Volvo V70 2008: reliability & common MOT faults

At a glance

How 3,014 first tests went in 2025.

Passed first time: 65 in every 100
Did not pass first time: 35 in every 1001,057 failed first-attempt tests
The typical car: 17 yearsabout 144,599 miles
First tests counted: 3,014

What failed most often

Individual sidelight or tail light (front)15 in every 100 failed tests
Tyre condition (front)11 in every 100 failed tests
Headlight aim9 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 2008 Volvo V70 vehicles in 2025, not a prediction that any one car will have them. Faults are grouped by part of the car. They come from MOT defect codes, not manufacturer bulletins, recalls or a diagnosis of any one car.

Steering

Two faults. The strongest is the power steering operation: 9.4 times as often as on similar cars.

Figures below are measured across the 1,056 of 1,057 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.

Power steering operation

Failed on 23 first tests9.4 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

Power steering that is inoperative is Major, and graded Dangerous when the steering is also adversely affected. If it is not working, the tester may have to road test to see whether the steering is adversely affected. Fluid leaks are rejected only where a component, joint or seal has failed.

Steering rack (front)

Failed on 26 first tests3.3 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.

Suspension

Two faults. The strongest is the anti-roll bar linkage ball joints (rear): 4.5 times as often as on similar cars.

Anti-roll bar linkage ball joints (rear)

Failed on 34 first tests4.5 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

What it means

Excessive wear on an anti-roll bar linkage ball joint is Major. A joint likely to become detached is graded Dangerous.

Also noted as an advisory

Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 66 first tests, 5.2 times as often as on similar cars.

Suspension arm pins and bushes (rear)

Failed on 54 first tests3.9 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

What it means

Pins and bushes on suspension arms fail as Major when they are excessively worn. They are graded Dangerous when likely to become detached. DVSA uses the same wording for a suspension joint.

Also noted as an advisory

Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 73 first tests, 2.2 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.

Lamps and electrical

One fault: side repeater indicators, 2.1 times as often as on similar cars.

Side repeater indicators

Failed on 38 first tests2.1 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

Sequential or dynamic direction indicators are not a reason to fail. Where a side repeater is required, it is allowed to be part of the front direction indicator if it has a marked wraparound lens, or an amber light coming through the front lens when viewed from a set distance to the side of the rear bumper. A lens defect with no effect on the emitted light is Minor, and one that adversely affects the light is Major.

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

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. Advisories for the faults above are shown with those faults.

Anti-roll bar (rear)

Noted on 21 first tests3.0 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Wheel condition (front)

Noted on 37 first tests2.9 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Individual direction indicators (rear)

Noted on 40 first tests2.7 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Coil spring

Noted on 22 first tests2.4 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Brake pads (rear)

Noted on 107 first tests2.2 times as often as similar carsWear pattern

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: 65in 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: 29in every 100; Did not pass, and were not fixed at the test station.

First-attempt pass 64.9% of 3,014 first tests (2025): only cars that passed first time count. Official-style pass 71.3%: cars fixed at the test station also count as a pass. The 6 fixed and the 29 not fixed make the 35 in every 100 that did not pass first time.

Petrol and diesel

First testsTypical mileagePassed first time, as tested

Diesel2,647147,884 miles64

Petrol366113,248 miles68

Figures are in every 100 first tests.

Same model, other years

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

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

Year	Passed first time	First tests
1997	60 in every 100	440
1998	59 in every 100	634
1999	61 in every 100	777
2000	60 in every 100	1,030
2001	54 in every 100	1,244
2002	53 in every 100	1,825
2003	54 in every 100	2,042
2004	54 in every 100	2,407
2005	57 in every 100	2,886
2006	58 in every 100	2,267
2007	60 in every 100	2,320
2008 This car	65 in every 100	3,014
2009	63 in every 100	3,328
2010	67 in every 100	2,662
2011	70 in every 100	1,993
2012	71 in every 100	1,501
2013	72 in every 100	1,656
2014	77 in every 100	1,887
2015	80 in every 100	1,942
2016	81 in every 100	735

If you are buying one

What this year's MOT record means for the decision in front of you.

Mileage matters most on a 2008 Volvo V70.

Of 2008 Volvo V70 vehicles with under 107,000 miles, 73 in every 100 passed their 2025 MOT first time. With 184,000 miles or more, 60 in every 100 did.

Under 107,000609 tests

73

107,000–134,000603 tests

64

134,000–156,000 Typical car599 tests

68

156,000–184,000591 tests

59

184,000 and over611 tests

60

What to check at your mileage

How often each fault turned up on a failed first test, by the car's mileage. Read it as: what is likely to need looking at on a car like the one in front of you.

	Under 107,000	134,000–156,000	184,000 and over
Individual sidelight or tail light (front)	3.1	4.8	7.0
Tyre condition (front)	3.9	3.3	3.4
Headlight aim	2.0	3.2	4.6
Anti-roll bar linkage ball joint dust cover (front)	2.1	3.5	3.9
Windscreen washers	3.1	1.7	3.4

Faults per 100 first tests, by the car's mileage at the test.

When a car fails

34in every 100

of failed cars had one item to fix.

39in every 100

of failed cars had three or more items to fix.

11in every 100

of all first tests had a defect the tester marked dangerous (unsafe to drive away).

Every figure here is a first-attempt MOT rate from DVSA open data for this model line, for cars of this model year tested in 2025. Each mileage band holds a fifth of the tests. MOTs do not test engine or gearbox internals, so this is a pre-purchase checklist, not a full reliability score.

FAQs

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

Is the 2008 Volvo V70 reliable?

A 2008 Volvo V70 passed first time about 3 in every 100 more often than the average of the 2007 and 2009 model years. In 2025, 64.9% of 3,014 first MOTs on the 2008 Volvo V70 passed first time (PRS: items fixed at the station the same day, counted as a fail). The official-style rate including PRS is 71.3%. Among 1,057 failed first-attempt MOT tests (test year 2025), Power steering operation appears more often than on similar cars (2.2% of those tests; 23 observed failures; about 9.4× 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.

What is most likely to fail on a 2008 Volvo V70?

Ranked by how often they were actually recorded, the items that most often failed a 2008 Volvo V70 at the first attempt were Individual sidelight or tail light (front) (14.7%), Tyre condition (front) (10.8%) and Headlight aim (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.

What common MOT faults stand out on the Volvo V70 2008?

Among failed first-attempt tests we highlight patterns that appear more often than on similar cars. Top example: Power steering operation (2.2% of those tests; 23 observed failures; about 9.4× more often than similar cars). These are statistical signals, not a diagnosis of any individual car.

Why does Power steering operation stand out?

Power steering operation shows up more often than on similar cars (2.2% of those tests; 23 observed failures; about 9.4× 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.

What are common problems with the 2008 Volvo V70?

Common MOT problem areas for the 2008 Volvo V70 include Power steering operation, Anti-roll bar linkage ball joints (rear), Suspension arm pins and bushes (rear). These are the faults that stand out compared with similar cars, not a complete list of what can go wrong on any individual car.

How should I read advisories vs fails?

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.

What does this Volvo V70 2008 MOT report cover?

This page highlights MOT failure patterns for the 2008 Volvo V70 (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.

Does this include engine and gearbox problems?

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.

At a glance

What failed most often

Steering

Power steering operation

What it means

Steering rack (front)

What it means

Suspension

Anti-roll bar linkage ball joints (rear)

What it means

Also noted as an advisory

Suspension arm pins and bushes (rear)

What it means

Also noted as an advisory

Lamps and electrical

Side repeater indicators

What it means

Advisories

Anti-roll bar (rear)

Wheel condition (front)

Individual direction indicators (rear)

Coil spring

Brake pads (rear)

MOT pass rates

Petrol and diesel

Same model, other years

If you are buying one

Mileage matters most on a 2008 Volvo V70.

What to check at your mileage

When a car fails

FAQs

About this data

What we include

Same-day repairs

How we compare

What this does not cover

Check any vehicle’s MOT history