Volvo · 1991–1997
Volvo 850
The Volvo 850 is a compact executive car that was produced by the Swedish manufacturer Volvo Cars from 1991 until 1997. Designed by Jan Wilsgaard, the car was introduced in a saloon body style; an estate style was introduced in 1993. The Volvo 850 was shown for the first time in June 1991, and the car marked a departure for Volvo, featuring multiple unprecedented features for the company; these included a transverse 5-cylinder engine driving the front wheels, a Delta-link rear axle, a side impact protection system, and a self-adjusting front seat belt mechanism. The Volvo 850 was succeeded by the Volvo S70 and Volvo V70.
Text from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Generations & variants
Photos
UK vehicles on the road
1,293 licensed and 2,354 SORN (3,647 total) at 2025 Q4.
| Year (latest quarter) | Vehicles |
|---|---|
| 2014 | 9,066 |
| 2015 | 7,848 |
| 2016 | 6,909 |
| 2017 | 6,067 |
| 2018 | 5,462 |
| 2019 | 4,994 |
| 2020 | 4,670 |
| 2021 | 4,377 |
| 2022 | 4,156 |
| 2023 | 3,928 |
| 2024 | 3,757 |
| 2025 | 3,647 |
DfT/DVLA VEH0120 vehicle licensing statistics, source ↗, Open Government Licence v3.0. Small counts are rounded or suppressed at source.
Sources
- Wikidata / Wikipedia profiles — https://models.autoculturesociety.com/cars/Q379074CC0 / CC BY-SA 4.0
- DfT/DVLA VEH0120 licensing statistics — https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/vehicle-licensing-statistics-data-tablesOpen Government Licence v3.0
- Car Model Index — https://models.autoculturesociety.com/Compiled record. Sources that do not permit reuse are not copied; this index is credited instead.