Volvo V50

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7.6

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Stylish looks
Low running costs
Premium feel

Pricey
Boot isn’t that big
Diesels a little noisy

The Volvo V50 reviews are fairly impressive. It's an estate car from Volvo, so you would expect it to be huge, but it isn’t really!

The experts reckons it's good looking, has a nice interior and is enjoyable to drive. The interior is well built and the modern design means it looks smart inside. The only criticisms about the cabin is that it's not particularly spacious, with a small boot and narrow opening to it, though rear head and legroom is fine.

It's competitively priced, but be aware that there are cheaper offerings that give just as much equipment and get fantastic reviews too.

There are a range of engines to choose from, the 1.6 DRIVe engines are especially cheap to run, yet still provide plenty of power.

Just be aware that there are cheaper rivals, that offer bigger boots. But still, the experts agree that the V50 would make a great family car.

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Key Details

Price range:: £19,765 - £28,460

MPG:: 31 - 74

Date released:: 2008

Replacement due:: Likely in a couple of a years

Model history:: The range of V50 engines was changed in 2009. In 2011 the V50 DRIVe was made more efficient, it's now road tax free!

Engine naming:: Engines named ‘D’ are diesels, ‘T’ refers to petrol engines. There’s also DRIVe diesel engines, which are the most economical.

Read Volvo V50 reviews >>

Type	Reviews	Score
1.6D DRIVe	7	7.8
General	1	6.0
2.0D 136 - No longer made	1	8.0

Experienced this car? Instantly share your thoughts below!

Volvo V50 User Reviews

Our V50 is the third Volvo estate in a row that we've owned (getting slowly smaller in size each time!!). The V50 has been fantastic, we can't believe how little it costs to run. The insurance is much lower than our last car, the XC70 was. There is no road tax to pay (though you still have to fill a form out) and when we visited our eldest in London we could drive around without paying any congestion charge. It hasn't broken down or had any issues either. It's comfortable and feels safe on the motorway.
Bad points of it are the stereo and satellite navigation buttons are hard to use. The boot is not as big as it looks.
The costs saved more than make up for this though. I'd tell anyone that asks that I'd recommend one without hesitation.

By Victoria Colins, who owns this car

I've owned this vehicle for a year now and have found the overall experience to be very positive. I used to own a Mercedes ML350 V6 before this, so fuel consumption is easily double that car's figure. Granted, the D5 is best stretched out on the faster roads (living in London is returning lower MPG). It feels very safe, solid and refined. I also love the way it looks (the example photo shown is identical - even down to the 18 medusa wheels. I was ready to reject the car on the test drive should the ride be compromised by those large wheels. I was pleasantly surprised - whilst I could feel the sporty/firm ride it wasn't too uncomfortable.