Volvo V50
Registered from 2004 to 2012.
About this model
The Volvo V50 is the station wagon version of the Volvo S40 small family car ("C-segment") first unveiled at the 2003 Bologna Motor Show, both assembled at Ghent, Belgium. Sharing the Volvo, Ford, and Mazda Global C-car Platform with the European 2nd-gen Ford Focus and the Mazda3, the V50 featured interior "theatre" lighting, a floating center console, and "Volvo Intelligent Vehicle Architecture".
From the Wikipedia article Volvo V50, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
What fails its inspection
Great Britain's MOT record for the 2010 1.6 diesel. 1,243 of 4,432 tests failed, 28%.
Better than 21% of 2010 cars. The typical one fails 24%, across 955 models with enough tests behind them to say.
| Where | Share of failures | Failed tests |
|---|---|---|
| Suspension | 54% | 673 |
| Lights and electrics | 38% | 475 |
| Tyres and wheels | 27% | 335 |
| Brakes | 24% | 293 |
| Exhaust and emissions | 12% | 152 |
| Steering | 12% | 152 |
The defects inspectors cite
- A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn
- A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened
- A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning
- The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements
- A tyre cords visible or damaged
- A suspension component fractured or likely to fail
Before you buy one
Built from what this car fails on, not from general knowledge of the model.
- Suspension — 54% of its failures
- A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn
- A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened
- A suspension component fractured or likely to fail
- Tyres and wheels — 27% of its failures
- A tyre cords visible or damaged
- A tyre seriously damaged
- Brakes — 24% of its failures
- Exhaust and emissions — 12% of its failures
- Steering — 12% of its failures
- Steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc
- Lights and electrics — 38% of its failures
- A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning
When it starts failing
At 200k+ miles this one fails 26% of its inspections, against the 28% an ordinary car of the same age fails.
| Odometer | Failure rate | Rate | Its age | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20–40k miles | 13% | 15% | 39 | |
| 40–60k miles | 23% | 19% | 130 | |
| 60–80k miles | 29% | 22% | 263 | |
| 80–100k miles | 27% | 25% | 590 | |
| 100–120k miles | 27% | 27% | 869 | |
| 120–140k miles | 29% | 28% | 954 | |
| 140–160k miles | 30% | 28% | 716 | |
| 160–180k miles | 29% | 28% | 482 | |
| 180–200k miles | 29% | 28% | 232 | |
| 200k+ miles | 26% | 28% | 151 |
4,426 British inspections, grouped by the odometer reading recorded at the test.
Half of these have more than 120k miles on them. That is how far people drive this car, not how long it lasts.
Specification
| Year | Measured |
|---|---|
| 2012 | 1.6 diesel · 113 hp · 1470 kg · 2643 mm wheelbase · 4.1 L/100km (NEDC) |
| 2011 | 1.6 diesel · 111 hp · 1467 kg · 2639 mm wheelbase · 4.1 L/100km (NEDC) |
| 2010 | 1.6 diesel · 1439 kg · 2640 mm wheelbase · 4.3 L/100km (NEDC) |