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1985 Volvo 740 — MOT History by Age

How cars manufactured in 1985 perform at MOT as they age

41 years
Current Age
70.0%
Latest Pass Rate
646
Total Tests (All Years)
101,255 mi
Avg Mileage (Latest)

Data from official DVSA MOT testing records

Best vintage for 740

Insufficient data for same-age comparison.

How This Car Ages

Pass rate progression for the 1985 Volvo 740 as it ages.

24 yrs58.0%
25 yrs53.5%
26 yrs60.0%
27 yrs52.6%
28 yrs45.5%
29 yrs67.3%
30 yrs59.5%
31 yrs52.9%
32 yrs70.0%

Bar chart showing pass rate by car age from 24 to 32 years

Fail Rate %
📊 View as table
AgePass RateTests
24 yrs58.0%143
25 yrs53.5%114
26 yrs60.0%90
27 yrs52.6%78
28 yrs45.5%66
29 yrs67.3%49
30 yrs59.5%42
31 yrs52.9%34
32 yrs70.0%30

Pass Rate Trend

How the 1985 Volvo 740 pass rate changes as it ages, from first MOT to most recent.

Trend shows improving over 9 years

Pass Rate %
📊 View as table
BuiltPass RateTests
2017 (32 yrs)70%30
2016 (31 yrs)52.9%34
2015 (30 yrs)59.5%42
2014 (29 yrs)67.3%49
2013 (28 yrs)45.5%66
2012 (27 yrs)52.6%78
2011 (26 yrs)60%90
2010 (25 yrs)53.5%114
2009 (24 yrs)58%143

Year-by-Year MOT Results

2009High Fail Rate
58.0%
Age (yrs) 24Tests 143Avg Mileage 126,494Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 21.0%
2010High Fail Rate
53.5%
Age (yrs) 25Tests 114Avg Mileage 125,946Top Failure Exhaust, Fuel and Emissions — 26.3%
2011High Fail Rate
60.0%
Age (yrs) 26Tests 90Avg Mileage 126,106Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 23.3%
2012High Fail Rate
52.6%
Age (yrs) 27Tests 78Avg Mileage 117,612Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 24.4%
2013High Fail Rate
45.5%
Age (yrs) 28Tests 66Avg Mileage 124,932Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 78.8%
2014
67.3%
Age (yrs) 29Tests 49Avg Mileage 114,951Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 46.9%
2015High Fail Rate
59.5%
Age (yrs) 30Tests 42Avg Mileage 117,006Top Failure Suspension — 45.2%
2016High Fail Rate
52.9%
Age (yrs) 31Tests 34Avg Mileage 115,487Top Failure Suspension — 79.4%
2017
70.0%
Age (yrs) 32Tests 30Avg Mileage 101,255Top Failure Suspension — 40.0%

Common MOT Failures

Top failure categories across all test years for 1985 Volvo 740, with age trends.

Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment
36.5%
↑ Increases with age
Suspension
35.8%
↑ Increases with age
Brakes
29.4%
↑ Increases with age
Body, Structure and General Items
20.4%
↑ Increases with age
Seat Belts and Supplementary Restraint Systems
19.9%
↓ Decreases with age

How Failures Change With Age

Comparing failure rates between the youngest and oldest test years.

CategoryAt YoungestAt OldestChangeTrend
Suspension15.4% (24 yrs)40.0% (32 yrs)
+24.6%
🔴 ↑
Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment21.0% (24 yrs)36.7% (32 yrs)
+15.7%
🔴 ↑
Driver's View of the Road11.9% (24 yrs)16.7% (32 yrs)
+4.8%
🔴 ↑

Other Manufacture Years

Looking for the best year to buy? See the full comparison on the Volvo 740 page →

About This Data

This page shows how Volvo 740 cars manufactured in 1985 perform at MOT as they age. Data spans from 2009 to 2017, covering 646 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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