 examples are early in their MOT life and generally show the cleanest records.
Band to be cautious about
91.4%
2018–2020 registration
On the 2018–2020 band, the data shows a 91.4% pass rate against a fleet average of 92.9% on the newer band. The main culprits logged at test: constant velocity boot severely deteriorated, constant velocity boot split or insecure, no…, and damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view. Average mileage on test for this band is 37,294 miles — high-mileage wear items are a recurring theme.
Best band to buy: 2021+ (92.9% first-time pass). Worst band to avoid: 2018-2020 (91.4% pass). That's a 1.5-point spread across 186 older tests and 1,249 newer ones — year of build makes a material difference on this model.
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
Digital tyre-tread depth gauge
Five quid for a gauge beats £150 for a retest. UK MOT minimum is 1.6mm — most testers fail anything below 2mm to be safe.
Search Amazon UK
My Motor World · affiliate
Affiliate links — small commission, no extra cost to you.
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Click Mechanic · affiliate
Affiliate links — small commission, no extra cost to you.
Mobile mechanic · UK-wide
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Owner reports · Honest John
Verbatim faults logged by owners on honestjohn.co.uk over recent years. We didn't summarise — these are the words people typed in.
What's good
The Volvo XC40 is a premium compact SUV on the CMA platform, offering genuine Volvo quality at a more accessible price. The B4 and D4 engines are efficient and reliable. Google-based infotainment on newer variants.
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 Xc40 Inscription T4 Recharge A 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.
