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Volvo

Xc90 R Design B5 Awd Auto

1,872 MOT tests analysed. sits above the UK fleet average — here's where Xc90 R Design B5 Awd Autos pass, fail, and end up on the retest sheet.

That's 13.6 points above the UK fleet average across our 1,984 tracked models — a confident result.

Pass

91.1%

Pass-after-fix

1.4%

Fail

7.1%

Avg miles

46,224

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

ULEZ compliant

Diesel cars registered from September 2015 generally meet Euro 6 — compliant in London ULEZ, Birmingham CAZ, Bristol CAZ, and Glasgow LEZ.

UK ULEZ & CAZ guide →

The picture

Xc90 R-Design B5 Awd Auto: a strong MOT record by UK norms

Across 987 MOT tests, the Xc90 R-Design B5 Awd Auto returns 88.2% first-time pass — comfortably ahead of the UK fleet average. The single most-logged Major fail is a seriously damaged tyre. Brake pads worn below 1.5 mm and tyre tread under the limit round out the top three. Average tested mileage sits at 36,881, 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 38–48

A high-group car — insurance costs will be significantly above average. 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 →

38–48

out of 50

Compare quotes →

Top ten reasons for rejection.

Filter failures:

  1. 01

    a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm

    43 occurrences · 2.3% of tests

  2. 02

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

    31 occurrences · 1.7% of tests

  3. 03

    A tyre seriously damaged

    21 occurrences · 1.1% of tests

  4. 04

    A tyre cords visible or damaged

    20 occurrences · 1.1% of tests

  5. 05

    Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements

    18 occurrences · 1.0% of tests

  6. 06

    A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn

    11 occurrences · 0.6% of tests

  7. 07

    Wiper blade defective

    10 occurrences · 0.5% of tests

  8. 08

    Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen

    6 occurrences · 0.3% of tests

  9. 09

    A tyre seriously damaged

    5 occurrences · 0.3% of tests

  10. 10

    A front or rear fog lamp not securely attached

    4 occurrences · 0.2% 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

£200£350

If every one of this Xc90 R Design B5 Awd Auto'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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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.

Where it falls short

Owner reports (8 entries) flag recurring problems with battery/electrical, electrical faults, brake discs.

Recent owner-reported faults

  1. 12 Feb 2020

    Report of Key Tag (Sport Key) of 22k mile 2018 Volvo XC90 T8 failing, owner thinks because of a flat battery. But it is a sealed unit so the battery cannot be changed and not covered by warranty so owner must pay £220 for a coded replacement. IRS Cuts Millions in Tax Debt Before April 30th Deadline As the tax relief deadline nears, thousands of Americans are rushing to resolve their tax debts before the IRS imposes hefty penalties.Fresh Start Information Learn More Ask a Pro: "I'm 65 With $1.1M In An IRA. What's My Retirement Budget?"This quiz matches nearly 50,000 people each month with vetted financial advisors.SmartAsset Learn More Top 5 Mouse Repellents for 2026 Expert Product Review Learn More Why AI Brings Speech Clarity That Old Hearing Aids Just Can’t Match Understand speech in noise effortlessly AudioNova What Plumbers Won’t Tell You: The Cheap Hack for Clear Drains Trending Deal Journal Stop Wasting Groceries: The Fridge Mistake Most Households Make Consumer Check Sponsored IRS Forgives Millions in Tax Debt Before May 15 Apply Now As the tax relief deadline nears, thousands of Americans are rushing to resolve their tax debts before the IRS imposes hefty penalties.Fresh Start Information [![Image 37: Find Senior Women Who Bring The Spark [See Who's Online]](https://images.outbrainimg.com/transform/v3/eyJpdSI6IjIwN2QxY2ZhOGRlODY3YzNmZjc0N2Y0NDgxODc0MzJiMGE4MDEzODg0ZTZiMDIwY2MzZWQyYWNmMjViMDRjZTEiLCJ3Ijo0MDAsImgiOjMwMCwiZCI6MS4wLCJjaCI6MjAzNzE1NzAwNSwiY3MiOjAsImYiOjR9.webp)Sponsored Find Senior Women Who Bring The Spark [See Who's Online] Read more It all starts with a message.amorelation.com](https://amorelation.com/land/sp/17f2ebbb?utm_source=Outbrain&utm_medium=ua&utm_campaign=OBN_Amorelation_USA_All_Native_EU2_NewU_aOBX25_WL-exclude2_Creo-t_Text-t_mua_20Apr&campaign_id=004aea76c4e6e4694169bd0cc89a5ab731&utm_content=Find+Senior+Women+Who+Bring+The+Spark+%5BSee+Who%27s+Online%5D&partner=outbrain_datingsmatch&OutbrainClickId={{ob_click_id}}&subid={{ob_click_id}}&ad_id=00cb476e93938ef6545123d4a0ca2f0577&publisher_name={{publisher_name}}&section_name={{section_name}}&publisher_id={{publisher_id}}&ad_name={{ad_name}}&obOrigUrl=true) Sponsored Trouble Sleeping? Why You Shouldn’t Take Melatonin!Health Report Sponsored Black Mold Spots On Bathroom Caulk? Try This $25 Fix Before Scrubbing Consumer World Sponsored Top 5 Binoculars for 2026 Expert Product Review Learn More * Terms and Conditions * Privacy * Cookies * Advertise on this site * Contact * Mobile) Website of the Year 2016, 2017 & 2018

  2. 15 Aug 2019

    Report of initial 20 miles fully charged EV range of Volvo T8 PHEV 'TwinPower' disappearing when first starting the car. Engine simply starts. Car has done 127k miles.

  3. 25 May 2019

    Report of brakes of Volvo XC90 failing on the motorway 200 miles after purchase. "No braking power between 60mph and 40mph no matter how hard I pressed the pedal." Volvo examined the car and found a part was not put in place during assembly.

  4. 12 Nov 2018

    Report of numerous problems with 2015 Volvo XC90 T8. In three years it has had two complete software failures leading to no power.

  5. 3 Sep 2018

    Complaint from owner that even when fully charged his Volvo XC90 T8 will not run for more than a few miles in EV mode without the petrol engine cutting in. A new 12v battery was tried in case there was a fault with the engine start/stop, but that made no difference.

  6. 4 Oct 2017

    Significant electrical/electronic problems reported with November 2016 Volvo XC90. Recurrent issues with low charge 12V battery which resulted in complete electrical failure within the first 4 months from purchase. Volvo UK had the car uplifted back to the Volvo dealer in April 2017 with the subsequent battery change and software upgrade seeming to have sorted the original problem.

  7. 28 Mar 2017

    Report of numerous annoying problems with leased Volvo XC90 T8. Within 24 hours of pick up it needed its main ECU replacing (gone for a week and half) and since then the heated seat on the drivers side doesn't work (2 visits, still no fix) and the nav / radio unit liked to reboot itself (2 visits, now fixed, fingers crossed). Since the last visit the driver's window started running slowly and the collision warning sensor likes to go off a lot more frequently than before.

  8. 8 Jul 2016

    Complaint of multiple software problems on Volvo XC90 "Like most other owners, I'm having lots of ongoing software problems with my car. Many of the functions for which I bought this car don't work at all, or work for a while after a software update and then fail again. Ongoing software issues are "resolved" by a latest software update which in most cases fixes the glitch temporarily but often has knock on effects to other software functions.

Source: honestjohn.co.uk · 8 reports indexed

Buying or keeping a Xc90 R Design B5 Awd Auto?

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 Xc90 R Design B5 Awd Auto 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.