Is the Volvo S40 reliable?

The Volvo S40 has an average MOT pass rate of 71% across 18 years, based on 34,754 tests in 2024. That's 11 points below the national average of 82%. The most reliable year is 2012 with a 76% pass rate.

Which year Volvo S40 is best?

The 2012 Volvo S40 has the highest MOT pass rate at 76%, while the 2000 model has the lowest at 65%. There's a 11 percentage point spread between the best and worst years.

Volvo S40 Running Costs, MOT Pass Rates & Reliability

Volvo S40

Reliability, running costs, and MOT data across 18 years from 34,754 real MOT tests.

Avg Pass Rate

71%

Total Tests

34,754

Best Year

2012 (76%)

Years Covered

How reliable is the Volvo S40?

vs national average-11% (82% avg)

vs Volvo brand average-16% (87% avg)

Best to worst year spread11 percentage points

Reliability trendImproving over years

Volvo S40 by Year

Year	Pass Rate	Tests	Avg Mileage
2013	74%	66	94,541 mi
2012	76%	2,267	101,974 mi
2011	74%	2,791	110,521 mi
2010	72%	3,808	110,559 mi
2009	74%	4,499	109,564 mi
2008	72%	5,487	115,488 mi
2007	73%	3,388	119,784 mi
2006	73%	3,314	119,567 mi
2005	70%	2,790	116,994 mi
2004	70%	2,223	106,865 mi
2003	67%	1,280	104,893 mi
2002	69%	823	102,845 mi
2001	71%	599	101,232 mi
2000	65%	379	95,420 mi
1999	66%	425	95,707 mi
1998	74%	356	98,379 mi
1997	72%	219	99,179 mi
1996	73%	40	84,454 mi

Checking a specific Volvo S40?

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About the Volvo S40

The Volvo S40 has been tested 34,754 times in 2024 MOT data across 18 model years (1996 to 2013), with an average pass rate of 71%. That's 11 points below the national average of 82%, so check the year-by-year data carefully before buying. Available as petrol and diesel.

Best and Worst Years

The 2012 model is the most reliable with a 76% pass rate from 2,267 tests. The 2000 model has the lowest at 65%. The 11 point spread between years means reliability varies somewhat, but no year is dramatically different.

Reliability Trend

Newer VOLVO S40s show better MOT pass rates than older ones, with an average improvement of 4 percentage points.

Mileage Across Years

The oldest model in our data (1996) averages 84,454 miles, while the newest (2013) averages 94,541 miles.

Compared to the Volvo brand average of 87%, the S40 is 16 points lower, placing it among the less reliable Volvo models.

Click any year in the table above to see detailed running costs, individual reliability data, and comparisons with similar cars.