Overview & Reviews

Swedish-born Volvo has long been a forerunner in safety research, and its vehicles have the crash test scores to prove it. These days, the brand has improved its offerings by crafting vehicles that also offer generous amounts of style and performance.

In Latin, the word "Volvo" means "I roll." Volvo cars have been rolling ever since 1927, when the first vehicle (nicknamed "Jakob") was produced in the city of Gothenburg. The company's founders, Assar Gabrielsson and Gustaf Larsson, put an emphasis on safety, and that dictum still holds true today. The Jakob was joined by the six-cylinder PV651 in 1929, and by 1931, more than 10,000 Volvos had been produced.

Postwar, Volvo unveiled one of its biggest successes, the PV444. By the 1950s, Volvo had begun exporting cars to the U.S., and the PV444 — with its compact size and stylish looks — helped the manufacturer quickly make a name for itself in its new territory. The decade also saw Volvo building on its reputation for being a vanguard in the area of safety; it was the first manufacturer to make vehicles with a three-point safety belt.

The 1960s saw the launch of a new Volvo sports car, the P1800. The car's sculpted good looks helped earn it celebrity status when it was featured on the long-running TV series The Saint, with Roger Moore behind the wheel. Safety features grew more advanced during this decade and Volvo was again at the forefront of the action, offering features such as padded dashboards and energy-resistant crumple zones in front and rear.

Volvo distinguished itself as the exclusive home to a number of valuable new technologies during the 1970s. If you were looking for safety features such as childproof locks, collapsible steering columns and rear-facing child seats during this decade, you'd only find them in a Volvo.

Like BMWs and Saabs, Volvos became an American "yuppie" favorite during the 1980s. The company proved its technological know-how wasn't just limited to safety when it rolled out its first turbocharged car. By the end of the decade, Volvo had unveiled new models like the front-wheel-drive 480 hatchback (for Europe) and the Italian-designed 780 coupe.

In the early '90s, Volvo launched the 850. The car was Volvo's first front-wheel-drive executive car, and teamed performance with the company's trademark attention to safety. The decade also saw Volvo rolling out new models like the S40 and C70 — cars that updated the automaker's boxy image with a more rounded, sculpted aesthetic. The company became part of the Ford family when it was acquired by the automaker in 1998. Ford helped Volvo financially, while Volvo provided Ford with new safety technologies and car platforms. Due to Ford's financial troubles during the American recession, however, Ford sold Volvo to the Chinese automaker Geely in 2010.

It's unknown how Volvo's new owner will guide the brand long term, but chances are Volvo will continue to offer sedans, coupes and SUVs known for their combination of safety and driving excitement.

User Reviews:

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  THIS CAR NEEDS TO BE RECALLED - TIRES ARE BAD - 2015 Volvo S60
  By LAURENVOLVO - December 1 - 6:39 am

  I have received 3 flat tires in 6 months. 2 of the flat tires were blow outs on the expressway and I almost caused 2 huge accidents while my 7 year old daughter was in the car. This car needs to be recalled. There is NO SPARE TIRE and when i got all 3 of my flats the lighter socket did not work for me to fix the tire. Continental tires are horrible and not safe. DO NOT BUY THIS CAR WITH THE CONTINENTAL TIRES.

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  My 03 XC/70 - 2003 Volvo XC70
  By VersitileTransport - October 14 - 10:00 am

  2nd owner, got the dealer history before I purchased...no major problems to start. Added heavy duty sways & end links (really helps handling), cool-air intake, chipped it, 3" down pipe, race-cat and 3" all the way back. Its now a fast, TURBO, versatile SUV. I can beat most any ricer before it get crazy and ride in style, haul my drums in any weather. SAFE! Flush your trans now, change oil every 3k, change timing belt, pinion gear oil. Do as much schedule maint. as you can yourself. Check underneath for leaks, dont ignore warning lights. Better yet get a code reader. Ive had my share of little PIA stuff but nothing I cant learn to handle. Stay away from the stealership!

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  2001 volvov70 cc. Too many problems - 2001 Volvo V70
  By Unhappy Volvo - September 4 - 7:18 am

  Electrical problems. Sunroof opens wont close. Throttle body went out. Pcv system is bad. Bought at 135k miles car has 146k has depreciated by 60% and the problems continue. Stay away from these cars. B

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  Bought Back as a Lemon by Volvo - 2016 Volvo XC90
  By MEK - August 29 - 7:40 pm

  This car gave me problems almost every time I drove it. The car was a lemon and was bought back by the manufacturer. The list of things wrong with it is dozens of items long. Many of the problems were an inconvenience, but several of them actually made the car dangerous to drive. Volvo should be ashamed of themselves for releasing this model before all the bugs were worked out. The collision mitigation system was erroneously triggered on several occasions, which means that the car braked itself to a full stop while I was driving at speed and there was no accident imminent, the belt pulled me back into the driver seat and alarm bells went off, as well as the HUD flashed red lights. That was only ONE of MANY things that went wrong in the car. All of this with less than 3K miles. I will avoid Volvo at all cost for the rest of my life.

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  Avoid S-40 - 2001 Volvo S40
  By rilster - July 21 - 2:08 am

  Purchased 2009, second owner, it had 135,000 miles now has 175,000. Carfax showed always serviced at Volvo dealer. Problems started within weeks of purchase and in three and a half years; Sunroof shade out of track, bad plugs, engine mounts replaced, both engine coils replaced, cv joint replaced, blown head gasket, new radiator, o2 sensors, catalytic converter, Cvvt valve leaking oil, cvvt valve sensor clogged, climate control problems, radio problems, window regulator, over $4000.00 in repairs in the past year. Transmission went out yesterday, done! I am aircraft mechanic and do much work myself. Oil changed regularly and I take care of vehicles I own...Never purchase a Volvo again.

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  Not a reliable VOLVO - 2016 Volvo XC90
  By Yu - July 3 - 8:01 pm

  Updated review: the car wat sent to dealer many times because the start/stop function did not work. It has not been fixed. Every time the dealer charged up the battery and it worked for a day or two. Volvo simply just looked at the check code and concluded there was nothing wrong. After many frustrations, I just gave up as I do not particularly like the start/stop feature. Bought the car because of Volvos safety and reliability reputation. Nice looking car and drives great. But still I would say Do Not Buy. Owned XC90 for about 9 months. It went to shop for three times due to unknown battery draining issues commonly seen by many XC90 owners. So far the issue seems have been fixed but I heard many other owners still have the problem. Stop/start almost never worked. Dealer said nothing can be found regarding to this. Received three safety recalls on the car in 6 months. All small but annoying issues. Volvo made a bold redesign on XC90 but this one failed.

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  Worst car ever? - 2004 Volvo V40
  By I Hate Volvo - April 22 - 1:13 am

  back brake pads went out before front pads. The volvo tech basically told me that it was common but there was nothing that he could do about it. Volvo didnt even bother to respond. Car handles like a banana on wheels, the interior is awful and the seats now that are worn, feel like they are filled with straw. Do I hate it? YEAH! Why dont I sell it, because Id have to sell it for 12k and I am into it at 27K. Think that I am joking, try to trade one in and then youll see the grim reality. Buy a used BMW 325 Wagon, better everything!!!! I hate this CAR!

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  This car should be called XC90 T8 BETA - 2016 Volvo XC90
  By XC90isBeta - December 29 - 11:31 am

  This car has issues which require it to go back to the dealer within my first 3 days of ownership. And there is a list of intermittant problems which I know will be difficult to reproduce and therefore will continue to plague me throughout my ownership of this car. Not to mention I have been getting terrible fuel economy and it is the bumpiest ride of any car I have ever owned!

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  Beware of Volvo!!!!! - 2012 Volvo XC60
  By Dennis - June 24 - 4:12 pm

  Purchased this Volvo new and it came with a 5 yr/ 50000 mile promotional factory warranty that has just ended. Aside from scheduled maintenance volvo has either repaired or replaced under warranty the following: Battery twice ( car had to be towed in both times), plastic piece by rear seat headrest broke, plastic piece by rear seat fold down lever broke, AC condenser, gas gauge sending and receiving unit, rear back up camera, dash computer,rear hatch actuator, Windshield was leaking water inside, has now developed a bad smell they believe is mildew caused by water getting under carpet from leaking windshield so they shampooed carpet, car still smells. Based on repair history of first 5 yrs of ownership the time when the least repairs should occur it is obvious the car has issues. Now that warranty is up I contacted volvo explaining that I didnt think it fair that I find myself in a position that I pay $43000 for a car, maintain it well, has less than 50,000 miles and it appears I must sell it to avoid hefty future repairs. I asked them to recognize that this is not their best manufactured vehicle and must be outside of what they believe is acceptable. I asked they either preferably extend the warranty or if not provide a very good incentive to trade in on a newer volvo. Their first response was to tell me that if any of the repairs made broke a second time they would "consider" at that time making the repair. I asked to speak to the person making that decision so we could discuss and was told I cannot. I wrote another letter to volvo a bit stronger and low and behold I received a call from the servicing dealer (Jaguar Land Rover Porsche Volvo of Greenville).  I went in and met contact at dealer. He looked at history and told me the following: The car was out of service 28 days in the 5 yrs, it had been in 11 times for service in 5 yrs, (This doesnt seem too bad however when something broke we lived with it until it was time for next scheduled service as we live about 40 min drive from dealer.) Had I had to pay for those repairs it would have cost me approx $5000. My feeling was that $5000 for repairs in the first 5 yrs was horrible this is when car should need to be repaired the least. He then told me that bringing it in 11 times in 5 yrs was below average. When I told him that Volvo cannot be proud of the repair history of this car and cannot think it is usual and customary he said that two of the repairs added to $2600 and if we separated out those two repairs the repairs history of $2400 was pretty good. While this is all going on they price my car for a trade in and give me a price of $11,000 that would be a 75% depreciation in 5 yrs for a vehicle with no visible damage inside or out with less than 50,000 miles (kbb prices median trade in as $14,000). End result is volvo obviously feels and dealer rep has expressed to me that these repairs are normal and within acceptable limits I obviously disagree. Also be aware that while volvo is responsive to emails you cannot speak directly with a decision maker they are shielded..Very frustrating..

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  Great Car with bad design flaw - 2017 Volvo XC90
  By Bill - May 29 - 9:38 am

  The XC-90 8T has a serious design problem. If the car sits long enough ( usually 7 to 8 days) the car goes into a sleep mode to protect the batteries. The result is the car is dead with no power available. The car must be entered using the manual key and the only way to start the car is to get a jump start. I am an international commercial pilot and go on long trips all the time. When I return I must get my airlines maintenance to give me a jump to start. Needless to say I am the joke of the airline and having to to this at 4am during blizzards in Chicago is a nightmare. I have a 1995 snow plow I can start after sitting 6 months but a new 84,000 Volvo XC-90 cannot sit 2 weeks how sad.The dealer has been great but Volvo has not provided any hopes for a fix. I am pursuing the Lemon laws for my state