Used buyer's guide: Volvo S80
Steep depreciation makes the Volvo S80 a great value second-hand car
How much?
Diesel S80s outnumber their petrol counterparts by around 10 to one, while about three-quarters of the models on the market have an auto box. As a result, you can pick up a high-mileage diesel from £5,000, while the cheapest petrols we could find were £6,000 – they tended to be to a higher spec with lower mileage. Most of the cheaper diesels are 2.4 or D5 editions, with 2.0-litre cars from £8,000. We’d suggest you spend £10,000 on a three-year-old 2.0D SE with a few options.
Running costs
| Model | Insurance group | Fuel economy | CO2 emissions | Annual road tax |
| 1.6T | 28-29 | 42mpg | 152g/km | £170 |
| 2.5T | 28-34 | 32mpg | 206g/km | £270 |
| 1.6DRIVe | 20-22 | 57mpg | 129g/km | £100 |
| 2.0 D3 (134bhp) | 26-31 | 49mpg | 151g/km | £170 |
| 2.0 D4 (161bhp) | 28-30 | 57mpg | 129g/km | £100 |
| 2.4D | 32-37 | 47mpg | 155g/km | £170 |
| 2.4D5 | 27-37 | 45mpg | 155g/km | £170 |
All S80s need to be serviced every 18,000 miles or 12 months, apart from the 1.6-litre diesel (in the S80 DRIVe and D2), for which the mileage figure is 12,500 miles. Volvo dealers offer fixed-price maintenance for the car, with services alternating between minor and major– they cost £320-£350 and £380-£400 respectively.
The big service comes at 10 years, and costs around £650. This includes fitting a new cambelt, which costs £350 on its own – these belts need to be renewed after 10 years or 108,000 miles. Fresh brake fluid should be fitted every two years, and will cost around £70.
