Skip to main content
Pass Your MOT

1989 Volvo 480 — MOT History by Age

How cars manufactured in 1989 perform at MOT as they age

37 years
Current Age
44.1%
Latest Pass Rate
409
Total Tests (All Years)
88,725 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 1989 Volvo 480 as it ages.

20 yrs42.0%
21 yrs42.5%
22 yrs28.8%
23 yrs42.9%
24 yrs43.2%
25 yrs35.5%
26 yrs44.1%

Bar chart showing pass rate by car age from 20 to 26 years

Fail Rate %
📊 View as table
AgePass RateTests
20 yrs42.0%119
21 yrs42.5%87
22 yrs28.8%59
23 yrs42.9%42
24 yrs43.2%37
25 yrs35.5%31
26 yrs44.1%34

Pass Rate Trend

How the 1989 Volvo 480 pass rate changes as it ages, from first MOT to most recent.

Trend shows stable over 7 years

Pass Rate %
📊 View as table
BuiltPass RateTests
2015 (26 yrs)44.1%34
2014 (25 yrs)35.5%31
2013 (24 yrs)43.2%37
2012 (23 yrs)42.9%42
2011 (22 yrs)28.8%59
2010 (21 yrs)42.5%87
2009 (20 yrs)42%119

Year-by-Year MOT Results

2009High Fail Rate
42.0%
Age (yrs) 20Tests 119Avg Mileage 85,699Top Failure Brakes — 38.7%
2010High Fail Rate
42.5%
Age (yrs) 21Tests 87Avg Mileage 84,838Top Failure Brakes — 42.5%
2011High Fail Rate
28.8%
Age (yrs) 22Tests 59Avg Mileage 78,048Top Failure Brakes — 40.7%
2012High Fail Rate
42.9%
Age (yrs) 23Tests 42Avg Mileage 75,438Top Failure Brakes — 45.2%
2013High Fail Rate
43.2%
Age (yrs) 24Tests 37Avg Mileage 80,208Top Failure Brakes — 91.9%
2014High Fail Rate
35.5%
Age (yrs) 25Tests 31Avg Mileage 84,805Top Failure Brakes — 129.0%
2015High Fail Rate
44.1%
Age (yrs) 26Tests 34Avg Mileage 88,725Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 132.4%

Common MOT Failures

Top failure categories across all test years for 1989 Volvo 480, with age trends.

Brakes
67.2%
↑ Increases with age
Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment
63.7%
↑ Increases with age
Suspension
48.6%
↑ Increases with age
Exhaust, Fuel and Emissions
25.0%
↑ Increases with age
Tyres
20.0%
↑ 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 Equipment37.0% (20 yrs)132.4% (26 yrs)
+95.4%
🔴 ↑
Brakes38.7% (20 yrs)82.4% (26 yrs)
+43.7%
🔴 ↑
Suspension23.5% (20 yrs)58.8% (26 yrs)
+35.3%
🔴 ↑
Exhaust, Fuel and Emissions22.7% (20 yrs)26.5% (26 yrs)
+3.8%
🔴 ↑

Other Manufacture Years

Looking for the best year to buy? See the full comparison on the Volvo 480 page →

About This Data

This page shows how Volvo 480 cars manufactured in 1989 perform at MOT as they age. Data spans from 2009 to 2015, covering 409 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