New research proves that Volvo has successfully eliminated the industry-wide gender safety gap, achieving equal protection for both women and men in its modern vehicles.

The research shows Volvo has closed the industry-wide gender safety gap for its cars

A landmark new study highlights how the company has systematically advanced protection for everyone in its cars over five decades, drawing on pioneering insights from real-world accidents.

Comparing Volvo car models from 2010-2019 with models from 1970-1979 reveals that overall injury risk for drivers has decreased by 79%. For women, the reduction is even greater, at 88%, bringing their injury risk to the same level as that of men.

The research, conducted by the Volvo Cars Safety Centre, challenges the long-standing assumption that cars are inherently not equally safe for women and men. It demonstrates that equal protection can be achieved through data-driven safety development grounded in real-world crash research.

The results also show substantial advances in occupant protection across all seating positions. Restrained rear-seat occupants in Volvo cars benefit from protection levels comparable to, and in some cases exceeding, those of front-seat occupants.

This underscores the effectiveness of decades of rear-seat safety innovation in Volvo cars, despite the lack of stringent regulatory requirements and standardised testing over the years.

The automotive industry has faced heavy criticism for relying on standardised crash test dummies that primarily mimic the average male physique, frequently leaving women at a higher risk of injury.

Volvo has avoided this limitation through its Circle of Life safety approach. Since 1970, the company has investigated more than 50,000 real-world crashes involving over 80,000 occupants. This data allows Volvo to design and test vehicles using a diverse range of body shapes, weights, heights and genders.

The result is a continuous cycle of learning that drives progress and improves protection for everyone, ensuring the company’s vehicles are designed with diversity in mind. This methodology has also laid the foundation for the pioneering Volvo Cars Safety Standard.

Åsa Haglund, head of Volvo Cars Safety Centre, said: “For too long, safety in the automotive industry has not worked equally well for everyone.

“At Volvo Cars, we’ve taken a different approach. By studying real-world crashes and designing with the needs of women, men and children of all body types in mind, we’ve worked for decades to provide a high level of protection regardless of who you are or where you sit in the car. Our latest research confirms that equal protection is not just an ambition, but something we have been able to achieve in Volvo cars for many years.”

Volvo, which has a longstanding tradition of open-source safety, is a pioneer in sharing proprietary data to advance global automotive safety. For decades, the carmaker has openly shared its safety research to help raise safety standards across the industry. As part of the Equal Vehicles for All (E.V.A.) Initiative, launched in 2019, more than 50 years of safety research is freely accessible in a digital library – enabling other carmakers, researchers and policymakers to build on Volvo Cars’ unique real-world safety insights.

Volvo’s new study on equal occupant protection was presented by Volvo safety experts Thomas Broberg and Lotta Jakobsson at the Enhance Safety of Vehicle (ESV) International Conference 2026. The full report is available here.