Where each one leads
Volkswagen Golf
- Against cars of the same age, the Volkswagen Golf comes out better at its first MOT test (passes 6% more often than average) than the Volvo S40 (passes 3% less often than average).
- Against cars of the same year, the Volkswagen Golf comes out better in New York safety inspections (fails 6% more often than average) than the Volvo S40 (fails 23% more often than average).
- On Canada's official test the most frugal 2026 Volkswagen Golf uses 8.8 l/100 km, the 2011 Volvo S40 9.9.
Volvo S40
- Fewer Volvo S40 cars in the Netherlands carry an illogical odometer record (3.4% against 5.4%).
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
| Volkswagen Golf | Volvo S40 | |
|---|---|---|
| Model years in the US safety record | 1985–2024 | 1993–2012 |
| New cars registered in Europe | 5,527,949 (2010–2022) | 25,206 (2010–2020) |
| Licensed in the United Kingdom | 959,177 | 13,993 |
| On the road in the Netherlands | 324,052 | 6,855 |
| In traffic in Finland | 91,936 | 9,402 |
| Generations on record | 8 | — |
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
| Volkswagen Golf | Volvo S40 | |
|---|---|---|
| UK MOT first-time pass rate | 74% | 57% |
| … against cars of the same age | +6% | −3% |
| New York safety inspections failed | 2.1% | 2.9% |
| … against cars of the same year | +6% | +23% |
| Illogical odometer records (NL) | 5.4% | 3.4% |
| US owner complaints | 1,441 | 491 |
| Most complaints about | Electrical system | Electrical system |
| Model year with most complaints | 2015 (131) | 2000 (122) |
| US recall campaigns | 54 | 12 |
| Manufacturer service bulletins | 14,233 | 2,107 |
| NHTSA defect investigations | 57 | 3 |
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
| Volkswagen Golf | Volvo S40 | |
|---|---|---|
| NHTSA overall rating | 5★ (2021) | — |
NHTSA New Car Assessment Program, most recent rated model year (public domain).
Fuel, emissions and price
| Volkswagen Golf | Volvo S40 | |
|---|---|---|
| Official combined fuel use, Canada | 8.8 l/100 km (2026) | 9.9 l/100 km (2011) |
| Real-world use in Europe, diesel | 5.4 l/100 km | — |
| Real-world use in Europe, petrol | 7.3 l/100 km | — |
| Real-world use in Europe, petrol hybrid | 6.2 l/100 km | — |
| Official CO₂ of new cars in Europe | 121 g/km | — |
| Average power of new cars in Europe | 113 kW (151 hp) | 114 kW (152 hp) |
| Average mass in running order | 1,417 kg | 1,383 kg |
| Dutch list price when new (median) | €31,115 | €31,167 |
| Average odometer in Finland | 194,000 km | 253,000 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).