Both Volvo and Audi are equally good in their respective categories, but Volvo offers luxury with better safety features at a much lower price.
Both of these car manufacturers are luxury car brands. Volvo’s main focus has always been luxury with the best safety features and less sporty looks and performance. Audi, on the other hand, offers futuristic interiors and high performance, but at a much higher price range. Therefore, it comes down to buyers’ preferences which brand suits them best.
Volvo vs. Audi in terms of safety
Car safety can be broken down into the two types of safety features:
• The features that prevent accidents in the first place.
• The features that assist a car if an accident has happened.
Safety in Volvo and Audi is pretty decent, but Volvo always wins in terms of safety due to their high focus on the safety of the cars. The safety of cars is measured by some non-profit organizations that aim to provide the best car safety ratings.
Volvo excels in safety
The Swedish company, Volvo, highly emphasizes safety features and measurements. They made their name on the basis of their top-rated safety features. Volvo even has its own car crash facility in Gothenburg, which is one of the most advanced facilities in terms of crash testing. The facility holds an average of 400 car tests a year.
Being the most advanced brand in terms of safety, Volvo’s car crash facility is even used by other cars companies like Aston Martin, Jaguar, and Land Rover. The safety features in Volvo cars have always been the finest. They put so much focus on safety that they even invented some universally-used features like three-point seatbelts, inflatable curtains, blind spot detection system, and more.
Volvo’s cars have always been rated as the best in safety and have won many awards by the safety testing organizations. They have an average USN safety score of 9.90 out of 10. This truly makes them one of the best, safest car brands ever.
Audi has decent safety features
German car brands have always been great luxury rides with good safety features. Audi is also not an exception. They have won safety awards and are rated full stars in terms of safety. They have even improved their safety features in the last few years. Audi has an average USN safety score of 9.56 out of 10.
They had an issue with their braking system in past years. However, they have fixed these issues and improved the quality of brakes lately. They have introduced some features like pre-sense driver assistance with the already existing other safety features like adaptive cruise control and a top view camera system. All of this makes Audi cars pretty safe.
Volvo vs. Audi in terms of reliability
Reliability of cars means the consistency of a car in terms of performance. Good reliability means a smaller number of car breakdowns and good fuel economy. Reliability is a big factor to consider when buying a car. The overall customer service and price of repairs also contributes to it.
Volvo: Reliable with exceptions
Volvo is a pretty reliable option when it comes to buying a car. Volvo, being a luxury brand, is not ranked as the best in terms of reliability. It has an above-average score of 127 by ReliabilityIndex, which ranked Volvo 23 out of 40 car brands. However, Consumers Reports has mixed reviews about Volvo, giving above-average scores to the S60, V60, and XC40, but below-average scores to the XC90, making it one of the least reliable cars.
Audi: Decent, but mixed reliability scores
The sporty looks and performance of Audis make them pretty famous, but they have had many issues with reliability. Some Audi models have performed pretty well in reliability scores and the ReliabilityIndex ranks them at 34 out of 40 brands. However, Consumer Reports ranks them decently as well. Overall, Audi has mixed reviews about reliability.
Verdict
Both of these car manufacturers offer great safety features, but Volvo clearly outruns in terms of the number and quality of safety features. Both of these have exceptional USN safety scores, but Volvo is slightly ahead of Audi. If we look at IIHS and NHTSA ratings, then here also Volvo wins. Therefore, Volvo wins in terms of safety.
Both of these have satisfactory scores in terms of reliability. They have progressed in the luxury segment, but have to work on reliability. However, if we look at all factors that make a car reliable like repair costs, which are $987 for Audi and $769 for Volvo, Volvo clearly is the cheaper car to operate.
If we talk about interior and exterior designs, then Audi wins in this segment. They have a high focus on futuristic interior designs and some of the best exterior designs. However, having said that, Volvo is not too far behind Audi in this. They also produce some best luxury cars with good comfort features
In terms of safety and resale value, Volvo clearly wins. Volvo is also much cheaper and more affordable than Audi. Though, Audi wins in some Consumer Reports and other sites. Therefore, it depends on buyers that what they prefer. Better safety and repair costs? Choose Volvo. Sporty looks and high performance? Go with Audi.
FAQ
Is Volvo better than German cars?
Volvo has always been better in terms of reliability and durability, compared to its German counterparts. Volvo is also much cheaper and more affordable to operate than its German rivals. There are many problems with Audi, BMW and Mercedes, compared to Volvo. Volvo even performs well after the warranty runs out, whereas German cars have a history of facing problems after a certain time.
What are car safety features?
Car safety features are there to make sure that the driver and passengers remain safe. There are normally two types of them: Active safety features and passive safety features. Active features prevent accidents in the first place, and passive features prevent any injuries in terms of a car crash. These safety features include:
- Airbags
- Inflatable curtains
- Lane-keeping aid
- Pedestrian safety features
- Laminated glass
- Better suspension system
What makes a car better?
There are many features that come in handy when judging a car. Everyone buys a car according to their own needs and preferences. However, there are some features that make a car “better” than others, which include:
- Top safety features
- People’s trust
- Affordability
- Low repair costs
- Better fuel efficiency
