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 V40 (passes 4% less often than average).
- On Canada's official test the most frugal 2026 Volkswagen Golf uses 8.8 l/100 km, the 2004 Volvo V40 10.7.
Volvo V40
- Fewer Volvo V40 cars in the Netherlands carry an illogical odometer record (2.9% against 5.4%).
- New Volvo V40 cars registered in Europe in 2022 average 89 g/km of CO₂ on the WLTP test, against 121 for the Volkswagen Golf 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
| Volkswagen Golf | Volvo V40 | |
|---|---|---|
| Model years in the US safety record | 1985–2024 | 1993–2013 |
| New cars registered in Europe | 5,527,949 (2010–2022) | 474,889 (2010–2022) |
| Licensed in the United Kingdom | 959,177 | 94,693 |
| On the road in the Netherlands | 324,052 | 42,987 |
| In traffic in Finland | 91,936 | 16,365 |
| 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 V40 | |
|---|---|---|
| UK MOT first-time pass rate | 74% | 73% |
| … against cars of the same age | +6% | −4% |
| New York safety inspections failed | 2.1% | — |
| … against cars of the same year | +6% | — |
| Illogical odometer records (NL) | 5.4% | 2.9% |
| US owner complaints | 1,441 | 73 |
| Most complaints about | Electrical system | Service brakes, hydraulic |
| Model year with most complaints | 2015 (131) | 2000 (50) |
| US recall campaigns | 54 | 5 |
| Manufacturer service bulletins | 14,233 | 1,230 |
| 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 V40 | |
|---|---|---|
| NHTSA overall rating | 5★ (2021) | — |
NHTSA New Car Assessment Program, most recent rated model year (public domain).
Fuel, emissions and price
| Volkswagen Golf | Volvo V40 | |
|---|---|---|
| Official combined fuel use, Canada | 8.8 l/100 km (2026) | 10.7 l/100 km (2004) |
| 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 | 89 g/km |
| Average power of new cars in Europe | 113 kW (151 hp) | 88 kW (118 hp) |
| Average mass in running order | 1,417 kg | 1,391 kg |
| Dutch list price when new (median) | €31,115 | €32,859 |
| Average odometer in Finland | 194,000 km | 181,000 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).