2003 Volvo XC90 MOT pass rate: 62.5% (2,022 tests)

2003-registered Volvo XC90s passed 62.5% of 2,022 MOT tests in 2023–2025 — 2.5 points worse than same-age cars (65.0%). This is one of the lower-scoring XC90 years after correcting for vehicle age — inspect the individual car carefully.

62.5%Pass rate, 2003 cars

97.5Age-adjusted index (100 = average)

2,022Tests analysed

150,468 miMedian mileage at test

66.2% / 61.6%Petrol vs diesel pass rate

Is the 2003 XC90 getting worse?

Pass rate of 2003-registered cars across recent test years:

Test year	Pass rate
2023	62.5% -1.9 vs same-age
2024	61.1% -3.7 vs same-age
2025	64.1% -2.0 vs same-age

The raw rate normally falls as cars age. The “vs same-age” figure compares this cohort with all UK cars registered in the same year, so normal ageing is not mistaken for a bad model year.

What fails on a 2003 XC90

#	System	Defects recorded	Share
1	Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment	945	31.2%
2	Brakes	709	23.4%
3	Suspension	650	21.5%
4	Body, chassis, structure	177	5.8%
5	Steering	147	4.9%
6	Tyres	135	4.5%

All XC90 years compared

Registration year	Tests	Pass rate	Vs same-age	Median mileage
2003 (this page)	2,022	62.5%	-2.5 pts	150,468
2004	6,310	62.9%	-1.4 pts	159,556
2005	8,853	62.8%	-1.7 pts	155,967
2006	7,074	64.6%	+0.2 pts	149,435
2007	7,298	64.6%	-0.5 pts	147,587
2008	4,681	66.7%	+1.6 pts	141,350
2009	9,694	69.6%	+3.2 pts	133,830
2010	17,426	70.9%	+3.6 pts	128,606
2011	12,528	72.2%	+3.1 pts	121,881
2012	8,660	75.6%	+4.4 pts	111,336
2013	7,181	75.9%	+2.6 pts	104,089
2014	6,806	76.7%	+0.8 pts	96,146
2015	8,040	80.7%	+1.9 pts	86,782
2016	15,514	81.5%	+0.1 pts	79,310
2017	16,314	85.0%	+1.0 pts	68,627
2018	18,492	86.8%	+0.4 pts	57,578
2019	14,886	87.4%	-1.0 pts	46,166
2020	1,928	88.3%	-1.7 pts	37,743

Weighing up which year to buy? See the full ranking: Volvo XC90 years to avoid.

Buying a 2003 XC90? Two checks first

Free MOT history checkThe exact car’s failures, advisories and mileage trail — sellers can’t edit it
Topdon OBD2 scannersTopdon diagnostic scanners with full-system readouts
XTOOL diagnostic toolsXTOOL code readers for petrol and diesel cars
Autel UK testersAutel professional-grade diagnostic testers

FAQs

Is a 2003 Volvo XC90 reliable?

2003-registered examples passed 62.5% of their MOT tests (2,022 tests, 2023–2025), -2.5 points versus all UK cars registered in the same year. At roughly 23 years old with a median 150,468 miles, condition now varies car by car — always check the individual MOT history.

What mileage is too high for a 2003 XC90?

The median tested example shows 150,468 miles. Anything far beyond that isn't automatically bad — a motorway-mile car with consistent service records often beats a low-mileage school-run car — but price accordingly and scrutinise the mileage trail for gaps or drops.

Source: DVSA Anonymised MOT tests and results, 2023–2025 extracts (96 million Class 4 initial tests; retests excluded). Only vehicles old enough for a routine first MOT are included. Age-adjusted figures compare the model-year cohort with all vehicles of the same registration year tested in the same calendar year. Contains public sector information licensed under OGL v3.0.