Model Reports 4 min read Updated 18 Oct 2026

Volvo C30 2007: reliability & common MOT faults

In 2025, 56 in every 100 first MOTs on a 2007 Volvo C30 were passes. Most common reason for a fail: Coil spring (front).

Summary

The 2007 Volvo C30 follows the pattern of the model years either side.

At a glance

How 1,852 first tests went in 2025.

Passed first time
56 in every 100
Did not pass first time
44 in every 100816 failed first-attempt tests
The typical car
18 yearsabout 106,526 miles
First tests counted
1,852

What failed most often

  1. Coil spring (front)10 in every 100 failed tests
  2. Drive shaft joints and boots (front)10 in every 100 failed tests
  3. Individual sidelight or tail light (front)9 in every 100 failed tests

How we count this. Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Only Class 4 cars on their first MOT of the year are counted. A car that fails and is fixed at the test station still counts as a fail in the first-attempt rate. These are raw results, not adjusted for age, mileage, or peer mix. The MOT does not test engine or gearbox internals.

Note:

These are patterns across 2007 Volvo C30 vehicles in 2025, not a prediction that any one car will have them. Faults are grouped by part of the car. A wear pattern follows age and use more than the way the car was built. They come from MOT defect codes, not manufacturer bulletins, recalls or a diagnosis of any one car.

Suspension

Two faults. The strongest is the anti-roll bar linkage (rear): 13 times as often as on similar cars.

Figures below are measured across the 815 of 816 failed first attempts (99.9%) that recorded an odometer reading in 2025. Mileage is needed to compare like with like.

We only list faults with at least 20 failures and a rate of about 2.0 times that of similar cars, which keeps one-off results out of the list.

Anti-roll bar linkage (rear)

Failed on 21 first tests13 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

An anti-roll bar linkage is graded Dangerous when a suspension component is missing, likely to become detached, fractured or likely to fail. Insecure attachment that impairs directional stability is graded Dangerous too. Excessive damage or corrosion that seriously weakens the part is Major, and so is plain insecure attachment to the chassis or axle.

Wheel bearings (front)

Failed on 23 first tests2.0 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

Excessive play in a wheel bearing, or a bearing that is excessively rough, is Major. Play so excessive that the bearing is likely to break up or directional control is impaired is Dangerous, and so is a bearing so rough that it is likely to overheat or break up.

Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage.

Steering

One fault: steering rack (front), 4.2 times as often as on similar cars.

Steering rack (front)

Failed on 22 first tests4.2 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

Steering gear casing retaining devices dangerously loose, or visible relative movement to the chassis or bodywork, is graded Dangerous. A casing not properly attached, or fractured, is Major, but a fracture that affects the stability or attachment of the casing is Dangerous. A gaiter damaged but still keeping dirt out is Minor, and Major once missing or no longer doing so.

Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage.

Lamps and electrical

One fault: number plate lights, 2.8 times as often as on similar cars.

Number plate lights

Failed on 75 first tests2.8 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

Registration plate lamps must light up the rear registration plate and operate at the same time as the position lamps. A missing or inoperative lamp is Major when the plate has only one lamp or all its lamps are not working, and Minor when the plate has several lamps or light sources and not all have failed. A lamp throwing direct white light to the rear is also Minor.

Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage.

Brakes

One wear pattern: brake pads (rear), 2.2 times as often as on similar cars.

Brake pads (rear)

Failed on 46 first tests2.2 times as often as similar carsWear pattern

What it means

A pad worn down to its wear indicator, or contaminated with oil or grease, is Major. A pad worn below the set thickness limit, missing or incorrectly mounted is Dangerous. The manual treats an illuminated brake wear indicator as no reason for failure, although DVSA also lists an illuminated indicator as a Major row.

Also noted as an advisory

Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 60 first tests, 2.1 times as often as on similar cars.

Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage. Advisories count notes recorded on failed first tests only.

MOT pass rates

How first tests ended, and how the pass rates are counted.

Passed first time
56in every 100
Passed on the first test.
Fixed at the station
6in every 100
Failed, then fixed at the test station the same day.
Failed
38in every 100
Did not pass, and were not fixed at the test station.

First-attempt pass 55.9% of 1,852 first tests (2025): only cars that passed first time count. Official-style pass 62.0%: cars fixed at the test station also count as a pass. The 6 fixed and the 38 not fixed make the 44 in every 100 that did not pass first time.

Petrol and diesel

First testsPassed first time, as tested
Petrol1,20258
Diesel65051

Figures are in every 100 first tests.

Same model, other years

Passed first time in every 100, all tested in 2025.

4060801002007200820092010201120122013Newer cars
40608010020072010Newer cars

Newer cars are younger, so look for a jump rather than the climb.

YearPassed first timeFirst tests
2007 This car56 in every 1001,852
200854 in every 1002,534
200957 in every 1004,436
201058 in every 1004,393
201160 in every 1002,893
201261 in every 1002,717
201363 in every 100915

FAQs

Short answers about how to read this model-year guide.

The 2007 Volvo C30 follows the pattern of the model years either side. Its main cause of failure was Coil spring (front), about 10 in every 100 failed tests. In 2025, 55.9% of 1,852 first MOTs on the 2007 Volvo C30 passed first time (PRS: items fixed at the station the same day, counted as a fail). The official-style rate including PRS is 62.0%. Among 816 failed first-attempt MOT tests (test year 2025), Anti-roll bar linkage (rear) appears more often than on similar cars (2.6% of those tests; 21 observed failures; about 13× more often than similar cars). There is no single reliability score here; this is a pre-purchase checklist built from DVSA open data, not a guarantee for any individual car.
Ranked by how often they were actually recorded, the items that most often failed a 2007 Volvo C30 at the first attempt were Coil spring (front) (10.3%), Drive shaft joints and boots (front) (10.3%) and Individual sidelight or tail light (front) (9.3%), each as a share of the year's failed first attempts. That is what goes wrong most often on the car. The common faults table shows a different measure: faults that are unusual compared with similar cars.
Among failed first-attempt tests we highlight patterns that appear more often than on similar cars. Top example: Anti-roll bar linkage (rear) (2.6% of those tests; 21 observed failures; about 13× more often than similar cars). These are statistical signals, not a diagnosis of any individual car.
Anti-roll bar linkage (rear) shows up more often than on similar cars (2.6% of those tests; 21 observed failures; about 13× more often than similar cars). That does not prove a design fault. Age, mileage, and how the car was used still matter. Treat it as a pre-purchase checkpoint, not a manufacturer service bulletin.
Common MOT problem areas for the 2007 Volvo C30 include Anti-roll bar linkage (rear), Steering rack (front), Number plate lights. These are the faults that stand out compared with similar cars, not a complete list of what can go wrong on any individual car.
This page highlights MOT failure patterns for the 2007 Volvo C30 (registration year) using UK DVSA open data for the selected test year. Patterns are compared with cars of a similar age and mileage. It is a buyer checklist from MOT defect statistics, not a full service history or manufacturer service-bulletin list.
No. MOT tests do not cover engine internals, gearboxes, or many electronic modules. Patterns here come from MOT defect statistics only and should not be read as engine or gearbox reliability scores.

About this data

How this page is built and what it can (and can't) say.

These figures come from UK MOT open data for this model year. We surface common failure patterns against similar cars, not a full reliability score, and not a pass/fail verdict on any individual vehicle.

2024 2025

What we include

UK Class 4 cars only. Normal MOT tests (not retests); first test per vehicle per calendar year; results pass, PRS, or fail.

Same-day repairs

PRS means the car failed items that were fixed at the test station and then passed the same day. We count PRS as a first-attempt fail in headline rates so same-day repairs do not hide problems.

How we compare

We compare this model year with other Class 4 cars of similar age and mileage in the same test year. This model family is left out of the peer group so the car is not measured against itself.

What this does not cover

  • MOTs do not cover engine internals, gearboxes, or many electronics; this is not a full reliability score.
  • Common faults come from MOT defect stats, not manufacturer TSBs or recalls.
  • Age and mileage matching reduces, but does not remove, differences in how cars were used and maintained.
  • If the data for a car is too thin to say anything useful, we say so rather than guess.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

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