Skip advert
Advertisement
Long term tests

Volvo C30 T5

Good and bad experiences this month with our Volvo C30

I’ve had a real love/hate relationship with the Volvo this month. First the love. It’s done the nursery run most mornings recently and my two-year-old son reckons ‘It looks like a sweetie, daddy’. (I think that’s a good thing.) My 60-mile commute each day has been enjoyable too, the odd back-road excursion seeing me arrive at work with a boyish grin on my face.

Advertisement - Article continues below

Now the hate. I’m sure there’s a perfectly good explanation, but I really can’t figure out why there is a hook at the bottom of each front seat that catches the seat belt, dragging it in the path of anyone trying to get into or out of the back seat. It is so annoying!

Also, I thought Volvos were supposed to be solid, but while cleaning the rear window recently the wiper blade snapped away from its arm, even though I was being very careful with it.

A replacement part (£11.75) soon fixed it, though, and in truth these little niggles have done nothing to stop me enjoying the C30 more and more the longer I live with it.

Running Costs

Date acquiredDecember 2007
Total mileage11,307
Costs this month£11.75 (wiper)
Mileage this month964
MPG this month28.7
Skip advert
Advertisement
Skip advert
Advertisement

Most Popular

The new Toyota GR Yaris Sébastien Ogier edition is a rally car for the road
Toyota GR Yaris Sebastien Ogier 9 World Champion Edition
News

The new Toyota GR Yaris Sébastien Ogier edition is a rally car for the road

Toyota has chosen the season-opening 2026 Monte Carlo rally to reveal a new special edition of the GR Yaris. It’s one with a very long name: the Toyot…
22 Jan 2026
Four pricey performance cars that make more sense to buy used
Depreciated performance cars
Features

Four pricey performance cars that make more sense to buy used

Depreciation: One buyer’s suffering is another man's saving, such as £65k off a nearly-new BMW M8 or £20k off a nearly-new Mercedes-AMG A35
22 Jan 2026
Rallying a V12 Jaguar and being rescued by Prince William: Ed Abbott’s story
Ed Abbott
Features

Rallying a V12 Jaguar and being rescued by Prince William: Ed Abbott’s story

Currently causing a stir by competing in historic rallying in a V12 XJ–S, Abbott worked under Norman Dewis at Jaguar before successfully tackling salo…
23 Jan 2026