Volvo XC70 estate (2007-2016) - MPG, running costs & CO2

Despite being a large and rugged vehicle, the Volvo XC70 is impressively cheap to run. The entry-level D4 diesel is our choice. Whether you choose two or four-wheel drive will largely depend on how you plan to use the car, but bear in mind that powering all four wheels negatively affects fuel economy.

The XC70 also boasts very solid resale values, which should better those of the VW Passat Alltrack and match what the Subaru Forester and Skoda Superb can achieve. The Audi A6 Allroad is the best car of this type for retaining value, though. If you’re happy having an outgoing model, now is a good time to pick up a nearly-new bargain from a Volvo dealer. Entry-level diesel versions of the XC70 generally perform best on the used-car market.

Volvo XC70 MPG and CO2

The front-wheel-drive D4 model with a manual gearbox returns 64.2mpg and emits 115g/km of CO2, meaning it costs just £30 a year in road tax. Those are figures that a small city car would be proud of, making this model our pick of the range for running costs. Add four-wheel drive to the D4 and fuel economy goes down to 54.2mpg and CO2 emissions increase to 137g/km, while the larger D5 will return 48.7mpg and 153g/km of CO2 – still quite reasonable for a big, powerful vehicle like the XC70.

All models of the XC70 are available with Volvo’s Geartronic automatic gearbox but like four-wheel drive, this makes the car less efficient.

The Volvo’s main rival, the Audi A6 Allroad, is only available with four-wheel drive and one 3.0-litre diesel engine in various power outputs. The best efficiency figures it can manage are 51.4mpg economy and CO2 emissions of 145g/km. The VW Passat Alltrack also comes with four-wheel drive as standard and is actually slightly more economical than a four-wheel-drive XC70, returning 57.5mpg and emitting 130g/km of CO2. The Subaru Forester, meanwhile, returns 49.6mpg and emits 148g/km of CO2 at best.

Insurance group

Towards the end of its life, the XC70 range compromised two models, all with fairly similar insurance ratings. The entry-level D4 falls into group 28, while a top-spec D5 is rated as group 31. In comparison, the least powerful Audi A6 Allroad is in group 39.

Servicing

Volvo offers service plans that cover your car for six years or 10 separate services and allow you to pay in interest-free monthly instalments rather than a lump sum. Prices vary according to the exact model and condition of your car (you don’t have to buy the servicing plan when you buy the car), but signing up for the scheme always gets you free Volvo roadside assistance, as well as free updates for your car’s sat-nav system.

Warranty

The Volvo XC70 comes with a three-year/60,000-mile warranty, which is exactly the same as the one offered by Audi on the A6 Allroad. You can extend the warranty at extra cost to four years/60,000 miles or four years/80,000 miles.