Volvo V50: the report card
What 32.8 million MOT tests and five years of police collision records say about the Volvo V50 — reliability at the test bay and what happens to the people inside when things go wrong.
The short answer
The Volvo V50 passes its MOT first time 54.8% of the time — worse than the 71.4% national average, across 33,777 official tests.
54.8%
MOT first-time pass rate (33,777 tests)
-16.6pp
vs the national average of 71.4%
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Not enough collision data for a safety grade
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Occupant-outcome ranking unavailable
Volvo V50 MOT pass rate by year
Takeaway: the Volvo V50’s pass rate has declined over the period (best year 2019 at 57.7%). Buying used? Budget for pre-MOT checks — brakes, suspension and tyres are the usual culprits.
First-time pass rate among class 4 normal tests. National average 71.4% (2023).
Reading the Volvo V50’s numbers
The Volvo V50 fails its MOT first time more often than the average UK car — 54.8% pass against 71.4% nationally, across 33,777 real tests. Budget for pre-MOT checks, particularly on older examples. Pass rates reflect the age and upkeep of the cars tested as well as the design — an older fleet drags a model’s rate down.
Full methodology, source files and downloadable data: how we build these numbers. Compare every model on the MOT pass-rate table and the safety grades table.
Keep this car on your driveway
If it has keyless entry, it can be relay-stolen from your hallway in under a minute — and dashcam footage settles the disputed incidents that cost owners their excess. Each guide explains the exact problem it solves.
Our pick · best £-for-risk
Faraday key box / pouch
Keyless 'relay' theft is the fastest-growing way cars are stolen — thieves amplify your fob's signal from outside the house. A signal-blocking box shuts the method down.
from ~£10 · Full guide →
Steering wheel lock
A visible deterrent that works: thieves at a car park choose the car without one. Sold Secure Diamond-rated bars resist attack for minutes thieves don't have.
~£40–£70 · Full guide →
Dashcam (parking mode)
Evidence for theft attempts, vandalism and car-park hits while parked — and after a collision, footage that turns a contested account into a documented one.
~£50–£150 · Full guide →
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