Where each one leads
Audi A8
- Fewer Audi A8 cars in the Netherlands carry an illogical odometer record (9.8% against 25.6%).
Volvo 740
Ahead on none of the like-for-like measures.
Only measures that do not depend on how many cars were sold: pass and failure rates against cars of the same age, ratings, fuel use and CO₂. How we compare
At a glance
| Audi A8 | Volvo 740 | |
|---|---|---|
| Model years in the US safety record | 1995–2026 | 1985–2002 |
| New cars registered in Europe | 58,589 (2010–2022) | — |
| Licensed in the United Kingdom | 9,740 | 601 |
| On the road in the Netherlands | 2,149 | 1,607 |
| In traffic in Finland | 747 | 1,070 |
EEA new-car registrations (CC BY 4.0) · DVLA licensed vehicles (OGL v3.0) · RDW (CC0) · Traficom (CC BY 4.0) · generations: Wikidata (CC0).
Reliability and problems
| Audi A8 | Volvo 740 | |
|---|---|---|
| UK MOT first-time pass rate | 87% | — |
| … against cars of the same age | +24% | — |
| New York safety inspections failed | 1.6% | — |
| … against cars of the same year | −31% | — |
| Illogical odometer records (NL) | 9.8% | 25.6% |
| US owner complaints | 252 | 175 |
| Most complaints about | Engine | Electrical system |
| Model year with most complaints | 2013 (49) | 1990 (47) |
| US recall campaigns | 31 | 6 |
| Manufacturer service bulletins | 15,324 | 565 |
| NHTSA defect investigations | 8 | 8 |
Complaint, recall and bulletin counts grow with the number of cars sold and are not adjusted for it. UK MOT: DVSA anonymised MOT results (OGL v3.0); New York: DMV inspections; complaints, recalls, bulletins and investigations: NHTSA (public domain); odometer: RDW (CC0).
Fuel, emissions and price
| Audi A8 | Volvo 740 | |
|---|---|---|
| Official combined fuel use, Canada | 10.9 l/100 km (2026) | — |
| Real-world use in Europe, diesel hybrid | 8.5 l/100 km | — |
| Real-world use in Europe, petrol hybrid | 11.9 l/100 km | — |
| Official CO₂ of new cars in Europe | 161 g/km | — |
| Average power of new cars in Europe | 238 kW (319 hp) | — |
| Average mass in running order | 2,184 kg | — |
| Dutch list price when new (median) | €132,661 | €19,283 |
| Average odometer in Finland | 253,000 km | 346,000 km |
Canada: NRCan Fuel Consumption Ratings, most frugal version of the latest year (OGL Canada). Europe: EEA monitoring of new-car CO₂ and on-board fuel meters (OBFCM), CC BY 4.0. Price: RDW catalogue price (CC0). Finland: Traficom (CC BY 4.0).