Reliability report
Volvo V90 reliability and common faults
Based on 24,037 roadworthiness tests, led by the UK MOT. Each country is compared only with its own average for cars of the same age.
🇬🇧 United Kingdom · MOT
15.4%
fail rate · average 15.1%
about average
10,609 MOT tests (DVSA)
🇳🇱 Netherlands · APK
37.6%
with defects · average 36.8%
about average
11,768 APK inspections (RDW)
🇱🇹 Lithuania · inspection
82.4%
first-time pass · average 78.3%
better than average
1,660 inspections
Testing regimes differ from country to country – don’t compare the figures between countries; compare each one only with its own average. MOT data: contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Weak spots
What goes wrong on the Volvo V90
How often each area fails compared with the average car of the same age (vertical line = average, 100%). Red – more often than average.
Steeringconfirmed in 2 countries
Plates and identification
Body and structureconfirmed in 2 countries
Exhaust and emissions
Wheelsconfirmed in 2 countries
Brakes
Tyres
Suspension
Lights and electrics
Seat belts and airbags
Visibility
Most common test failures
- 1Steering or steering knuckle ball joint with wear of 1.0 mm or less
- 2Tyre pressure not at correct value
- 3Tyre(s) with tread depth of 1.6 to 2.5 mm
- 4Tyre insufficient tread
- 5Mechanical parts of the brake system show wear
- 6Driveshaft boot damaged and not sealing
- 7Low beam incorrectly adjusted
- 8Tyre damaged
- 9Rear light not working (properly)
- 10Windscreen wiper system gives insufficient visibility
- 11Ball joint dust cover damaged and not sealing
- 12eCall onboard system warning indicator shows fault
Results by vehicle age
| Age | 🇬🇧 MOT fail rate | 🇳🇱 APK defects |
|---|---|---|
| 3–5 years | 11.7% avg 9.9% | 21.3% avg 27.0% |
| 6–8 years | 15.4% avg 15.3% | 39.4% avg 36.7% |
| 9–11 years | 23.4% avg 22.9% | 48.5% avg 44.4% |
| 21+ years | — | 64.8% avg 68.4% |
🇱🇹 First-time pass rate in Lithuania – by year of manufacture
| Year | V90 | Average for year | Inspections |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 96.1% | 86.7% | 76 |
| 2020 | 73.7% | 78.6% | 76 |
| 2019 | 85.0% | 83.2% | 213 |
| 2018 | 81.8% | 79.5% | 468 |
| 2017 | 82.5% | 76.6% | 698 |
| 2016 | 81.4% | 72.8% | 118 |
Volvo V90 – FAQs
How reliable is the Volvo V90?+
In the UK the Volvo V90 fails 15.4% of MOT tests, against an average of 15.1% for cars of the same age – about average. In the Netherlands, inspectors found defects at 37.6% of APK inspections (average there 36.8%) – about average. In Lithuania 82.4% pass their roadworthiness test first time (average for those years there 78.3%) – better than average.
What goes wrong most often on the Volvo V90?+
Compared with the average car of the same age, testers find faults more often in these areas: steering, body and structure, exhaust and emissions.
What should I check when buying a used Volvo V90?+
The most common inspection failures: Steering or steering knuckle ball joint with wear of 1.0 mm or less; Tyre pressure not at correct value; Tyre(s) with tread depth of 1.6 to 2.5 mm; Tyre insufficient tread; Mechanical parts of the brake system show wear. Before you buy, also check the free MOT history on GOV.UK and the car’s history by reg or VIN (mileage, damage, theft).
More Volvo models
Sources: anonymised MOT test results (DVSA) – contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0; APK inspection defects (RDW, open data); Lithuanian roadworthiness test results (data.gov.lt). Initial tests only; retests are not counted. Photo: Alexander Migl, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons (licence).