MOT cost .
Volvo Xc90
MOT 2023
Wikimedia

Volvo

Xc90

75,441 MOT tests analysed. lands in the middle of the pack — here's where Xc90s pass, fail, and end up on the retest sheet.

That's in line with the UK fleet average across our 1,988 tracked models.

Pass

75.4%

Pass-after-fix

4.4%

Fail

19.6%

Avg miles

102,296

Pass + Pass-after-fix + Fail = 100%

The picture

XC90 Passes 75% — Lights and PHEV Range Issues

At 75.41% across 75,441 tests and an average of 102,296 miles, the XC90 performs modestly for a premium large SUV. Lamp failures dominate: inoperative light sources and headlamp lens defects take two of the three top failure reasons. T8 PHEV owners have reported electric-only range dropping to zero at 127,000 miles, with the engine simply starting regardless of battery state. A sealed Sport Key that developed a flat battery on a 2018 T8 at 22,000 miles cost £220 to replace — not covered under warranty. One pre-owned XC90 suffered brake failure at 60mph shortly after purchase due to an assembly error found on inspection. Check all exterior lights, test PHEV EV range realistically, and confirm brake system integrity before buying.

Top ten reasons for rejection.

  1. 01

    A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning

    2,805 occurrences · 3.7% of tests

  2. 02

    Headlamp reflector or lens slightly defective

    2,671 occurrences · 3.5% of tests

  3. 03

    A rear registration plate lamp or light source missing or inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources

    2,419 occurrences · 3.2% of tests

  4. 04

    Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements

    2,210 occurrences · 2.9% of tests

  5. 05

    Windscreen or window damaged or seriously discoloured but not adversely affecting driver's view

    2,205 occurrences · 2.9% of tests

  6. 06

    A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn

    1,657 occurrences · 2.2% of tests

  7. 07

    a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm

    1,601 occurrences · 2.1% of tests

  8. 08

    The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements

    1,423 occurrences · 1.9% of tests

  9. 09

    A tyre seriously damaged

    1,378 occurrences · 1.8% of tests

  10. 10

    Parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement

    1,361 occurrences · 1.8% of tests

Counts cover Major and Dangerous defects logged at test. Advisory items excluded so this shows why a car was rejected, not just what the tester flagged in passing.

Worst-case fix budget · top 3 failures

£78–£210

If every one of this Xc90's most-logged Major fails hit at the same MOT, that's the real-world UK garage range. Reality is usually one or two items, not all of them. Open the estimator →

Try the calculator

Build your own retest budget.

Tools that pre-empt a retest.

Picked against this car's top failure patterns. Affiliate links to Amazon UK — we earn a small cut at no cost to you. Disclosed up-front, doesn't shape the data.

Item 01 · Amazon UK

Headlight restoration kit

Yellowed lenses fail the light-output test. A restoration kit lifts the haze in an afternoon for £20.

Search Amazon UK

Item 02 · Amazon UK

H7 / W21W bulb pack

A spare-bulb kit lives in the boot. Test morning is not the time to find your stop-lamp's gone.

Search Amazon UK

Item 03 · Amazon UK

Digital tyre-tread depth gauge

Five quid for a gauge beats £150 for a retest. UK MOT minimum is 1.6mm — most testers fail anything below 2mm to be safe.

Search Amazon UK

Owner reports · Honest John

What owners actually report.

Verbatim faults logged by owners on honestjohn.co.uk over recent years. We didn't summarise — these are the words people typed in.

Recent owner-reported faults

  1. 12 Feb 2020

    Report of Key Tag (Sport Key) of 22k mile 2018 Volvo XC90 T8 failing, owner thinks because of a flat battery. But it is a sealed unit so the battery cannot be changed and not covered by warranty so owner must pay £220 for a coded replacement. IRS Cuts Millions in Tax Debt Before April 30th Deadline As the tax relief deadline nears, thousands of Americans are rushing to resolve their tax debts before the IRS imposes hefty penalties.Fresh Start Information Learn More Ask a Pro: "I'm 65 With $1.1M In An IRA. What's My Retirement Budget?"This quiz matches nearly 50,000 people each month with vetted financial advisors.SmartAsset Learn More Top 5 Mouse Repellents for 2026 Expert Product Review Learn More Why AI Brings Speech Clarity That Old Hearing Aids Just Can’t Match Understand speech in noise effortlessly AudioNova What Plumbers Won’t Tell You: The Cheap Hack for Clear Drains Trending Deal Journal Stop Wasting Groceries: The Fridge Mistake Most Households Make Consumer Check Sponsored IRS Forgives Millions in Tax Debt Before May 15 Apply Now As the tax relief deadline nears, thousands of Americans are rushing to resolve their tax debts before the IRS imposes hefty penalties.Fresh Start Information [![Image 37: Find Senior Women Who Bring The Spark [See Who's Online]](https://images.outbrainimg.com/transform/v3/eyJpdSI6IjIwN2QxY2ZhOGRlODY3YzNmZjc0N2Y0NDgxODc0MzJiMGE4MDEzODg0ZTZiMDIwY2MzZWQyYWNmMjViMDRjZTEiLCJ3Ijo0MDAsImgiOjMwMCwiZCI6MS4wLCJjaCI6MjAzNzE1NzAwNSwiY3MiOjAsImYiOjR9.webp)Sponsored Find Senior Women Who Bring The Spark [See Who's Online] Read more It all starts with a message.amorelation.com](https://amorelation.com/land/sp/17f2ebbb?utm_source=Outbrain&utm_medium=ua&utm_campaign=OBN_Amorelation_USA_All_Native_EU2_NewU_aOBX25_WL-exclude2_Creo-t_Text-t_mua_20Apr&campaign_id=004aea76c4e6e4694169bd0cc89a5ab731&utm_content=Find+Senior+Women+Who+Bring+The+Spark+%5BSee+Who%27s+Online%5D&partner=outbrain_datingsmatch&OutbrainClickId={{ob_click_id}}&subid={{ob_click_id}}&ad_id=00cb476e93938ef6545123d4a0ca2f0577&publisher_name={{publisher_name}}&section_name={{section_name}}&publisher_id={{publisher_id}}&ad_name={{ad_name}}&obOrigUrl=true) Sponsored Trouble Sleeping? Why You Shouldn’t Take Melatonin!Health Report Sponsored Black Mold Spots On Bathroom Caulk? Try This $25 Fix Before Scrubbing Consumer World Sponsored Top 5 Binoculars for 2026 Expert Product Review Learn More * Terms and Conditions * Privacy * Cookies * Advertise on this site * Contact * Mobile) Website of the Year 2016, 2017 & 2018

  2. 15 Aug 2019

    Report of initial 20 miles fully charged EV range of Volvo T8 PHEV 'TwinPower' disappearing when first starting the car. Engine simply starts. Car has done 127k miles.

  3. 25 May 2019

    Report of brakes of Volvo XC90 failing on the motorway 200 miles after purchase. "No braking power between 60mph and 40mph no matter how hard I pressed the pedal." Volvo examined the car and found a part was not put in place during assembly.

  4. 12 Nov 2018

    Report of numerous problems with 2015 Volvo XC90 T8. In three years it has had two complete software failures leading to no power.

  5. 3 Sep 2018

    Complaint from owner that even when fully charged his Volvo XC90 T8 will not run for more than a few miles in EV mode without the petrol engine cutting in. A new 12v battery was tried in case there was a fault with the engine start/stop, but that made no difference.

  6. 4 Oct 2017

    Significant electrical/electronic problems reported with November 2016 Volvo XC90. Recurrent issues with low charge 12V battery which resulted in complete electrical failure within the first 4 months from purchase. Volvo UK had the car uplifted back to the Volvo dealer in April 2017 with the subsequent battery change and software upgrade seeming to have sorted the original problem.

  7. 28 Mar 2017

    Report of numerous annoying problems with leased Volvo XC90 T8. Within 24 hours of pick up it needed its main ECU replacing (gone for a week and half) and since then the heated seat on the drivers side doesn't work (2 visits, still no fix) and the nav / radio unit liked to reboot itself (2 visits, now fixed, fingers crossed). Since the last visit the driver's window started running slowly and the collision warning sensor likes to go off a lot more frequently than before.

  8. 8 Jul 2016

    Complaint of multiple software problems on Volvo XC90 "Like most other owners, I'm having lots of ongoing software problems with my car. Many of the functions for which I bought this car don't work at all, or work for a while after a software update and then fail again. Ongoing software issues are "resolved" by a latest software update which in most cases fixes the glitch temporarily but often has knock on effects to other software functions.

Source: honestjohn.co.uk · 8 reports indexed

Buying or keeping a Xc90?

Use the failure ranking as a pre-test checklist or a haggling lever. Treat the headline pass rate as a fleet-wide trend, not a guarantee on any individual car.

If you own a Xc90 and your last MOT looked nothing like the ranked failures above, that's normal — individual cars vary widely. The ranking shows the patterns testers flag most often across the country.