Volvo XC40 - Reliability and safety

The Volvo XC40 finished 61st out of 75 cars in the 2023 Driver Power owner satisfaction survey, while the Volvo brand came 13th out of 32 in the manufacturers poll. The former is a little disappointing given that the XC40 featured much higher in a previous survey, placing 23rd out of 75 cars in 2021.

Safety continues to be a priority for Volvo, and the XC40 doesn't disappoint. It scored five stars out of five when tested by Euro NCAP in 2018, with an update in 2021 to include the electric versions. It scored an impressive 97 per cent for adult occupant protection and 87 per cent for child occupant protection. You get automatic emergency braking across the range, and it’s capable of spotting cars, pedestrians, and large animals. Every XC40 gets a lane departure system, which will intervene and pull the car back into the 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/60,000-mile warranty, which is par for the course in this class, but it can't match the unlimited mileage warranties of either the Alfa Romeo Tonale or BMW X1. Like most brands, Volvo offers extended warranties that'll cover up your car for up to four years/60,000 miles or four year/80,000 miles.

Servicing

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

If you choose to lease your XC40 or EX40 via Volvo’s Subscription service, you’ll get servicing included in the monthly fee. It will also cover wear and tear items such as wiper blades, brakes, and tyres – although perhaps not the latter if you decide to wear them out doing doughnuts around the supermarket car park.