MOT cost .
Volvo Xc40
MOT 2024

Wikimedia Commons — CC-BY-SA (image-specific)

Volvo

Xc40

100,942 MOT tests analysed. sits above the UK fleet average — here's where Xc40s pass, fail, and end up on the retest sheet.

That's 13.4 points above the UK fleet average across our 1,984 tracked models — a confident result.

Pass

90.9%

Pass-after-fix

1.4%

Fail

7.3%

Avg miles

34,841

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

Trim variants

Inscription PRO B4 Mhev A 94.0% 4,234 Rdesign PRO T5 Recharge A 90.7% 3,654 R Design PRO B4 Mhev Auto 92.3% 3,361 Inscript PRO T5 Rcharge A 93.0% 3,359 R Design T4 Recharge Auto 92.6% 3,345 R Design B4 Mhev Auto 94.3% 2,944 Inscription B4 Mhev AWD A 93.3% 2,435 Inscription B4 Mhev Auto 93.3% 2,286 R Design T5 Recharge Auto 93.5% 2,227 R Design B4 Mhev AWD Auto 94.2% 1,437 Inscription T4 Recharge A 92.7% 1,435

Performance by cohort

3 year bands · 100,942 tests

Pass rate is broadly flat across the cohorts — new and old Xc40 examples track each other at the test bay.

Pre-2018 cohort 2,564

Pass

91.2%

Fail

8.0%

PRS

0.8%

Avg mileage at test

46,912 mi

2018–2020 cohort 72,355

Pass

90.9%

Fail

7.5%

PRS

1.3%

Avg mileage at test

37,516 mi

2021+ cohort 26,023

Pass

90.9%

Fail

6.9%

PRS

1.7%

Avg mileage at test

26,201 mi

Cohort = vehicle's first-registration year band. Same model, different generations of build.

Generations on file · 2

Volvo Xc40 · UK market

Volvo Xc40 2017-2022

2017–2022

Volvo Xc40 2022-now

2022–now

Photos: Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA / CC BY / public domain.

The picture

Xc40: a strong MOT record by UK norms

Across 42,006 MOT tests, the Xc40 returns 90.3% first-time pass — comfortably ahead of the UK fleet average. The single most-logged Major fail is brake pads worn below 1.5 mm. A seriously damaged tyre and windscreen damage round out the top three. Average tested mileage sits at 30,551, 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.

ABI Insurance Group

Group 26–36

Above average — worth comparing quotes before buying. Lower groups cost less to insure; UK fleet average is around Group 22.

Source: ABI Group Rating Panel · administered by Thatcham Research · groups cover standard variants; performance trims may sit higher. Browse all insurance groups →

26–36

out of 50

Compare quotes →

Top ten reasons for rejection.

Filter failures:

  1. 01

    a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm

    3,047 occurrences · 3.0% of tests

  2. 02

    A tyre seriously damaged

    1,268 occurrences · 1.3% of tests

  3. 03

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

    1,248 occurrences · 1.2% of tests

  4. 04

    Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements

    1,133 occurrences · 1.1% of tests

  5. 05

    Wiper blade defective

    975 occurrences · 1.0% of tests

  6. 06

    Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen

    423 occurrences · 0.4% of tests

  7. 07

    A tyre cords visible or damaged

    363 occurrences · 0.4% of tests

  8. 08

    A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot severely deteriorated

    277 occurrences · 0.3% of tests

  9. 09

    Brake disc or drum significantly and obviously worn

    208 occurrences · 0.2% of tests

  10. 10

    A suspension component fractured or likely to fail

    140 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

£160–£300

If every one of this Xc40'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 →

Try the calculator

Build your own retest budget.

Year-band analysis

Best year to buy. Worst to avoid.

First-time MOT pass rate split by registration band. Pass rates barely move across bands here, so the year you buy Volvo Xc40 makes little measurable difference to MOT outcomes.

Best band to buy

91.2%

Pre-2018 registration

the older band (pre-2018) climbs to 91.2% — a 0.3-point improvement. Failures here are mostly wear items: less than 1.5 mm thick, 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.

Band to be cautious about

90.9%

2018–2020 registration

On the 2018–2020 band, the data shows a 90.9% pass rate against a fleet average of 91.2% on the newer band. The main culprits logged at test: less than 1.5 mm thick, has a cut in excess of the…, and damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view. Average mileage on test for this band is 37,516 miles — high-mileage wear items are a recurring theme.

Best band to buy: pre-2018 (91.2% first-time pass). Worst band to avoid: 2018-2020 (90.9% pass). That's a 0.3-point spread across 72,355 older tests and 2,564 newer ones — year of build makes a material difference on this model.

Year-spread leaderboard →

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

Brake pad measurement gauge

Testers fail pads under 1.5mm. A wear gauge tells you if you've got two months left or two weeks.

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

Item 03 · 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

My Motor World · affiliate

Parts & supplies for this fix

Affiliate links — small commission, no extra cost to you.

Hycote Volvo Black Stone Double Acrylic Spray Paint 150ml

Hycote

Hycote Volvo Black Stone Double Acrylic Spray Paint 150ml

£6.59

View at My Motor World →

Hycote Volvo Ice White Double Acrylic Spray Paint 150ml

Hycote

Hycote Volvo Ice White Double Acrylic Spray Paint 150ml

£6.59

View at My Motor World →

Autotek Volvo Dark Grey 228 300ml

Autotek

Autotek Volvo Dark Grey 228 300ml

£14.29

View at My Motor World →

Autotek Volvo Ice White 300ml

Autotek

Autotek Volvo Ice White 300ml

£14.29

View at My Motor World →

Click Mechanic · affiliate

Book a mobile mechanic

Affiliate links — small commission, no extra cost to you.

Mobile mechanic · UK-wide

Book a mechanic at your door.

Fixed-price quotes upfront. No garage needed. Click Mechanic sends a vetted local mechanic to you — home, work, or roadside.

Get a quote →

Owner reports · Honest John

What owners actually report.

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.

Buying or keeping a Xc40?

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 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.