Volvo believes estate demand has returned – but has it?

News that Volvo will revive sales of estate cars in the UK after cancelling them last year has gained huge traction both inside and outside the automotive media, possibly driven by those who still prefer estates to the now-dominant SUV bodystyle.

Volvo told Autocar it had brought back the V60 and V90 estates “due to the resurgence for our estate products in recent months”, but what is the full picture of the estate car market in the UK?

Firstly, estate cars have indeed made a resurgence in the UK this year, with sales in the UK rising 16% in the first four months of the year to 25,311, according to figures from market researcher Dataforce. 

That’s nearly double the rise of the overall car market, which grew 8.4%