Skip to main content
Pass Your MOT

1988 Volvo 300 Series — MOT History by Age

How cars manufactured in 1988 perform at MOT as they age

38 years
Current Age
66.7%
Latest Pass Rate
272
Total Tests (All Years)
64,206 mi
Avg Mileage (Latest)

Data from official DVSA MOT testing records

Insufficient data for same-age comparison.

How This Car Ages

Pass rate progression for the 1988 Volvo 300 Series as it ages.

33 yrs61.7%
34 yrs59.3%
35 yrs67.9%
36 yrs66.7%

Bar chart showing pass rate by car age from 33 to 36 years

Fail Rate %
📊 View as table
AgePass RateTests
33 yrs61.7%81
34 yrs59.3%54
35 yrs67.9%53
36 yrs66.7%84

Pass Rate Trend

How the 1988 Volvo 300 Series pass rate changes as it ages, from first MOT to most recent.

Trend shows improving over 4 years

Pass Rate %
📊 View as table
BuiltPass RateTests
2024 (36 yrs)66.7%84
2023 (35 yrs)67.9%53
2022 (34 yrs)59.3%54
2021 (33 yrs)61.7%81

Year-by-Year MOT Results

2021High Fail Rate
61.7%
Age (yrs) 33Tests 81Avg Mileage 71,621Top Failure Brakes — 35.8%
2022High Fail Rate
59.3%
Age (yrs) 34Tests 54Avg Mileage 67,983Top Failure Brakes — 59.3%
2023
67.9%
Age (yrs) 35Tests 53Avg Mileage 65,805Top Failure Brakes — 34.0%
2024
66.7%
Age (yrs) 36Tests 84Avg Mileage 64,206Top Failure Body, chassis, structure — 26.2%

Common MOT Failures

Top failure categories across all test years for 1988 Volvo 300 Series, with age trends.

Brakes
37.6%
↓ Decreases with age
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment
34.1%
↓ Decreases with age
Suspension
34.1%
↓ Decreases with age
Body, chassis, structure
28.4%
↓ Decreases with age
Tyres
22.2%
↑ Increases with age

How Failures Change With Age

Comparing failure rates between the youngest and oldest test years.

CategoryAt YoungestAt OldestChangeTrend
Brakes35.8% (33 yrs)21.4% (36 yrs)
-14.4%
🟢 ↓
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment30.9% (33 yrs)21.4% (36 yrs)
-9.5%
🟢 ↓
Body, chassis, structure29.6% (33 yrs)26.2% (36 yrs)
-3.4%
🟢 ↓

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 1988 perform at MOT as they age. Data spans from 2021 to 2024, covering 272 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.

Share via WhatsApp Share on Facebook Report Issue