Back in the 1980s and 1990s, the conventional wisdom was: if you wanted a safe car, you bought a Volvo. Stories abounded of Volvos getting in crashes that should have been fatal and their occupants surviving, and Volvo advertising was often filled with crash-test footage.
The 240, produced from 1975-1993 (under the same body style) and the 850, produced from 1992-2000 (from 1997-2000 as the S70) were Volvo's biggest volume sellers during this time. They also made the larger 700 Series from 1982-1992, replacing it with the 900 Series from 1991-1998 (which was structurally quite similar)
Today, however, the game has moved on, and videos like this one showing a 1980s Volvo getting creamed by a 2000s Renault in an offset crash test have led some to say that Volvo's safety claims of the era were hot air, and they were little safer than other cars of the era.
The truth is that old Volvos were typically significantly safer than competing vehicles of the same era. Crash tests and death rate data from the era back that statement up. In the United States, all crash tests conducted on Volvos in the 1980s or 1990s had a good result, and death rates in Volvos were far lower than in competing vehicles.
Let's compare a 1982 Volvo 240 to its competitors (mid-size luxury cars) in the full-frontal, 35 mph NHTSA crash test:
All vehicles are 1982 models. Crash tests were conducted either on a 1982 model or an equivalent body style.
Vehicle - Severe Injury Risk Driver/Passenger
Cadillac Seville - 13% / 8%
Volvo 240 - 12% / 12%
Lincoln Continental - 16% / 12%
SAAB 900 - 12% / 30%
Peugeot 505 - 20% / 34%
Audi 5000 - 51% / 19%
Mercedes 240D - 48% / 49%
Audi 4000 - 64% / 58%
The Volvo is in second place in terms of average injury measures out of the 8 vehicles, nearly picking up first.
But there's more to the story than just great crash test ratings. There were no drivers killed in 1988 to 1992 Volvo 240s between 1989 and 1993. The 1984-1988 Volvo 240 station wagon had the lowest death rate of any vehicle for those model years as well.
The 850, which replaced the 240, moved safety on significantly. It was the world's first car to offer side airbags. When tested by the IIHS in the brand-new 40 mph offset crash test in 1995, it was one of only 3 out of 14 vehicles to get the top "Good" rating.
The 700 Series also has a good safety story, though not quite as impressive as the 240, with the driver having a 17% risk of severe injury and the passenger a 15% risk of severe injury in the 35 mph NHTSA full frontal crash test. The 700 Series was also tested in an offset crash test in 1990, (albeit lower-severity than the later IIHS offset, at only 34 mph) performing fairly well for the era, but not the best.
But wait! There's more!
The cars tested in this offset test were tested without airbags. A driver airbag came as standard on USA-market 700 Series' by that time. Since the 700 Series was structurally one of the best performers and its only blemish was a hard head impact with the steering wheel, it can be reasoned that if the vehicles had been equipped with airbags, it would have been one of the best performers as the airbag would have prevented this head impact.
The 240, produced from 1975-1993 (under the same body style) and the 850, produced from 1992-2000 (from 1997-2000 as the S70) were Volvo's biggest volume sellers during this time. They also made the larger 700 Series from 1982-1992, replacing it with the 900 Series from 1991-1998 (which was structurally quite similar)
Today, however, the game has moved on, and videos like this one showing a 1980s Volvo getting creamed by a 2000s Renault in an offset crash test have led some to say that Volvo's safety claims of the era were hot air, and they were little safer than other cars of the era.
The truth is that old Volvos were typically significantly safer than competing vehicles of the same era. Crash tests and death rate data from the era back that statement up. In the United States, all crash tests conducted on Volvos in the 1980s or 1990s had a good result, and death rates in Volvos were far lower than in competing vehicles.
Let's compare a 1982 Volvo 240 to its competitors (mid-size luxury cars) in the full-frontal, 35 mph NHTSA crash test:
All vehicles are 1982 models. Crash tests were conducted either on a 1982 model or an equivalent body style.
Vehicle - Severe Injury Risk Driver/Passenger
Cadillac Seville - 13% / 8%
Volvo 240 - 12% / 12%
Lincoln Continental - 16% / 12%
SAAB 900 - 12% / 30%
Peugeot 505 - 20% / 34%
Audi 5000 - 51% / 19%
Mercedes 240D - 48% / 49%
Audi 4000 - 64% / 58%
The Volvo is in second place in terms of average injury measures out of the 8 vehicles, nearly picking up first.
But there's more to the story than just great crash test ratings. There were no drivers killed in 1988 to 1992 Volvo 240s between 1989 and 1993. The 1984-1988 Volvo 240 station wagon had the lowest death rate of any vehicle for those model years as well.
The 850, which replaced the 240, moved safety on significantly. It was the world's first car to offer side airbags. When tested by the IIHS in the brand-new 40 mph offset crash test in 1995, it was one of only 3 out of 14 vehicles to get the top "Good" rating.
The 700 Series also has a good safety story, though not quite as impressive as the 240, with the driver having a 17% risk of severe injury and the passenger a 15% risk of severe injury in the 35 mph NHTSA full frontal crash test. The 700 Series was also tested in an offset crash test in 1990, (albeit lower-severity than the later IIHS offset, at only 34 mph) performing fairly well for the era, but not the best.
But wait! There's more!
The cars tested in this offset test were tested without airbags. A driver airbag came as standard on USA-market 700 Series' by that time. Since the 700 Series was structurally one of the best performers and its only blemish was a hard head impact with the steering wheel, it can be reasoned that if the vehicles had been equipped with airbags, it would have been one of the best performers as the airbag would have prevented this head impact.
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