Where each one leads
BMW X1
- Against cars of the same year, the BMW X1 comes out better in New York safety inspections (fails 34% less often than average) than the Volvo XC70 (fails 13% less often than average).
- Fewer BMW X1 cars in the Netherlands carry an illogical odometer record (1.5% against 6.7%).
- On Canada's official test the most frugal 2026 BMW X1 uses 8.3 l/100 km, the 2016 Volvo XC70 9.1.
Volvo XC70
Ahead on none of the like-for-like measures.
Too close to call: MOT pass rate against cars of the same age.
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 X1 | Volvo XC70 | |
|---|---|---|
| Model years in the US safety record | 2012–2026 | 1999–2017 |
| New cars registered in Europe | 875,480 (2010–2022) | 98,180 (2010–2018) |
| Licensed in the United Kingdom | 129,723 | 15,369 |
| On the road in the Netherlands | 37,338 | 9,301 |
| In traffic in Finland | 8,089 | 7,718 |
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 X1 | Volvo XC70 | |
|---|---|---|
| UK MOT first-time pass rate | 83% | 69% |
| … against cars of the same age | +7% | +7% |
| New York safety inspections failed | 0.9% | 2.0% |
| … against cars of the same year | −34% | −13% |
| Illogical odometer records (NL) | 1.5% | 6.7% |
| US owner complaints | 674 | 417 |
| Most complaints about | Unknown or other | Power train |
| Model year with most complaints | 2016 (159) | 2004 (101) |
| US recall campaigns | 20 | 19 |
| Manufacturer service bulletins | 911 | 3,582 |
| NHTSA defect investigations | 4 | 2 |
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 X1 | Volvo XC70 | |
|---|---|---|
| NHTSA overall rating | 4★ (2026) | — |
NHTSA New Car Assessment Program, most recent rated model year (public domain).
Fuel, emissions and price
| BMW X1 | Volvo XC70 | |
|---|---|---|
| Official combined fuel use, Canada | 8.3 l/100 km (2026) | 9.1 l/100 km (2016) |
| Real-world use in Europe, diesel | 6.1 l/100 km | — |
| Real-world use in Europe, petrol | 7.6 l/100 km | — |
| Real-world use in Europe, diesel hybrid | 6.0 l/100 km | — |
| Real-world use in Europe, petrol hybrid | 7.4 l/100 km | — |
| Official CO₂ of new cars in Europe | 117 g/km | — |
| Average power of new cars in Europe | 108 kW (144 hp) | 152 kW (203 hp) |
| Average mass in running order | 1,665 kg | 1,978 kg |
| Dutch list price when new (median) | €53,202 | €60,843 |
| Average odometer in Finland | 150,000 km | 323,000 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).