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Volvo S40 2004: MOT failure rate for its age

48.8% of 12,121 MOT tests of the Volvo S40 first registered in 2004 failed at the first attempt (2019–2024; retests excluded). Against this model's own normal rate at the same ages the index is 104.6 (95% CI 101.9–107.3; 100 = normal for this model at that age): close to other build years of the same model at the same age (within 5 points of normal).

Volvo S40 built in 2004 at a glance
MeasureValueUnitCompared withYearsTests
Failed first time48.8%all ages tested2019–202412121
Index against this model at the same age (95% CI 101.9–107.3)104.6index100 = normal for this model at that age2019–202412121
Rank among this model's 16 build years14of 161 = fails least for its age2019–202412121
Tested in 20241143testsmedian 100,059 miles20241143
line · Volvo S40 built 2004 · first-time MOT failure share by age · built 2004 49.2% vs model normal 48.2% at age 15 · 2019–2024
Built 2004 against Volvo S40 normal for the age: first-time MOT failure share at each age, age 15: 49.2% vs 48.2%; age 16: 49.7% vs 46.1%; age 17: 48.7% vs 46.1%; age 18: 48.1% vs 44.8%; age 19: 48.4% vs 45.8%; age 20: 47.2% vs 48%. Axis from 0% to 50%. DVSA MOT bulk data, 2019–2024.
Check a 2004 Volvo S40 by registration · All Volvo S40 MOT statistics · Download the build-year table (CSV)

Data release dvsa-2024-v2 (24 Sep 2026) · page updated 30 Sep 2026 · full dataset (v5).

How does the 2004 Volvo S40 fail at each age?

Cars built in 2004 were tested at ages 15 to 20 between 2019 and 2024. Each row compares their first-time failure share with what this model normally shows at that age, after allowing for the overall failure level of each test year.

Volvo S40 built 2004: first-time MOT failure by age, against the model's normal rate at that age (2019–2024)
AgeTestsFailed, %95% intervalNormal for this model at that age, %Index (100 = normal)
153,21949.247.5–50.948.2102
162,50749.747.8–51.746.1107.8
172,07248.746.6–50.946.1105.8
181,74048.145.8–50.544.8107.4
191,44048.445.8–5145.8105.6
201,14347.244.3–50.14898.2

Source: DVSA MOT bulk data · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 12,121 (initial tests) · Method: normal rate = this model's first-time failure share at that age across its build years (cells of 400+ tests), adjusted for each test year's overall level; cells of 30+ tests, under 500 marked rough · Updated: 30 Sep 2026 · Release: dvsa-2024-v2 · CSV

What fails most on the 2004 Volvo S40?

The most common failure group on cars built in 2004 is lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment: 45.6 items per 100 first tests, against 34.6 across all build years of the Volvo S40. These counts are not age-adjusted: cars built in 2004 were tested at ages 15 to 20.

Failure items per 100 first tests, Volvo S40 built 2004 against the Volvo S40 in all build years (2019–2024, not age-adjusted)
Failure groupBuilt 2004, per 100All build years, per 100Items
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment45.634.65,526
Suspension35.5304,300
Brakes34.819.14,224
Body, chassis, structure18.912.12,295
Tyres12.212.31,477

Source: DVSA MOT bulk data · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 12,121 (initial tests of this build year) · Method: failure items grouped by DVSA's top-level defect groups, per 100 initial tests; groups with 30+ items · Updated: 30 Sep 2026 · Release: dvsa-2024-v2 · CSV

How does 2004 compare with the years around it?

Among the 16 published build years of the Volvo S40, 2004 ranks 14 (1 = fails least for its age). 2003: index 106.8. 2005: index 98.9.

Volvo S40 build years: index against the model at the same age (2019–2024)
Build yearIndex (100 = normal)95% intervalVerdictTests
199898.789.4–107.9no different (rough estimate)859
199999.492.2–106.7no different (rough estimate)1,413
200093.888.3–99.3better (rough estimate)2,356
200196.792.1–101.4no different (rough estimate)3,474
2002101.797.8–105.6no different5,242
2003106.8103.3–110.2worse7,423
2004104.6101.9–107.3worse12,121
200598.996.5–101.2no different14,965
200693.491.2–95.7better15,515
200795.893.4–98.1better15,558
2008100.098.0–102.0no different23,065
200998.095.7–100.3no different17,663
201099.997.3–102.5no different14,269
2011102.599.3–105.8no different9,827
201296.292.8–99.7better8,219
2013107.784.1–131.4no different (rough estimate)209

Source: DVSA MOT bulk data · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 152,178 (initial tests) · Method: observed failures against those expected for the same model at the same ages, test-year level adjusted; verdict follows the printed one-decimal bound · Updated: 30 Sep 2026 · Release: dvsa-2024-v2 · CSV

How to cite this page

MOT Risk Index (2026). Volvo S40 2004 MOT statistics (data release dvsa-2024-v2; full dataset motriskindex-families-2024-v5, DOI 10.5281/zenodo.22975051), updated 30 September 2026. motriskindex.co.uk/cars/volvo-s40/2004/

How every figure is calculated: methodology. Age, test year and build year are tied together (age = test year − build year), so the test-year level is taken as observed, not estimated.

Other pages for this model

Volvo S40 1998 · Volvo S40 1999 · Volvo S40 2000 · Volvo S40 2001 · Volvo S40 2002 · Volvo S40 2003 · Volvo S40 2005 · Volvo S40 2006 · Volvo S40 2007 · Volvo S40 2008 · Volvo S40 2009 · Volvo S40 2010 · Volvo S40 2011 · Volvo S40 2012 · Volvo S40 2013 · Volvo S40 in Norway · Volvo S40 in Finland · Volvo S40 in the Netherlands · Volvo S40 by postcode area · Volvo S40 body, chassis and structure failures · Volvo S40 brakes failures · Volvo S40 vehicle identification failures · Volvo S40 lamps, reflectors and electrics failures · Volvo S40 noise, emissions and leaks failures · Volvo S40 road wheels failures · Volvo S40 seat belts and airbags failures · Volvo S40 steering failures · Volvo S40 suspension failures · Volvo S40 tyres failures · Volvo S40 visibility failures