A used Volvo XC90 is the lesser risk as a D5 with bills for its cambelt change at 96,000 miles or 8 years and its tensioners, but leave the 2002 to 2006 T6 and its fragile automatic alone.
3 known faults, 2 rated high severity in our database; owners report 31.8 mpg, 82% of the official figure. Everything below is built from that data and the archived owner history, not from a press car.
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Check a Volvo XC90 advert (free) →A first-generation XC90 D5 diesel is the lesser risk, but only when the paperwork shows its cambelt was changed at 96,000 miles or 8 years and what's been done to the tensioners and pulleys. That's not a formality: on the five-cylinder diesel a tensioner or idler pulley can give out before the belt's due and throw it, wrecking the engine, typically between 46,000 and 65,000 miles. No record means the job needs doing straight away.
Belt history doesn't make a D5 a sure thing, though. Poor starting points to failing injectors, the inlet manifold swirl flaps can break off, and a D5 with the Geartronic automatic carries that gearbox's own failure record, worst on cars that have towed. The four-wheel-drive angle gear, sleeve and transfer box have failed too, so the D5 to buy is one that starts cleanly, shifts smoothly and drives quietly.
Don't buy the 2.9 T6 petrol from 2002 to 2006. Its four-speed automatic was designed for lighter, less powerful cars than the XC90, and early failure is widely reported. One owner's 2004 T6 had its automatic fail at 65,000 miles, which fits the pattern.
The XC90 sold from 2015 is a different car, and the items on it point at electronics rather than mechanicals. Several owners describe software faults: screens rebooting, functions dropping out and only coming back after an update, and one T8 that lost all power twice in three years. Two T8 plug-in hybrid owners also say the electric-only range vanished with the petrol engine cutting in. If you're buying one of these, it's the update and recall history that matters most.
In the first-generation XC90 the 2.4 D5 diesel is the lesser risk, but it isn't a safe bet unless its belts have been looked after. Its timing belt's due at 96,000 miles or 8 years, but a tensioner or idler pulley can give out before then and throw the belt, which destroys the engine. The swirl flaps in the 2.4D and D5 inlet manifold can snap off from 3 years old too.
Poor starting on a D5 points to the injectors, which have been failing on cars more than 3 years old. D5s with a diesel particulate filter can also show a rising oil level, because fuel finds its way into the sump while the filter regenerates. A 2010 software update cuts the fuel used during regeneration, and any oil that's been thinned by diesel needs changing rather than just draining back to the right level.
The four-speed automatic behind the 2002 to 2006 T6 is the gearbox to avoid. Owners report Geartronic automatic failures more widely too, especially on cars that have towed: the oil cooler is modular and needs extra modules for towing, which often gets missed, and the servo valves that control the shifts can stick. A manual D5 takes the automatic's failures out of the picture, though not the belt care or the four-wheel-drive checks.
The 2.0 D4 diesel's timing belt is due every 90,000 miles or 10 years, with the auxiliary belt and tensioner checked or replaced at the same time. XC90s sold from 2014 to 2018 with the 2.0 diesel were recalled because the plastic intake manifold could melt and start a fire. On the T8 plug-in hybrid, owners have reported the electric range disappearing, so check it runs on electric power from a full charge.
The invoice for the D5's last cambelt change, and for any tensioner or pulley work, is the first thing to ask for. Start it cold and listen for belt squeal or chirping, and watch for a battery or power steering warning, which means the auxiliary belt has come off. Alternator failures have been reported on their own as well. Pull the dipstick on a diesel: an oil level that's crept up points to diesel in the sump, and poor starting points to the injectors.
On the drive, feel for slipping, erratic changes or lost drive, and look for a transmission warning message on the dash. Ask whether it's towed and whether the gearbox oil cooler has had extra modules added. The angle gear and connecting sleeve in the four-wheel-drive system can fail, leaving just two wheels driven; one owner's D5 had been running like that at 77,000 miles without anyone noticing. Listen for noise from the transfer box too: one owner paid £2,800 to rebuild a 46,000-mile car's after it failed on the motorway.
Random fault messages on the dashboard of a first-generation car can come from water getting into the electronics when the pollen filter cover in the plenum is faulty or poorly fitted, and a modified cover, fitted properly, cures it. Steering lock failures have been reported, so lock and unlock it a few times. Try both keys: one owner of a 2014 car found the blade springs had failed, so a key put in upside down could slip in the ignition and cut the engine.
Ask for proof that recall work's been done. In 2003 XC90s were recalled to replace front wheel sensors that could set the ABS off in cold weather and to retighten second and third row seat belt mountings, and diesels built in 2006 were recalled over a fuel injection leak that could cause a fire. On newer cars, there's a coolant hose recall for models sold from 2014 to 2019, a curtain airbag bolt recall on some 2016 and 2017 cars, and the 2.0 diesel intake manifold recall.
Paste the advert into the free check and it runs these against the listing, the MOT history and the DVLA record before you travel.
Buy one only as a D5 diesel with its cambelt and tensioner work on paper, and treat the 2002 to 2006 T6 as not worth the gamble. The car earned a five-star Euro NCAP rating. What decides it is whether the belt work, the gearbox and the four-wheel drive have been looked after, because each has let owners down.
The D5's big risk is its belt drive: between 46,000 and 65,000 miles a tensioner or idler pulley can let go before the scheduled change and throw the belt, so an engine without proof of its cambelt change at 96,000 miles or 8 years and its tensioner work is a gamble. Swirl flaps are another D5 weak spot: one owner's 2010 XC90 had them replaced in 2015, and they failed again in 2017.
The T6's four-speed automatic has a record of failing early, and Geartronic automatic failures are reported more widely too, particularly after towing without extra oil cooler modules. The four-wheel-drive system's angle gear or sleeve can fail, a problem Volvo linked to the winter months, and one D5 was found driving only two wheels at 77,000 miles. A noisy transfer box needs checking before you buy, as one failed at 46,000 miles.
Loss of power is worth taking seriously on this car. One owner's 2007 XC90 dropped into limp mode, capped at about 25mph, with a faulty butterfly valve, and the same car lost power again in 2016 with an intercooler fault. If the car you're viewing feels flat or shows a warning on the drive, don't buy it until the cause is found and fixed.
Real-world economy on this generation: Volvo XC90 30.2 mpg, Volvo XC90 34.2 mpg.
Sellers rarely admit these faults outright
Paste any Volvo XC90 advert and we check it against the faults, the MOT record and these figures in seconds.
Check an advert now (free) →Owners report 31.8 mpg across the Volvo XC90 engines with data, about 82% of the official figure, from 859 submissions.
Volvo XC90 Real MPG by engine →The ride's the standout on the XC90 sold from 2015: it's smooth on the standard suspension and smoother again on air suspension, which copes well even on big wheels. The cabin's finished in high-quality materials that look and feel properly upmarket, so it's a pleasant place to spend a long day behind the wheel.
There's room for a whole family inside, so nobody's left feeling squeezed when every seat's taken. Put that space together with the ride and the cabin, and it's a car that makes a long family trip feel easy rather than something to get through.
A used Volvo XC90 is the lesser risk as a D5 with bills for its cambelt change at 96,000 miles or 8 years and its tensioners, but leave the 2002 to 2006 T6 and its fragile automatic alone. Our database holds 3 known Volvo XC90 faults, 2 rated high severity, and the sections above say which generation and engine carry them.
The invoice for the D5's last cambelt change, and for any tensioner or pulley work, is the first thing to ask for. Read the MOT history for repeat advisories and ask for invoices for any work the seller mentions. Then paste the advert into the free check, which reads it against every known Volvo XC90 fault before you travel.
Owners report 31.8 mpg on average, about 82% of the official figure, from 859 submissions. Belt (2.0 D4, D4204T): 90,000 miles or 10 years, whichever comes first, so budget for it if the history does not show it done. The known faults page lists a rough repair cost against each fault. Volvo XC90 Real MPG by engine.
If you used the Honest John car-by-car reviews before the site closed in 2026, this is where the Volvo XC90 buying advice now lives. It is written from the archived owner reports and model notes (archived page, 55 items read for this model), our own known-faults database, the confirmed service intervals and the Real MPG figures. Every number on the page comes from that data, not from the text. The same data feeds our free advert check.
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The Volvo XC90 is one decision. Reading the advert, the history and the seller are the rest, and these cover them.
Looking at a Volvo XC90 right now? Check the advert before you go and see it.