Where each one leads
Toyota RAV4
- Against cars of the same age, the Toyota RAV4 comes out better at its first MOT test (passes 9% more often than average) than the Volvo V50 (passes 8% less often than average).
- Fewer Toyota RAV4 cars in the Netherlands carry an illogical odometer record (3.6% against 3.9%).
- On Canada's official test the most frugal 2026 Toyota RAV4 uses 5.5 l/100 km, the 2011 Volvo V50 9.9.
Volvo V50
- Against cars of the same year, the Volvo V50 comes out better in New York safety inspections (fails 20% less often than average) than the Toyota RAV4 (fails 17% more often than average).
- New Volvo V50 cars registered in Europe in 2022 average 99 g/km of CO₂ on the WLTP test, against 112 for the Toyota RAV4 in 2022.
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
| Toyota RAV4 | Volvo V50 | |
|---|---|---|
| Model years in the US safety record | 1994–2025 | 2004–2013 |
| New cars registered in Europe | 800,790 (2010–2022) | 105,187 (2010–2022) |
| Licensed in the United Kingdom | 145,725 | 23,915 |
| On the road in the Netherlands | 46,364 | 18,806 |
| In traffic in Finland | 32,071 | 12,766 |
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
| Toyota RAV4 | Volvo V50 | |
|---|---|---|
| UK MOT first-time pass rate | 76% | 55% |
| … against cars of the same age | +9% | −8% |
| New York safety inspections failed | 1.8% | 1.9% |
| … against cars of the same year | +17% | −20% |
| Illogical odometer records (NL) | 3.6% | 3.9% |
| US owner complaints | 9,400 | 42 |
| Most complaints about | Power train | Unknown or other |
| Model year with most complaints | 2007 (1,004) | 2005 (18) |
| US recall campaigns | 50 | 8 |
| Manufacturer service bulletins | 5,761 | 1,563 |
| NHTSA defect investigations | 22 | — |
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
| Toyota RAV4 | Volvo V50 | |
|---|---|---|
| NHTSA overall rating | 5★ (2025) | — |
NHTSA New Car Assessment Program, most recent rated model year (public domain).
Fuel, emissions and price
| Toyota RAV4 | Volvo V50 | |
|---|---|---|
| Official combined fuel use, Canada | 5.5 l/100 km (2026) | 9.9 l/100 km (2011) |
| Real-world use in Europe, petrol hybrid | 6.2 l/100 km | — |
| Real-world use in Europe, petrol | 7.8 l/100 km | — |
| Official CO₂ of new cars in Europe | 112 g/km | 99 g/km |
| Average power of new cars in Europe | 132 kW (178 hp) | 84 kW (113 hp) |
| Average mass in running order | 1,753 kg | 1,390 kg |
| Dutch list price when new (median) | €40,040 | €33,484 |
| Average odometer in Finland | 156,000 km | 291,000 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).