What To Look For When Buying A Used Volvo S40

Used Volvo V40 ownership guide: 2012-present (Mk2)

The Mk2 V40 was the first of the five-door Volvos to be as stylish equally it was sensible and now makes an attractive used buy

Volvo is a brand oftentimes considered to be 'nearly-premium'. This makes life pretty difficult for the company: its cars accept to look and feel a cut higher up more mainstream competitors, still must yet be priced realistically. The Volvo V40 hatchback fits this subclass perfectly, looking and feeling that chip more special than a Ford Focus or Vauxhall Astra, but still priced well beneath a BMW i Serial or Audi A3.

On its launch in 2012, the V40 congenital on the success of its smaller iii-door Volvo C30 stablemate, a motorcar that was most dissimilar Volvos of quondam due to its atomic size and relative lack of practicality. It was great-looking, though, and the V40 was markedly less boxy than its V50 estate predecessor, without throwing practicality out of the window. The V40 is bachelor just as a hatchback – it replaced the Volvo V50 estate and Volvo S40 saloon in one stroke.

It'south a well-congenital, comfortable machine that drives very well thanks to mechanical similarities with the Ford Focus. It'due south spacious inside, although it can feel a petty dark due to its high waistline and shallow windows and the dashboard layout is a bit fussy. It's besides non as good a load-carrier as you might expect: the kicking can take only 335 litres of baggage with the rear seats in use. Assuming you lot travel relatively light, the V40 makes a fantastic family car, and a safe one, too – it established a new record score in Euro NCAP crash-testing.

The best news, though, is that the V40 is now available second-paw at pretty enticing prices. Follow our heir-apparent's guide to find the best V40 for you.

Volvo V40 history

The first V40s to find homes in the United kingdom arrived in September 2012, their buyers having called between a ane.half-dozen-litre petrol engine in 148bhp T3 or 177bhp T4 specification or from a wide range of diesels: the 113bhp 1.6-litre D2 diesel or 148 and 174bhp 2.0-litre D3 and D4. Trim levels initially consisted of ES, SE and SE Lux, with the sporty R-Design and more than rugged Cantankerous Land (XC) models arriving for January 2013.

The D2 became available with an automated gearbox in jump of that year, with an entry-level 120bhp 1.6-litre T2 petrol engine introduced at the aforementioned fourth dimension. May 2014 saw the D4 diesel fuel's power increased to 190bhp, while in May 2015, a ane.v-litre petrol engine was introduced for the T2 and T3 automated models. Summer 2015 saw Drive-E technology introduced across the whole range to reduce CO2 emissions while increasing fuel economy.

Which is the best Volvo V40 for me?

None of the engines is probable to disappoint, with all delivering decent power and an enjoyable driving experience. If you're looking for an automatic, we recommend the later 8-speed gearbox, which is far more efficient and smooth in operation than the before six-speed.Even entry-level ES cars are well equipped, with a multifunction steering bike, electric windows front and rear, Bluetooth, climate control and blend wheels. DAB digital radio is standard on all models. Moving up to SE adds upgraded interior trim, cruise control and a ready of power-folding door mirrors. Yous get xenon lights, leather-faced seats and 17-inch alloys if you choose an SE Lux.

The sporty-looking R-Blueprint model ups the dashboard screen size from five to viii inches, while also boasting extra detailing inside and out. There's also a Cross Country version of the V40, available in SE and SE Lux trim levels. It's the simply V40 with 4-wheel drive, so it could exist of interest if you live in a rural location and are probable to run into poor roads or moisture and greasy surfaces on a regular basis. The Cross Country has a raised ride height and chunkier styling than the regular V40, but it'southward not a proper off-roader.

Every V40 is equipped with automatic emergency braking as standard. This is a useful prophylactic characteristic that can reduce your insurance premium and was instrumental in the V40 earning its five-star Euro NCAP rating.

The lower reaches of the V40 range sold well to corporate fleets, so you might find the odd D2 diesel with over 100,000 miles on the clock, only the majority of V40s are privately owned, with low mileage and impressive service history. The Cross Land can command a piffling more than the standard car, as it'southward slightly more sought-later.

Fewer than 1 in 10 Volvo V40s is petrol-engined and the vast majority of these volition have been privately endemic with low mileage. Well-nigh a quarter of all V40s take an automatic gearbox.

Running Costs

Fuel economic system is a definite V40 potent point and the 1.6-litre D2 diesel fuel engine can manage in the region of 80mpg. Even the most powerful D4 can top 70mpg and road taxation won't exceed £twenty a year for any of the diesels. Petrol V40s are pretty good on fuel, likewise, all managing 50mpg or more – only every one falls into the £110 yearly road-tax ring.

Insurance groupings vary from group 17 for the entry-level model to a highish group 35 for the superlative-spec T5 with an automated gearbox.

All V40s volition need a service every xviii,000 miles or 12 months, except for the D2. This needs more frequent servicing, with dealer visits every 12,500 miles or 12 months. Servicing is a little more expensive for diesels than petrols. All all V40 engines are fitted with a timing chugalug and this will need to be inverse betwixt every six years/87,500 miles or eight years/144,000 miles, depending on which of the four schedules your engine falls nether. It's not a cheap job, then brand sure information technology'southward not due any time presently on a motorcar you're looking at buying.Another scheduled maintenance chore is changing the restriction fluid, which needs doing every two years only is relatively inexpensive to have performed at a Volvo garage.

What to look out for

The V40 has proven a pretty reliable, robust machine. In our 2016 Driver Power owner satisfaction survey it was named as the 43rd most reliable car out of 150 cars surveyed, a decent result for a automobile which has been on the market place for quite a while.

Problems faced by owners have tended to be niggling or blueprint-led issues. A frequent complaint is the lack of rear visibility and many V40s deport scuffs on their bumpers as testify of this issue. Parking sensors are a worthwhile feature on these cars, as is Park Aid Airplane pilot, which tin take over steering duties to get you lot into even the tightest of spaces without you having to bear on the wheel.

The DAB digital radio is a nice standard feature, simply it has been reported to endure from signal drop-out in areas where reception is known to usually exist good. This seems to be a feature rather than a fault – the radio will revert to FM if this occurs.

A lot of owners take reported rattles and noises from the area of the V40s stylish-looking centre panel. It'southward a problem that quickly became apparent to Volvo and it sent a bulletin to official workshops, who should be able to readily solve this issue on your machine.

Recalls

Volvo is a pretty pro-agile brand when it comes to recalls, preferring to grasp the nettle and deal with issues promptly than let things elevate on. With this reputation it's reassuring that but ane call up has ever been issued for the V40.

The sole remember was opened in March 2014 and involved 1,492 cars built betwixt November 2013 and March 2014. The issue involved the left rear tail-lamp going out, followed by a alarm appearing on the machine's instrument panel. This was traced to a software error and a simple re-coding is all that was needed.

Alternatives

Sitting in its narrow nigh-premium niche, the Volvo V40 faces competition from all sides. Fortunately, the Audi A3, BMW 1 Serial and Mercedes A-Course are all considerably more expensive than the Volvo, even used. All are well-built, with the BMW excelling for driver appeal and the Audi winning quality plaudits and also being available with four-wheel drive.If a premium badge isn't essential, the Ford Focus is an extremely talented motorcar and, in manor form, a hugely practical one. Sharing mechanical design with the Volvo means it handles brilliantly and is pretty well congenital.

There are a neat many non-premium cars of the same size that should be considered – the Mazda3 is a very underrated choice, while the SEAT Leon attracts its share of rave reviews and can be bought as a very practical ST estate.

In terms of brand cachet, the Volkswagen Golf game is probably the well-nigh closely aligned to the Volvo, every bit well as being and probably the most desirable and accomplished all-rounder of all the V40s competitors, with terrific quality and a great blend of comfort and driver appeal.

Verdict

The Volvo V40 has been an interesting motorcar to chart in our Driver Power owner satisfaction survey over the years. It debuted in 2014, when information technology finished 19th overall. It then climbed to an impressive 15th in 2015, with excellent results for seat comfort, running costs and reliability. All the same, 2016 saw it driblet to 78th overall out of 150 cars on the market place.

Owners accept criticised the V40 for poor ride quality and limited practicality. We haven't noticed the Volvo rides significantly worse than its rivals, but the smallish kick speaks for itself. It'due south advised that you lot spend plenty of fourth dimension backside the bicycle before y'all make a purchasing decision to make certain you choose wisely.

We had a D2 on our test fleet for a practiced while and those who collection it loved its comfortable seats, smooth engine and excellent fuel economy. Every bit long as yous don't need to carry bulky loads all that often, it makes a terrifically useable family unit motorcar and must be one of the best- value minor hatchbacks yous tin can buy used today.