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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  Volvo S40 D 1.6 RDesign - 2009 Volvo S40
  By albaad - May 4 - 11:18 pm

  Do not buy! I bought a Volvo when my daughter was born in 2009 selling my super reliant 1.7 Puma. The engine failed after just over 2 years. As I had had my 2nd year service late (less than 1000 miles) Volvo said the warranty was void. The customer care team refused to speak to me. 7 days after spending £6,000 on a new engine the new engine fails in the same way as the previous one. The car has been towed back to the garage. Having researched the engine, it is rubbish

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  Finger Nail Across the Blackboard! - 2016 Volvo XC90
  By Jerry L. - April 5 - 1:47 am

  before i bought this car, i did a lot of research, and test drove every car in its class. on paper this car has the most standard feature among all of the same vehicle in its class for the price hands down. but soon after i got the car, i start hearing break noises...... now i am driving a loaner car for the fourth time! every time so far has been with the same issue.... noisy breaks. perhaps this problem isnt as serious as those electronic failure or engine and transmission issues, but for a new car that i have driven for less than half a year(it has literally been at the dealer ship for about 28 days for repair total i kid you not! the previous time i sent it in for breaks and they fried the turn signal module while doing software update, i waited over 3 weeks for that one time since the parts come from abroad). if you ever drive on the freeway and hear loud squeaky breaks and try to look for that semi but then realize that it was you then you would know how it feels. i have told Volvo and the dealership that this will the last time i am fixing this issue. if they still cannot fix it i would need to end the lease. Volvo and the dealership have been nice so far, the reason i didnt say helpful because my issue has not been fixed. my suggestion for those of you considering this car is wait until the 2018 model, heck i dont think they have fix the break issue for the 2017s. i also wish that those of you that have gotten the vehicle do not experience what i have experienced, it is beyond annoying and frustrating.

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  NEVER BUY A VOLVO - 2000 Volvo S40
  By lopp - March 25 - 11:43 am

  I will never buy another volvo in my life. My car has been in and out of the mechanic shop for various reasons - coil springs, thermostat,sensors, throttle position, etc. Believe it or not my car has even accelerated twice on its own. Talk about a scary situation. The drivers window doesnt go down and interior parts from the sunroof have fallen off.MY radio antenna recently fell off. Last but not least half the lights on the radio no longer work. Thanks volvo for the lemon!

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  Owner Remorse apparently "For Life" - 2006 Volvo S60
  By mnathan - March 19 - 5:33 am

  1st Volvo Ive owned. Purchased new, touring/sport, leather, premium sound and appearance packages. Too many rattles at first, spare tire wont stay put and the fit/finish horrible. At 2 1/5 years and 50K small things self-destructing. Window motor switches faulty, sunroof shade guides broken and several interior harness and panel fasteners breaking. Dealer is not help and factory refuses to stand behind their product - unwilling to deliver customer care. Ready to dump it and not look back.

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  Not a fan - 2000 Volvo S80
  By Geir81 - February 15 - 10:00 am

  Bought 1yr ago in Tewksbury Ma (Americar)-for $3000 more than they advertised it (web). I put 10k miles on the car in 1 yr. w/n 1 week-check engine&service lights on. Americar turned off.The lights returned after 5 days. Americar was not capable of fixing. It was above them (they admitted). Front/rear stabilizers had to b replacd w/n 1st month, needed replacing 8 mo. later. Steering grinded. Control module 4 steering wheel (radio-wipers-BLINKERS- HEADLIGHTS)shutdown. Going down steep hill-noises like car about 2 fall apart. Began revving very high @ stoplights. Engine shut down in park after revving & jolting. Last straw. Traded car in 1 week l8r.

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  worst car ive ever owned - 2003 Volvo S40
  By dunx - January 31 - 2:00 am

  i purchased this car in january, 2000, because my wife "had to have it". back brakes went out after 15k mi and ruined rotor. a/c stops working w/continuous use (2 hours driving). headlight go out every 10k mi. sunvisors are stuck in down position. check engine light is on contiously-no one knows why. maintenance is expensive even for european car. the suspension rattles until the car has warmed-up (?!?). headlight socket broke when light replaced (3rd time)-dealer says its my problem since the warranty is out.

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  The ultimate Nanny car. - 2017 Volvo S90
  By JWTaylor - January 20 - 10:53 am

  This car has at least 100 "warnings" built into it that the dealer says he cant cancel. So imagine driving down the freeway at 75mph and the streering wheel starts shaking, the dash has a bell that screams at you and a red alarm warning goes of in your face. Five seconds, literally, it is all over!!! But when it is happening, it will scare the crap out of you!!!!!!!! And it happens repeatedly!!!

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  Not worth the money - 2007 Volvo C70
  By FLRabbit - December 28 - 8:33 am

  This car has been a maintenance nightmare. Ive had to fix things on this car Ive never had to think about on any other car, and parts and labor are a fortune. Volvo closed the dealership where I bought it so now I have to drive an hour each way to get service. Not that they care, because you often have to keep going back before they admit to or find the problem. This car is fun to drive when its in shape, but unfortunately thats almost never. It goes through tires like a big dog goes through bones. You get weird little rattles and shimmies everywhere (that Volvo will blame on road conditions) and random things breaking that cost hundreds of dollars to fix. Not worth it at all.

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  Nightmare - 2001 Volvo S80
  By Nightmare - December 11 - 9:00 pm

  I bought it used in 04 and have regretted it ever since. Im looking at Japanese cars to finally replace this clunker. I got it with 41K miles and 10K miles later I had to replace a number of things. The biggie was rebuilt transmission at 73K miles; since then it drives like a truck with its 13 mpg. The night mirror chemical dissipated soon thereafter, and now the car lurches to the left whenever I brake. Volvo mechanics have been unable to solve this one.

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  Trouble Trouble Trouble - 1998 Volvo V70
  By PCHB - November 12 - 2:00 am

  Other reviewers have either loved this car or hated it. I fall in the hated it category due to very poor reliability, the list is endless. Lost all tires in the first 3 months (bad batch of Continental), visited the shop 8 times due to Check engine light solved finally by a complete fuel system replacement, then wiper motor went, then headlight system, then airconditioning, then at 53,000 dirve shaft, AWD system and clutch! Need I say more! I did force Volvo into a full-blue bokk +$5000 buy-back on a 2002 AWD (with extended warranty) - it has been perfect.