1990 Volvo 480 — MOT History by Age

How cars manufactured in 1990 perform at MOT as they age

36 years

Current Age

55.3%

Latest Pass Rate

579

Total Tests (All Years)

81,446 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 1990 Volvo 480 as it ages.

19 yrs42.0%

→ ↑6.7%

20 yrs48.7%

→ ↓6.2%

21 yrs42.5%

→ ↑12.7%

22 yrs55.2%

→ ↓11.3%

23 yrs43.9%

→ ↑6.1%

24 yrs50.0%

→ ↓1.3%

25 yrs48.7%

→ ↑6.6%

26 yrs55.3%

📊 View as table

Age	Pass Rate	Tests
19 yrs	42.0%	143
20 yrs	48.7%	115
21 yrs	42.5%	80
22 yrs	55.2%	67
23 yrs	43.9%	57
24 yrs	50.0%	40
25 yrs	48.7%	39
26 yrs	55.3%	38

Pass Rate Trend

How the 1990 Volvo 480 pass rate changes as it ages, from first MOT to most recent.

📊 View as table

Built	Pass Rate	Tests
2016 (26 yrs)	55.3%	38
2015 (25 yrs)	48.7%	39
2014 (24 yrs)	50%	40
2013 (23 yrs)	43.9%	57
2012 (22 yrs)	55.2%	67
2011 (21 yrs)	42.5%	80
2010 (20 yrs)	48.7%	115
2009 (19 yrs)	42%	143

Year-by-Year MOT Results

2009High Fail Rate

42.0%

Age (yrs) 19Tests 143Avg Mileage 83,695Top Failure Brakes — 39.2%

2010High Fail Rate

48.7%

Age (yrs) 20Tests 115Avg Mileage 92,457Top Failure Brakes — 38.3%

2011High Fail Rate

42.5%

Age (yrs) 21Tests 80Avg Mileage 79,144Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 38.8%

2012High Fail Rate

55.2%

Age (yrs) 22Tests 67Avg Mileage 81,809Top Failure Brakes — 31.3%

2013High Fail Rate

43.9%

Age (yrs) 23Tests 57Avg Mileage 83,459Top Failure Brakes — 142.1%

2014High Fail Rate

50.0%

Age (yrs) 24Tests 40Avg Mileage 82,228Top Failure Brakes — 120.0%

2015High Fail Rate

48.7%

Age (yrs) 25Tests 39Avg Mileage 82,545Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 76.9%

2016High Fail Rate

55.3%

Age (yrs) 26Tests 38Avg Mileage 81,446Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 100.0%

MOT results for 1990 Volvo 480 by test year
Test Year▲	Age (yrs)▲▼	Pass Rate▲▼	Tests▲▼	Avg Mileage▲▼	Top Failure▲▼
2009	19	42.0%	143	83,695	Brakes — 39.2%
2010	20	48.7%	115	92,457	Brakes — 38.3%
2011	21	42.5%	80	79,144	Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 38.8%
2012	22	55.2%	67	81,809	Brakes — 31.3%
2013	23	43.9%	57	83,459	Brakes — 142.1%
2014	24	50.0%	40	82,228	Brakes — 120.0%
2015	25	48.7%	39	82,545	Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 76.9%
2016	26	55.3%	38	81,446	Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 100.0%

Common MOT Failures

Top failure categories across all test years for 1990 Volvo 480, with age trends.

Brakes

72.7%

↑ Increases with age

Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment

65.9%

↑ Increases with age

Suspension

41.0%

↑ Increases with age

Exhaust, Fuel and Emissions

21.3%

— Consistent

Driver's View of the Road

21.1%

↑ Increases with age

How Failures Change With Age

Comparing failure rates between the youngest and oldest test years.

Category	At Youngest	At Oldest	Change	Trend
Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment	35.7% (19 yrs)	100.0% (26 yrs)	+64.3%	🔴 ↑
Brakes	39.2% (19 yrs)	94.7% (26 yrs)	+55.5%	🔴 ↑
Suspension	25.9% (19 yrs)	52.6% (26 yrs)	+26.7%	🔴 ↑
Tyres	9.8% (19 yrs)	23.7% (26 yrs)	+13.9%	🔴 ↑
Exhaust, Fuel and Emissions	18.9% (19 yrs)	18.4% (26 yrs)	-0.5%	⚪ —

Other Manufacture Years

1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995

← Back to Volvo 480 overview

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 1990 perform at MOT as they age. Data spans from 2009 to 2016, covering 579 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.