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Mercedes vs Volvo

Mercedes or Volvo — what we actually found

Side by side from 264 Mercedes vehicles and 55 Volvos buyers asked us to inspect before purchase. The average car we check scores 61/100.

vs
Head to head
MercedesVolvo
Cars inspected26455
Average condition62/10067/100
In good shape (60+/100)55%70%
Holds up to (avg dips below decent)~91k mi~119k mi
Repainted or replaced panel78%62%
Structural repair found2%4%
Fault codes recently cleared20%22%

Green = the better number of the pair. Condition reflects the mix of cars that came to us — age, price, model — so treat small gaps as a tie.

How they score
Mercedes
Excellent 25% Good 30% Mediocre 24% Poor 20%
Volvo
Excellent 35% Good 35% Mediocre 15% Poor 16%
How long do they stay good?
Good cars by mileage
▬ Mercedes▬ Volvo▬ all cars
0 25 50 75 100 Mercedes, 0–20k mi: 89% in good shape (28 cars)Mercedes, 20–40k mi: 77% in good shape (47 cars)Mercedes, 40–60k mi: 72% in good shape (46 cars)Mercedes, 60–80k mi: 52% in good shape (42 cars)Mercedes, 80–100k mi: 47% in good shape (34 cars)Mercedes, 100–120k mi: 13% in good shape (23 cars)Mercedes, 120–140k mi: 25% in good shape (16 cars)Mercedes, 140–160k mi: 0% in good shape (8 cars)Mercedes, 160–180k mi: 0% in good shape (6 cars) Volvo, 20–40k mi: 100% in good shape (10 cars)Volvo, 40–60k mi: 86% in good shape (7 cars)Volvo, 60–80k mi: 86% in good shape (7 cars)Volvo, 100–120k mi: 50% in good shape (12 cars)Volvo, 120–140k mi: 60% in good shape (5 cars) 40k 80k 120k 160k 200k mileage when we inspected it
Good cars by age
▬ Mercedes▬ Volvo▬ all cars
0 25 50 75 100 Mercedes, 1 years old: 90% in good shape (10 cars)Mercedes, 2 years old: 94% in good shape (16 cars)Mercedes, 3 years old: 88% in good shape (24 cars)Mercedes, 4 years old: 80% in good shape (25 cars)Mercedes, 5 years old: 65% in good shape (26 cars)Mercedes, 6 years old: 59% in good shape (22 cars)Mercedes, 7 years old: 59% in good shape (22 cars)Mercedes, 8 years old: 58% in good shape (19 cars)Mercedes, 9 years old: 38% in good shape (16 cars)Mercedes, 10 years old: 27% in good shape (11 cars)Mercedes, 11 years old: 44% in good shape (9 cars)Mercedes, 12 years old: 21% in good shape (14 cars)Mercedes, 13 years old: 8% in good shape (12 cars)Mercedes, 14 years old: 33% in good shape (9 cars)Mercedes, 16 years old: 20% in good shape (5 cars) 2y 4y 6y 8y 10y 12y 14y 16y vehicle age when we inspected it

Share in good shape (scoring 60+/100) by mileage and by age when we inspected them (each dot ≥5 cars; rolled-back odometers excluded from the mileage curve). Dashed grey = all cars we check.

Most common faults
Mercedes
Oil leaks · Engine
66%
Active error codes · Electronic equipment
52%
Tires condition & wear · Brakes and tires
39%
Fuel trim out of range · Engine
36%
Electronic components issues · Engine
20%
Volvo
Oil leaks · Engine
51%
Tires condition & wear · Brakes and tires
33%
Active error codes · Electronic equipment
31%
Fuel trim out of range · Engine
27%
Lights not working · Equipment
22%
Trajectory by generation
Mercedes ▲ Newer Mercedes vehicles are holding up better 40% 60% 80% 2012–14: 43% in good shape (age-adjusted; 32 cars, raw 44%) 43 2015–17: 57% in good shape (age-adjusted; 41 cars, raw 59%) 57 2018+: 58% in good shape (age-adjusted; 35 cars, raw 66%) 58 2009–11 2012–14 2015–17 2018+
Volvo

Not enough Volvos at the 5–10 year checkpoint yet to draw a generation trend.

Share in good shape when inspected at the same age (5–10 years, age-adjusted), by model-year generation; dashed = all-brand average. All brands →

Whichever badge wins on paper, the car in front of you is its own story. Get it inspected before you pay.
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Based on 319 inspections · updated Aug 22, 2026