Model Reports 4 min read Updated 18 Oct 2026

Volvo XC70 2012: reliability & common MOT faults

In 2025, 70 in every 100 first MOTs on a 2012 Volvo XC70 were passes. Most common reason for a fail: Coil spring (rear).

Summary

The 2012 Volvo XC70 follows the pattern of the model years either side.

At a glance

How 1,267 first tests went in 2025.

Passed first time
70 in every 100
Did not pass first time
30 in every 100380 failed first-attempt tests
The typical car
13 yearsabout 119,511 miles
First tests counted
1,267

What failed most often

  1. Coil spring (rear)17 in every 100 failed tests
  2. Drive shaft joints and boots (front)16 in every 100 failed tests
  3. Individual sidelight or tail light (front)16 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 2012 Volvo XC70 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.

Suspension

One fault: coil spring (rear), 3.7 times as often as on similar cars.

Figures below are measured across the 380 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.

Coil spring (rear)

Failed on 65 first tests3.7 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

What it means

A missing bump stop rubber is not a reason to fail a coil spring. When the vehicle is jacked and lowered, a spring that does not correctly locate as the suspension returns to its normal running position is rejected as insecurely attached. A missing spring is Major, and graded Dangerous where directional control is affected.

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

Steering

One fault: track rod end, 3.2 times as often as on similar cars.

Track rod end

Failed on 23 first tests3.2 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play is Major, and one worn to the extent there is a serious risk of detachment is graded Dangerous. A dust cover that is damaged but still keeps dirt out is Minor, and one missing or no longer keeping dirt out is Major. Testers must tell wear from a joint's built-in clearance or spring loading.

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

Lamps and electrical

One fault: individual direction indicators (rear), 3.2 times as often as on similar cars.

Individual direction indicators (rear)

Failed on 26 first tests3.2 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

Direction indicators must be amber, though vehicles first used before a set date may have white at the front and red at the rear when the indicators are combined with stop or position lamps, and sequential or dynamic ones are not a reason to fail. A lamp that is missing, inoperative or has more than half of a multiple light source not functioning is graded Major. A flashing rate outside the permitted range is graded Minor.

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), 2.6 times as often as on similar cars.

Drive shaft joints and boots (front)

Failed on 61 first tests2.6 times as often as similar carsPossible 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.

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.

Suspension arm pins and bushes (rear)

Noted on 20 first tests2.2 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
70in every 100
Passed on the first test.
Fixed at the station
5in every 100
Failed, then fixed at the test station the same day.
Failed
25in every 100
Did not pass, and were not fixed at the test station.

First-attempt pass 70.0% of 1,267 first tests (2025): only cars that passed first time count. Official-style pass 75.1%: cars fixed at the test station also count as a pass. The 5 fixed and the 25 not fixed make the 30 in every 100 that did not pass first time.

Same model, other years

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

406080100200520122015Older carsNewer cars
4060801002012Older cars

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

YearPassed first timeFirst tests
200352 in every 100359
200456 in every 100586
200559 in every 1001,028
200658 in every 100973
200760 in every 1001,092
200869 in every 100897
200968 in every 100951
201069 in every 1001,314
201167 in every 1001,722
2012 This car70 in every 1001,267
201375 in every 1001,508
201478 in every 1001,681
201579 in every 1001,561
201679 in every 100988

FAQs

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

The 2012 Volvo XC70 follows the pattern of the model years either side. Its main cause of failure was Coil spring (rear), about 17 in every 100 failed tests. In 2025, 70.0% of 1,267 first MOTs on the 2012 Volvo XC70 passed first time (PRS: items fixed at the station the same day, counted as a fail). The official-style rate including PRS is 75.1%. Among 380 failed first-attempt MOT tests (test year 2025), Coil spring (rear) appears more often than on similar cars (17.1% of those tests; 65 observed failures; about 3.7× 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 2012 Volvo XC70 at the first attempt were Coil spring (rear) (17.1%), Drive shaft joints and boots (front) (16.1%) and Individual sidelight or tail light (front) (15.8%), 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: Coil spring (rear) (17.1% of those tests; 65 observed failures; about 3.7× more often than similar cars). These are statistical signals, not a diagnosis of any individual car.
Coil spring (rear) shows up more often than on similar cars (17.1% of those tests; 65 observed failures; about 3.7× 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 2012 Volvo XC70 include Coil spring (rear), Track rod end, Individual direction indicators (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.
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 2012 Volvo XC70 (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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