MOT Risk Index.co.uk

Volvo S80 2008: MOT failure rate for its age

29.8% of 4,898 MOT tests of the Volvo S80 first registered in 2008 failed at the first attempt (2019–2024; retests excluded). Against this model's own normal rate at the same ages the index is 96.1 (95% CI 91.2–101.0; 100 = normal for this model at that age): the 2008 build year is no different from other years of the same model at the same age.

Volvo S80 built in 2008 at a glance
MeasureValueUnitCompared withYearsTests
Failed first time29.8%all ages tested2019–20244898
Index against this model at the same age (95% CI 91.2–101.0)96.1index100 = normal for this model at that age2019–20244898
Rank among this model's 18 build years7of 181 = fails least for its age2019–20244898
Tested in 2024642testsmedian 132,929 miles2024642
line · Volvo S80 built 2008 · first-time MOT failure share by age · built 2008 29.6% vs model normal 29.5% at age 11 · 2019–2024
Built 2008 against Volvo S80 normal for the age: first-time MOT failure share at each age, age 11: 29.6% vs 29.5%; age 12: 29.7% vs 28.7%; age 13: 28.8% vs 29.1%; age 14: 30.4% vs 31.1%; age 15: 29.4% vs 33.5%; age 16: 31.3% vs 36.2%. Axis from 0% to 40%. DVSA MOT bulk data, 2019–2024.

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

How does the 2008 Volvo S80 fail at each age?

Cars built in 2008 were tested at ages 11 to 16 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 S80 built 2008: 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)
111,00629.626.9–32.529.5100.5
1287929.726.8–32.828.7103.5
1385728.825.9–31.929.199.1
1480030.427.3–33.631.197.5
1571429.426.2–32.933.587.7
1664231.327.8–3536.286.4

Source: DVSA MOT bulk data · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 4,898 (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 2008 Volvo S80?

The most common failure group on cars built in 2008 is lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment: 19.3 items per 100 first tests, against 23.3 across all build years of the Volvo S80. These counts are not age-adjusted: cars built in 2008 were tested at ages 11 to 16.

Failure items per 100 first tests, Volvo S80 built 2008 against the Volvo S80 in all build years (2019–2024, not age-adjusted)
Failure groupBuilt 2008, per 100All build years, per 100Items
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment19.323.3944
Suspension14.613.2715
Tyres8.89.1429
Visibility8.57.9418
Body, chassis, structure6.76.8330

Source: DVSA MOT bulk data · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 4,898 (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 2008 compare with the years around it?

Among the 18 published build years of the Volvo S80, 2008 ranks 7 (1 = fails least for its age). 2007: index 94.1. 2009: index 99.0.

Volvo S80 build years: index against the model at the same age (2019–2024)
Build yearIndex (100 = normal)95% intervalVerdictTests
199999.085.0–113.0no different (rough estimate)453
2000105.595.1–115.8no different (rough estimate)896
2001104.998.0–111.9no different (rough estimate)1,965
2002103.898.3–109.2no different (rough estimate)3,216
2003101.796.9–106.5no different4,204
2004103.398.2–108.3no different4,001
2005105.199.9–110.2no different4,024
200692.586.8–98.2better (rough estimate)3,079
200794.189.7–98.5better5,765
200896.191.2–101.0no different4,898
200999.092.6–105.4no different (rough estimate)3,155
201096.290.4–102.0no different (rough estimate)3,913
201197.690.5–104.8no different (rough estimate)2,752
2012105.596.9–114.0no different (rough estimate)2,254
201393.686.1–101.2no different (rough estimate)2,699
201483.675.7–91.5better (rough estimate)2,383
201581.373.0–89.6better (rough estimate)2,408
201676.562.8–90.2better (rough estimate)900

Source: DVSA MOT bulk data · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 52,965 (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 S80 2008 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-s80/2008/

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 S80 1999 · Volvo S80 2000 · Volvo S80 2001 · Volvo S80 2002 · Volvo S80 2003 · Volvo S80 2004 · Volvo S80 2005 · Volvo S80 2006 · Volvo S80 2007 · Volvo S80 2009 · Volvo S80 2010 · Volvo S80 2011 · Volvo S80 2012 · Volvo S80 2013 · Volvo S80 2014 · Volvo S80 2015 · Volvo S80 2016 · Volvo S80 in Norway · Volvo S80 in Finland · Volvo S80 in the Netherlands · Volvo S80 by postcode area · Volvo S80 body, chassis and structure failures · Volvo S80 brakes failures · Volvo S80 vehicle identification failures · Volvo S80 lamps, reflectors and electrics failures · Volvo S80 noise, emissions and leaks failures · Volvo S80 road wheels failures · Volvo S80 seat belts and airbags failures · Volvo S80 steering failures · Volvo S80 suspension failures · Volvo S80 tyres failures · Volvo S80 visibility failures