Model Reports 3 min read Updated 18 Oct 2026

Volvo S40 2005: reliability & common MOT faults

In 2025, 57 in every 100 first MOTs on a 2005 Volvo S40 were passes. Most common reason for a fail: Handbrake efficiency below minimum (roller test).

Summary

The 2005 Volvo S40 follows the pattern of the model years either side.

At a glance

How 1,084 first tests went in 2025.

Passed first time
57 in every 100
Did not pass first time
43 in every 100470 failed first-attempt tests
The typical car
20 yearsabout 113,529 miles
First tests counted
1,084

What failed most often

  1. Handbrake efficiency below minimum (roller test)15 in every 100 failed tests
  2. Drive shaft joints and boots (front)12 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.

Advisories

Other things testers noted as worn or close to failing, more often than on similar cars.

An advisory is a note from the tester about something that has not failed yet. It is an early warning, not a fail.

Individual direction indicators (rear)

Noted on 25 first tests3.8 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Suspension arm (rear)

Noted on 32 first tests2.5 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Counts cover advisories recorded on failed first tests only, compared with cars of the same age and mileage.

MOT pass rates

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

Passed first time
57in 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
37in every 100
Did not pass, and were not fixed at the test station.

First-attempt pass 56.6% of 1,084 first tests (2025): only cars that passed first time count. Official-style pass 63.2%: cars fixed at the test station also count as a pass. The 6 fixed and the 37 not fixed make the 43 in every 100 that did not pass first time.

Petrol and diesel

First testsPassed first time, as tested
Petrol74158
Diesel34353

Figures are in every 100 first tests.

Same model, other years

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

40608010020052010Older carsNewer cars
40608010020052010Newer cars

Newer cars are younger, so look for a jump rather than the climb. A year earlier (2024), when these cars were a year younger, 54 in every 100 passed first time.

YearPassed first timeFirst tests
200252 in every 100327
200352 in every 100501
200454 in every 100861
2005 This car57 in every 1001,084
200660 in every 1001,279
200758 in every 1001,449
200858 in every 1002,347
200957 in every 1002,017
201058 in every 1001,630
201157 in every 1001,289
201259 in every 1001,176

FAQs

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

The 2005 Volvo S40 follows the pattern of the model years either side. Its main cause of failure was Handbrake efficiency below minimum (roller test), about 15 in every 100 failed tests. In 2025, 56.6% of 1,084 first MOTs on the 2005 Volvo S40 passed first time (PRS: items fixed at the station the same day, counted as a fail). The official-style rate including PRS is 63.2%. Among 470 failed first-attempt MOT tests (test year 2025), we highlight MOT failure patterns that show up more often than on cars of a similar age and mileage when the sample is large enough to trust. 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 2005 Volvo S40 at the first attempt were Handbrake efficiency below minimum (roller test) (15.1%) and Drive shaft joints and boots (front) (11.7%), 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.
Advisories flag issues noted at the test and are not a fail rate. We show advisory patterns that appear more often than on similar cars among failed first-attempt tests, separate from common failure rows. Use them as early-warning checks, not as a pass/fail score.
This page highlights MOT failure patterns for the 2005 Volvo S40 (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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