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Volvo 850 vs Volvo V40: reliability comparison

MOT pass rates, common faults and mileage compared from real UK MOT data.

Volvo 850
68%
MOT pass rate · 464 vehicles
Volvo V40
74%
MOT pass rate · 171,790 vehicles
Verdict: On MOT pass rate the Volvo 850 (68%) and Volvo V40 (74%) are very close — weigh the individual measures below, and remember condition depends on age, mileage and upkeep.

Head to head

Measure Volvo 850 Volvo V40
MOT pass rate 68% 74% ✓
MOT failure rate 32% 26% ✓
Faults & advisories per test 1.6 ✓ 1.9
Dangerous-fault share 1% ✓ 2%
Average mileage 145,573 mi 106,048 mi
Sample size (vehicles) 464 171,790

Most common faults

Volvo 850

  1. Nearside Front Anti-roll bar ball joint dust cover severely deteriorated (5.3.4 (b) (i))
  2. Oil leak
  3. Offside Rear Shock absorbers has light misting of oil (5.3.2 (b))
  4. Offside Front Outer Drive shaft joint constant velocity boot severely deteriorated (6.1.7 (g) (i))
  5. Oil leak, but not excessive (8.4.1 (a) (i))
  6. Offside Front constant velocity joint gaiter deteriorated (2.5.C.1a)

Volvo V40

  1. Offside Front Tyre worn close to legal limit/worn on edge (5.2.3 (e))
  2. Nearside Front Tyre worn close to legal limit/worn on edge (5.2.3 (e))
  3. Nearside Front Tyre worn close to the legal limit (4.1.E.1)
  4. Offside Front Tyre worn close to the legal limit (4.1.E.1)
  5. Nearside Rear Tyre worn close to the legal limit (4.1.E.1)
  6. Offside Rear Tyre worn close to the legal limit (4.1.E.1)

Reliability FAQ

On MOT pass rate the Volvo 850 (68%) and Volvo V40 (74%) are very close — weigh the individual measures below, and remember condition depends on age, mileage and upkeep.

Full Volvo 850 report Full Volvo V40 report Most reliable cars

Pass rates are computed over completed (pass/fail) MOT tests. Reliability also depends on age, mileage and upkeep — see each model's page for the full picture.