Where each one leads
BMW 3 Series
- Fewer BMW 3 Series cars in the Netherlands carry an illogical odometer record (5.4% against 20.4%).
Volvo 850
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
| BMW 3 Series | Volvo 850 | |
|---|---|---|
| Model years in the US safety record | 1986–2023 | 1992–2000 |
| New cars registered in Europe | 1,714,816 (2010–2022) | — |
| Licensed in the United Kingdom | 472,359 | 1,285 |
| On the road in the Netherlands | 127,670 | 3,070 |
| In traffic in Finland | 41,048 | 1,123 |
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
| BMW 3 Series | Volvo 850 | |
|---|---|---|
| UK MOT first-time pass rate | 75% | — |
| … against cars of the same age | +9% | — |
| Illogical odometer records (NL) | 5.4% | 20.4% |
| US owner complaints | 843 | 569 |
| Most complaints about | Air bags | Service brakes, hydraulic |
| Model year with most complaints | 2006 (202) | 1996 (192) |
| US recall campaigns | 8 | 5 |
| Manufacturer service bulletins | 1,116 | 727 |
| NHTSA defect investigations | 23 | 18 |
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).
Safety
| BMW 3 Series | Volvo 850 | |
|---|---|---|
| NHTSA overall rating | 5★ (2022) | — |
NHTSA New Car Assessment Program, most recent rated model year (public domain).
Fuel, emissions and price
| BMW 3 Series | Volvo 850 | |
|---|---|---|
| Official combined fuel use, Canada | — | 11.3 l/100 km (1997) |
| Real-world use in Europe, diesel hybrid | 6.3 l/100 km | — |
| Real-world use in Europe, petrol | 7.9 l/100 km | — |
| Real-world use in Europe, petrol hybrid | 9.8 l/100 km | — |
| Real-world use in Europe, diesel | 6.0 l/100 km | — |
| Official CO₂ of new cars in Europe | 98 g/km | — |
| Average power of new cars in Europe | 137 kW (184 hp) | — |
| Average mass in running order | 1,790 kg | — |
| Dutch list price when new (median) | €50,742 | €60,814 |
| Average odometer in Finland | 226,000 km | 328,000 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).