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2006 Volvo C70: MOT fail rate and common problems

DVSA MOT tests 2022–2025 · 3,550 MOT tests · Updated

46.7% of 2006 Volvo C70 cars failed their MOT at 18 years; measured against vehicles the same age and test year, about the same as the 2007 cars (3,550 MOT tests) [1].

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  • −0.3 to +3.3 points: the gap to all class 4 vehicles the same age and test year, from 16 to 18 years, 3,550 MOT tests
  • Coil spring broken: fails 1.6–2.1× as often as all class 4 vehicles the same age at 18 years, 3,203 MOT tests of Volvo C70 cars first used 2004–2007
  • At 18 years (tested 2024): 46.7% failed, against 43.4% for all class 4 vehicles tested at 18 years in 2024, 1,042 MOT tests

Engine, fuel and mileage decide where one vehicle sits within these figures. Check the reg first.

Figures are for 2006 Volvo C70 cars as a group, not for one car.

Fail rate at 18 years (2024)
46.7%
vs 43.4% for all class 4 vehicles tested at 18 years in 2024
1,042 MOT tests
Gap to all class 4, same age and year
+0.9 pts
over ages 16–18: −0.3 to +3.3 pts
3,550 MOT tests
Against the 2007 cars
+0.2 pts
95% range −3.8 to +4.2 pts, same ages, each against its own test year
3,550 MOT tests
MOT tests of 2006 cars
3,550
tested 2022–2024, 3 ages with 1,000+ tests
3,550 MOT tests

About the same as the 2007 cars: +0.2 points at the same ages (16–18), each year against all class 4 vehicles the same age tested in its own year; 95% range −3.8 to +4.2, from 3,550 MOT tests of 2006 cars and 3,493 of the 2007 cars. Not adjusted for mileage.

Every Volvo C70 year against all class 4 vehicles the same age

Volvo C70 first-use years against all class 4 vehicles the same ageEach first-use year of the Volvo C70 as percentage points above or below all class 4 vehicles the same age, averaged over the ages it was tested at, with 95% intervals. 2006: +0.9 pts. 2006: +0.9 pts (−0.7 to +2.5) against all class 4 vehicles the same age, ages 16–18, 3,550 MOT tests2006+0.92007: −0.1 pts (−1.5 to +1.3) against all class 4 vehicles the same age, ages 15–18, 4,901 MOT tests20072008: +1.2 pts (−0.5 to +2.8) against all class 4 vehicles the same age, ages 14–16, 3,471 MOT tests2008 −2.80+2.8 pts
Percentage points above (right) or below (left) all class 4 vehicles the same age, tested in the same year, 2022 to 2025, each year averaged over the ages it was tested at. Lines show the 95% range.

2006 Volvo C70 fail rate at each MOT

From 2022 to 2024, as these cars went from 16 to 18 years old, the fail rate went from 43.3% to 46.7%, and the gap to all class 4 vehicles the same age and test year from −0.3 to +3.3 points. The widest gap was at 18 years (+3.3 points, 1,042 MOT tests).

Test yearAgeFail rate95% rangeMOT testsAll class 4, same age and yearGap
202216 years43.3%40.6%–46.0%1,31343.6%−0.3 pts
202317 years43.5%40.7%–46.3%1,19543.4%+0.1 pts
202418 years46.7%43.7%–49.8%1,04243.4%+3.3 pts

All class 4: every class 4 vehicle (cars and light vans) tested at that age in the same test year.

2006 against the 2007 cars, age by age

Age2006Years either side
16 years43.3% 1,313 MOT tests, tested 20222007: 42.5% (1,318, tested 2023)
17 years43.5% 1,195 MOT tests, tested 20232007: 44.0% (1,151, tested 2024)
18 years46.7% 1,042 MOT tests, tested 20242007: 43.4% (1,024, tested 2025)

Each year was tested in a different calendar year; the verdict compares each against all class 4 vehicles the same age tested in its own year.

What fails on a Volvo C70 at 18 years

All Volvo C70 MOTs at 18 years, cars first used 2004–2007 (3,203 MOT tests; DVSA item counts are not split by first-use year). The most common fail items: handbrake too weak (5.8 per 100 MOT tests), driveshaft CV boot split (5.8 per 100 MOT tests) and coil spring broken (5.7 per 100 MOT tests).

Driveshaft CV boot split: fails 1.6–2.1× as often as all class 4 vehicles the same age, across at least 3 ages.

Road tax for a 2006 Volvo C70

The Vehicle Certification Agency lists 11 petrol and diesel versions of the Volvo C70 in its data from May 2005 to May 2007, from 193 to 261 g/km CO2 [3]. A car first registered from 1 March 2001 to 31 March 2017 is taxed by CO2 band, so that is 4 bands from J to M: from £410 to £790 a year at the 2026/27 rates [2]. These are the bands for a car registered from 23 March 2006. 8 of the listed versions are over 225 g/km: a car like that registered before 23 March 2006 pays band K (£445 a year) instead.

2006 Volvo C70: CO2 bands of the listed versions, 2026/27 rates
Band12 monthsCO2 g/kmPetrol versionsDiesel versions
J£41019301
K£445215–21720
L£760229–25360
M£79026120

Versions listed, not cars sold: this does not say how common each band is. The CO2 figure on the car's V5C log book decides its band. Car tax calculator for a 2006 car

Car tax and ULEZ for a 2006 car

A car first registered in the UK in 2006 was issued a 55 (January–February), 06 (March–August) or 56 (September–December) plate, unless it was registered in Northern Ireland (no age identifier) or has since moved to a private plate. An imported one is plated when first registered here, so its plate can be newer than its first-use year. 06 plates

A 2006 car is taxed by its CO2 emissions band (A to M), shown on the V5C logbook. [2]

For the London ULEZ, a 2006 petrol usually meets Euro 4, and a 2006 diesel usually does not meet Euro 6. The Euro standard of the car decides, not the year alone. [4] ULEZ checker

Buying a Volvo C70? Check that exact car before the viewing.

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  • Model risks for this year and fuel
  • What similar cars did at their next MOT
  • Repairs ahead
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See a sample report

Other Volvo C70 years

  • 2006
  • 2007
  • 2008

Every Volvo C70 first-use year

Other Volvo models first used in 2006

Questions people ask

What is the MOT fail rate of a 2006 Volvo C70?

46.7% at 18 years (tested 2024), from 1,042 MOT tests, against 43.4% for all class 4 vehicles tested at 18 years in 2024.

Does the 2006 Volvo C70 fail more MOTs than the 2007?

0.2 percentage points apart at the same ages (16–18), each against all class 4 vehicles the same age and test year, from 3,550 MOT tests (95% range −3.8 to +4.2), so about the same.

At what ages were 2006 Volvo C70 cars MOT tested in the data?

3 ages with at least 1,000 MOT tests: 16–18 years, tested 2022–2024, 3,550 MOT tests in all.

What fails most on a Volvo C70 at 18 years?

5.8 in 100 MOT tests failed on handbrake too weak, the most common fail item. From 3,203 MOT tests of Volvo C70 cars first used 2004–2007, not only 2006.

Sources

  1. Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency, Anonymised MOT tests and results, 2022 to 2025. DVSA MOT data, Open Government Licence v3.0, 3,550 MOT tests. Accessed 7 Oct 2026.
  2. GOV.UK, Vehicle tax rates. Rules, not drawn from the MOT data.
  3. Vehicle Certification Agency, Car fuel and emissions data. VCA data, Open Government Licence v3.0.
  4. Transport for London, Ultra Low Emission Zone. Rules, not drawn from the MOT data.

Cars tested at 18 years are compared with every class 4 vehicle tested at 18 years in the same test year. These rates are not adjusted for mileage. Breakdowns and non-MOT faults are not in this data. How we compare