Model Reports 4 min read Updated 18 Oct 2026

Volvo XC40 2021: reliability & common MOT faults

In 2025, 91 in every 100 first MOTs on a 2021 Volvo XC40 were passes. Most common reason for a fail: Tyre condition (rear).

Summary

At the same mileage, a hybrid 2021 Volvo XC40 passed first time more often than an electric one: 92 in every 100 against 87 in every 100.

At a glance

How 23,898 first tests went in 2025.

Passed first time
91 in every 100
Did not pass first time
9 in every 1002,167 failed first-attempt tests
The typical car
4 yearsabout 32,635 miles
First tests counted
23,898

What failed most often

  1. Tyre condition (rear)20 in every 100 failed tests
  2. Brake pads (rear)18 in every 100 failed tests
  3. Tyre tread depth (front)10 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 2021 Volvo XC40 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.

Brakes

One wear pattern: brake pads (rear), 3.7 times as often as on similar cars.

Figures below are measured across the 2,167 failed first attempts in 2025 that had a mileage recorded, which allows a like-for-like comparison.

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.

Brake pads (rear)

Failed on 387 first tests3.7 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.

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

Body and structure

One fault: drive shaft joints and boots (front), 3.2 times as often as on similar cars.

Drive shaft joints and boots (front)

Failed on 64 first tests3.2 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

What it means

A constant velocity boot that is only severely deteriorated is Minor. It is Major once it is missing, split or insecure so that it no longer prevents the ingress of dirt. A transmission joint excessively worn is Major, and graded Dangerous when it is so worn it is likely to fail.

Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. 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
91in every 100
Passed on the first test.
Fixed at the station
1in every 100
Failed, then fixed at the test station the same day.
Failed
8in every 100
Did not pass, and were not fixed at the test station.

First-attempt pass 90.9% of 23,898 first tests (2025): only cars that passed first time count. Official-style pass 92.3%: cars fixed at the test station also count as a pass. The 1 fixed and the 8 not fixed make the 9 in every 100 that did not pass first time.

By fuel type

First testsTypical mileagePassed first time, as testedPassed first time, same mileage
Hybrid12,36133,538 miles9292
Petrol9,79431,690 miles9090
Electric1,70333,791 miles8787

Figures are in every 100 first tests. Cars with more miles usually fail more often, so the same-mileage figure gives every fuel the mileage mix of all the cars in this year.

Same model, other years

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

40608010020182019202020212022Older carsNewer cars
40608010020182019202020212022Older cars

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

YearPassed first timeFirst tests
201887 in every 1006,475
201987 in every 10014,578
202090 in every 10023,682
2021 This car91 in every 10023,898
202292 in every 10015,928

If you are buying one

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

Mileage makes a modest difference on a 2021 Volvo XC40.

Of 2021 Volvo XC40 vehicles with under 22,000 miles, 94 in every 100 passed their 2025 MOT first time. With 46,000 miles or more, 87 in every 100 did.

Under 22,0004,848 tests
94
22,000–29,0004,507 tests
93
29,000–36,000 Typical car4,785 tests
91
36,000–46,0004,857 tests
89
46,000 and over4,897 tests
87

Which fuel?

Typical mileagePassed first time,
as tested		Passed first time,
same mileage
Hybrid33,538 miles9292
Petrol31,690 miles9090

Figures are in every 100 first tests. At the same mileage there is no clear difference between the two.

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 22,00029,000–36,00046,000 and over
Tyre condition (rear)1.11.92.6
Brake pads (rear)0.22.02.3
Tyre tread depth (front)0.11.11.5
Windscreen wipers (front)0.40.40.6

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

When a car fails

68in every 100

of failed cars had one item to fix.

8in every 100

of failed cars had three or more items to fix.

4in 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.

At the same mileage, a hybrid 2021 Volvo XC40 passed first time more often than an electric one: 92 in every 100 against 87 in every 100. In 2025, 90.9% of 23,898 first MOTs on the 2021 Volvo XC40 passed first time (PRS: items fixed at the station the same day, counted as a fail). The official-style rate including PRS is 92.3%. Among 2,167 failed first-attempt MOT tests (test year 2025), Drive shaft joints and boots (front) appears more often than on similar cars (3.0% of those tests; 64 observed failures; about 3.2× 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 2021 Volvo XC40 at the first attempt were Tyre condition (rear) (19.8%), Brake pads (rear) (17.9%) and Tyre tread depth (front) (9.7%), 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.
Among failed first-attempt tests we highlight patterns that appear more often than on similar cars. Top example: Drive shaft joints and boots (front) (3.0% of those tests; 64 observed failures; about 3.2× more often than similar cars). These are statistical signals, not a diagnosis of any individual car.
Drive shaft joints and boots (front) shows up more often than on similar cars (3.0% of those tests; 64 observed failures; about 3.2× 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 2021 Volvo XC40 include Drive shaft joints and boots (front). 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 2021 Volvo XC40 (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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