What year Volvo S40 is most reliable?

Based on MOT first-test pass rates, the 2012 Volvo S40 has the highest pass rate at 78.3%, out of 1,575 vehicles tested.

What are the most common Volvo S40 MOT failures?

The most common Volvo S40 MOT failures vary by year. Check the individual year pages for detailed defect breakdowns — links in the table above.

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Volvo S40 — Reliability by Year

104,033 vehicles · MOT data 1996–2012 · first-test pass rates

This page shows MOT first-test pass rates for each year the Volvo S40 was manufactured — click any year to explore that cohort in detail. Trying to decide which year to buy? See the full buying guide →

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Best pass rate year

2012

78.3% pass rate · 1,575 vehicles

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Lowest pass rate year

1996

64.5% pass rate · 2,716 vehicles

Year	Pass rate	Avg mileage	Vehicles
2012	78.3%	71,766 mi	1,575
2011	77.0%	75,195 mi	2,032
2010	77.1%	74,840 mi	3,228
2009	76.5%	75,001 mi	3,988
2008	75.4%	79,346 mi	5,997
2007	75.1%	83,834 mi	4,358
2006	76.3%	82,477 mi	5,205
2005	75.4%	85,271 mi	6,753
2004	72.4%	79,517 mi	6,586
2003	70.4%	78,215 mi	6,099
2002	70.2%	84,437 mi	6,722
2001	69.6%	88,246 mi	7,824
2000	68.8%	89,309 mi	9,229
1999	67.4%	95,801 mi	11,413
1998	66.3%	99,653 mi	11,170
1997	65.2%	104,429 mi	9,138
1996	64.5%	107,121 mi	2,716

Which year Volvo S40 is most reliable?

MOT pass rate by year of manufacture — averaged across each vehicle's lifetime of tests. Green = noticeably above average for this model; red = noticeably below average.

Tests range from an average of 71,766 miles (newest year) to 107,121 miles (oldest year). Older years naturally accumulate more tests at higher mileages — see the mileage-normalised breakdown →

Trying to decide which year to buy?

We've done the full analysis — which years to look for, which to avoid, and where to find the best value for reliability on a Volvo S40.

See the buying guide →

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