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1986 Volvo 300 Series — MOT History by Age

How cars manufactured in 1986 perform at MOT as they age

40 years
Current Age
69.6%
Latest Pass Rate
143
Total Tests (All Years)
56,728 mi
Avg Mileage (Latest)

Data from official DVSA MOT testing records

Best vintage for 300 Series

Insufficient data for same-age comparison.

How This Car Ages

Pass rate progression for the 1986 Volvo 300 Series as it ages.

35 yrs76.9%
37 yrs65.7%
38 yrs69.6%

Bar chart showing pass rate by car age from 35 to 38 years

Fail Rate %
📊 View as table
AgePass RateTests
35 yrs76.9%39
37 yrs65.7%35
38 yrs69.6%69

Pass Rate Trend

How the 1986 Volvo 300 Series pass rate changes as it ages, from first MOT to most recent.

Trend shows declining over 3 years

Pass Rate %
📊 View as table
BuiltPass RateTests
2024 (38 yrs)69.6%69
2023 (37 yrs)65.7%35
2021 (35 yrs)76.9%39

Year-by-Year MOT Results

2021
76.9%
Age (yrs) 35Tests 39Avg Mileage 65,826Top Failure Tyres — 28.2%
2023
65.7%
Age (yrs) 37Tests 35Avg Mileage 65,492Top Failure Body, chassis, structure — 45.7%
2024
69.6%
Age (yrs) 38Tests 69Avg Mileage 56,728Top Failure Suspension — 43.5%

Common MOT Failures

Top failure categories across all test years for 1986 Volvo 300 Series, with age trends.

Suspension
38.3%
↑ Increases with age
Body, chassis, structure
30.6%
↑ Increases with age
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment
28.3%
↑ Increases with age
Tyres
25.7%
↓ Decreases with age
Brakes
25.2%
↑ Increases with age

How Failures Change With Age

Comparing failure rates between the youngest and oldest test years.

CategoryAt YoungestAt OldestChangeTrend
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment12.8% (35 yrs)40.6% (38 yrs)
+27.8%
🔴 ↑
Brakes17.9% (35 yrs)37.7% (38 yrs)
+19.8%
🔴 ↑
Suspension25.6% (35 yrs)43.5% (38 yrs)
+17.9%
🔴 ↑
Tyres28.2% (35 yrs)23.2% (38 yrs)
-5.0%
🟢 ↓

Other Manufacture Years

Looking for the best year to buy? See the full comparison on the Volvo 300 Series page →

About This Data

This page shows how Volvo 300 Series cars manufactured in 1986 perform at MOT as they age. Data spans from 2021 to 2024, covering 143 tests. Pass rates naturally decline with age as components wear.

Based on DVSA anonymised MOT test data (2005–2024). Crown copyright, Open Government Licence v3.0.

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