Volvo XC40 review - Reliability and safety

The XC40 is built on Volvo’s latest CMA platform - and that means that its underpinnings are, in theory, relatively unproven. However, the Swedish firm has designed the chassis to accommodate its family of four-cylinder and three-cylinder petrol and diesel engines and hybrid motors and battery packs, many of which have seen use in other models before.

This, and the fact that the Volvo gets other components from larger stablemates (such as the infotainment system and some switches) should help it to achieve a pretty decent level of reliability.

Volvo performed well in our 2020 Driver Power customer satisfaction survey, finishing 10th out of 30 manufacturers. The XC40 also achieved a solid ranking, securing 14th place out of 75 cars.

Safety continues to be a big priority for Volvo, and the XC40 doesn't disappoint. It scored five stars out of five in the Euro NCAP test, with an impressive 97% for adult occupant protection and 87% for child occupant protection. You get automatic emergency braking across the range – and it’s capable of spotting not only cars but also pedestrians and large animals. Plus every XC40 gets a lane departure system, which will intervene and pull the car back into lane if it senses you’re going to steer into the path of oncoming traffic.

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Warranty

The XC40 comes with a three-year warranty, which is par for the course in the class, although the mileage limit for the cover is 60,000 miles instead of the industry-standard 36,000 miles.

Servicing

Volvo offers fixed-price service plans for its cars that can be paid for up front or on a monthly basis. These can last from 2-5 years and cover annual mileages up to 50,000 miles.

As a typical example, you can get 3-years of cover for around £1,000, although this can be added to any finance deal you may take out, which works out at around £30 extra a month on a 3-year finance deal.