As someone who has exclusively purchased cheap, used Volvo wagons, the concept of European delivery wasn’t something I’d given much thought. All the Volvos I’ve acquired were delivered in a parking lot of a CVS. My assumption was this was one of those things where you pay a little extra and get to pick up your car. I was wrong. You pay less money and get an amazing adventure.
Yup. That’s right. You get a free trip to Europe for two, you get a car built to your exact specs, you get an extremely coveted license plate, and all you have to pay is something like 4-5% less than what you’d pay for it if you bought it at the dealer down the street. There’s a reason why it makes economic sense for Volvo, and it obviously makes economic sense for anyone who has the time to do it.
I learned about this because one of our members, Eric, reached out and asked me how it worked:
I don’t need a new car. As a matter of fact, I’ve been proudly telling friends and family that I will actually hold on to my trusty 2020 RAV4 hybrid for as long as I can. I almost have them and myself convinced but now I’ve stumbled on the Volvo overseas delivery program and I’m thinking “maybe…maybe?”
In no way would it make sense to do this instead of just booking a trip…right?
Is this a thing the Autopian team has experience with already? Could someone write about this and convince me to stop looking?
Not only can I not talk you out of it, Eric, I think I’ve maybe talked myself into it.
How Volvo’s Overseas Delivery Works
Because our co-founders have a Volvo dealership, they knew exactly where to direct me for answers. Eric Felder is a sales consultant and the European delivery specialist at Galpin Volvo, and he’s been sending people on trips to Volvo’s home in Gothenburg, Sweden for years. He does about half a dozen deliveries through the Overseas Delivery (OSD) program annually, and was game to explain the process.
It starts with picking a vehicle that’s built in Europe (and not the Volvo facility in South Carolina). The current list of cars includes the XC60/XC60 PHEV, the EX60, and the XC90/XC90 PHEV. The program used to require buying a car outright, but now you can finance the vehicle so long as you put down a $6,000 non-refundable deposit that will be subtracted from the price of the car when you make your purchase (which is how deposits work).
You can either build the car you want online and show a salesperson like Eric F., or you can work with him to build out the car together. This is where the fun starts. First, the car is automatically around 4% cheaper than the MSRP (depending on model) because you’re technically buying the car in Sweden and then shipping it here, even though it’s fully legalized for the United States. Because Eric, our reader, asked about an XC90 PHEV, Eric F. and I went through the whole process together of ordering what I think is an ideal car (Cardamom Nordico interior, Plus package, better speakers, and six-seat layout).
When ordered online, through Volvo’s site, that’s a roughly $81,935 vehicle. Here are the discounts we got for Eric’s Volvo: there’s currently 5% off MSRP for the car, plus a bonus for previously owning any Volvo (I used the VIN from an old 240, but Eric has an XC60), and a special deal for ordering in the summer. When you put it all together, the XC90 was around $10,000 under MSRP. While it’s maybe possible to get a better deal on various Volvo models and book your own cheap flight, that’s a pretty good price and they don’t come with all the other stuff Volvo throws in for OSD.
This is where the first catch comes in, and that’s timing. You need to assume eight weeks for your slot to open up, and you need to take delivery when they’re open.
“In Sweden they have ‘holiday’ and there’s no delivery during that time,” explains Eric F. “And there are certain holidays [we don’t have]; like we don’t celebrate the King of Sweden.”
Fair point!
“I find that a lot of educators have done it because they’ll order a car in February and travel in May to pick it up whenever school lets out. They were going to go on vacation and need a car, [so] this is the perfect scenario,” says Eric F.
Once your date is picked, Volvo’s travel agency will reach out to you for the start of your adventure. This is where it starts to become an even better deal. Volvo will pay for a pair of ‘Premium Economy’ seats to bring to the company’s headquarters in Gothenburg, Sweden, so you can bring your kid or your spouse. If you’re like me, and you’ve got some points burning a hole in your pocket, you can work with Volvo to upgrade your flight. Then, when you fly over, you’ll get picked up by Volvo and taken to a fancy hotel where two nights are included (three if you’re a Volvo owner).
When you’re ready, a car will pick you up and bring you to the World of Volvo where they do a whole ceremony of unveiling the car, and you can get a factory tour and eat lunch at Ceno, the building’s fancy restaurant. Who’s up for Helstekt flankstek with a side of grönpepparsås, potatisgratäng, and haricots verts? It doesn’t stop there! You’ll also get dinner for two at an even fancier restaurant in the city, like the Michelin-starred SK Mat. How does veal tartare with dill, flowering dill, aquavit, and spiced crispbread sound?
If I’m really selling the food portion, it might be because I’m writing this before lunch.
The Real Adventure Begins
One of the low-key best parts of this deal is that you’re granted 15 days of temporary registration and insurance. This means you can pick up your car in Gothenburg and drive as far as your wheels can take you. If you’re an experienced hand at traveling in Europe, you know that getting from Sweden to the continent isn’t particularly hard and that you can cover a lot of ground quickly. You can also pay to extend your insurance out for up to two months.
If you’re in the mood for a little help, the company has three pre-planned Scandinavian journeys they’ll happily plan for you. I especially like the idea of the Archipelago Tour of Stockholm on a boat built in 1906! Because your vehicle is only temporarily registered, it actually gets a special red plate. I didn’t realize this, but it’s prized by Volvo owners.
“[Customers] love getting that Red European license plate,” said Eric F., “That’s like a badge of honor.”
In theory, driving down to, say, Baden Baden, and having to turn around and come back to Sweden is not a super efficient way to travel. From the spa in Baden Baden to World of Volvo is like 15 hours of travel and includes a ferry. The advantage of that trip is you get charged $0 to ship the car to the United States (or, another way to think of it is that your destination fee is identical to what you’d pay in the US). Volvo has thought about this, and for a few extra Kroner you can set your itinerary so you depart from a different airport and have your car shipped from there.
The price currently ranges from about $1,000 to ship from most of Germany or Belgium to $1,600 if you want to drop your car in Madrid. Those are extremely competitive prices given global shipping costs. Of course, this is where the second catch comes in, as your car isn’t going to be back in the United States when you arrive. If you’ve ever shipped a car from anywhere to the United States you know that timing can vary a lot based on when the boat is full and ready to return.
People Seem To Love This
“I haven’t had one person who even mentioned a bad experience,” Eric F. told me, noting that people are fans of “Everything from the food to the accommodations to [the ability] be able to travel throughout Europe in your car, and not have to pay exorbitant fees on rental cars.”
That tracks with me, but just to check, I went over to the Volvo subreddit to see if there was anything that trips people up, and the responses are mostly positive there as well:
Best experience ever. We wished we’d done it sooner. We were going to do it again for my 2021 xc40 recharge, but it was covid and Europe was still closed to travelers. We added two additional weeks of insurance and drove all over Europe for a month…put on 4000 miles. Paid a tiny bit more to drop it in Amsterdam and flew home. Got the car about 6-7 weeks later (live on west coast which takes a bit longer). Highly recommend.
The biggest complaint I saw was that the external travel agency Volvo worked with was slow for one customer as their specific agent left the company in the middle of their trip planning, but that appears to be the extent of it. Otherwise, both on Reddit and on forums, people seem to really dig this.
I Might Have Built A Car For The Reader
No pressure, Eric, but I did work with the other Eric to build you a car, and our deal with Galpin is that, for readers, there’s a little something in it for you if you buy a car there. For existing Autopian members (like Eric), purchasing a car from a Galpin dealer includes an upgrade to Velour. If you’re not a member, you’ll get the first year of Velour membership on us, as well as some fun Autopian kit. I’ll even get David to install the Autopian Member Badge on the car if that’s something you want.
Matt,
My wife and I were discussing this just a few days ago! I, too, am a purveyor of
cheapless-expensive Volvos (a beautiful 2015.5 XC70 T6; 2004 XC70, 2004 V70), and my 20 and 24-year old kids have an ’05 V50 and an ’04 V70, both in great condition. This is something I’ve considered on and off over the past 2 decades!!! Here are my questions:Looks like I need to get my wife to start test driving Volvos when she decides to replace her optima.
The real adventure starts when your Volvo is out of warranty.
Although my parents are 3X Volvo owners – they have never taken European Delivery.
However on one of their trips, they did get to the factory for a free tour – which we have been told was quite interesting.
I believe they got a free lunch out of it too.
Not only am I still considering this but I’m asking friends that might have leases with Audi to also consider it and then maybe we get a group discount. Maybe.
Audi doesn’t do European Delivery – They stopped their program in 2018.
even better. when their leases end, they have no choice and must also purchase the volvo spec from matt.
Forty years ago this week I took possession of a brand new Saab 900 Turbo through a very similar program. I was stationed in Germany and had the choice of picking the car up at the factory in Sweden, including a hotel stay and tour, or having it delivered to the dealer in Frankfurt. Timing didn’t allow me to take the tour option, so mine came to Frankfurt, no extra charge. The car was full US spec with only the catalytic converter left off, wrapped in plastic in the spare tire well. I drove that Saab everywhere for two years and at the end of my tour, I took the car and paperwork to the Frankfurt airport and dropped it off. There, the catalytic converter was installed and it was delivered to port for shipment to the US. No extra charge. I picked it up in Baltimore a month later. All of this for $15,300, thousands less than the car would have cost buying it in the US ($18k-22k depending on model and options). Drove that baby for another 28 years and over 500,000 miles. I’d say European delivery is a great deal.
“ If you’re an experienced hand at traveling in Europe, you know that getting from Sweden to the continent isn’t particularly hard”
Sweden *is* in continental Europe, but I am guessing you mean crossing to… Germany? rather than taking the land detour through Finland?
Sweden is in Scandinavia.
The people of Scandinavia consider themselves as distinct and separate from Continental Europe.
They can consider themselves whatever they want. But Sweden is still in continental Europe.
I once had a side hustle of flipping and parting out 2/7/9 series Volvo cars, and purchased 50+ cars in the course of that business. Several of them were European Delivery cars. But I didn’t get a trip to Europe for nay of them, rather, my purchases usually involved winching a car with 4 flat tires out of someone’s backyard.
I remember years back a neighbor down the street had an XC90 with the coveted red plate under the California plate which is how I first learned about this.
Pretty sure BMW has a similar program.
BMW, Mercedes and Audi used to – but they all came to an end in 2018 and 2020.
Porsche is the only other mainstream manufacturer which still has a factory delivery program – which they actually charge more for.
This is a like a pleasant dream of finding a golden ticket!
Right down to a +1 invite for that freeloader, Grandpa Joe!
While the only set of Volvo wheels that hold any interest to me are those of the XC60 PHEV, and it’s about double what I’m willing to spend in case a tree falls on my current ride?
That is one sweet deal. Also, my better half is half-Swedish, knows a bit of Gothenburg and would be up for another visit.
Almost worth it just to flip the purchase and go back to my sensible shoes. Er, car.
Yes! I have been singing the praises of this program for years! My parents first did this with a 1987 245DL, followed by a 1993 Saab 900 (RIP), and at least six other Volvos since then. It’s a fantastic deal, and if you’re already wanting to buy a new Volvo, you’re essentially getting some of the biggest expenses of a European vacation covered. The last time I was with my parents to take delivery, we got picked up at the airport in a 850 limo!
Two things to think about: One, you *can* pick up the car in essentially any major European city, but go to Göteborg because you’ll get to tour the Volvo museum and potentially the factory (I know I’ve been on a factory tour in the past as part of this!). And two, you can bring the price down even lower than the 4-5% off if you’re willing to take what’s left from the previous year’s models. You might get some packages you didn’t need, but they will be happy to clear out old inventory.
I’m probably forgetting one of them, but I know there was a 2000 V70, a V50, a C30, an XC60, an XC90, then most recently a hybrid XC60. They were going to do it again last summer, but some family health stuff came up and they decided to hold off because they didn’t want to be out of the country while it was ongoing (all good now!). My wife and I currently have the first of their XC60s, and I’ve got two of the export plates in my garage from the 245 and the V70.
This is great intel, and glad to hear it worked out well for your family (healthwise).
Thanks!
I feel like if you want a Volvo, you might as well explore Sweden with it! Plus the bonuses of (maybe) riding in a Volvo limo and seeing the museum and factory make it the obvious choice, to me at least.
The previous model year thing is something everyone knows about at your local dealer, but they do it as part of this program too. They may not have what you’re looking for, but it’s worth investigating because it’ll shave off a few thousand more from the price. My parents bought the last C30 they had available through the program. I don’t believe it was the last one off the line, just the last one they had in inventory through the program.
I think my folks have always gone through the Wichita Kansas dealer for stuff (although they may have used the Kansas City dealer before too), and they’ve always had a wonderful experience on both the Kansas and Swedish side of things.
This is one of my bucket list experiences. The deal used to be a little better than 5% off and I did seriously consider doing this when Volvo still had the V60 T8 for sale. Unfortunately for me, my timing didn’t work out and then Volvo temporarily shelved overseas delivery during covid. When it came back, the car market was bonkers and you had to pay MSRP with no discount to do the overseas delivery option. Glad to see they have kept this option open, though the model selection is dwindling, and you still get a “free” trip to Sweden out of the whole deal.
My sister drives an XC60 and I may have to convince her to take me along for her next car purchase if she stays with the brand. I just can’t buy new cars anymore.
Audi, Mercedes, BMW and Porsche offered European delivery as an option for a very long time, but I think Volvo is the only one that still offers it with a discounted MSRP. You can pick up your Porsche in Germany, but they don’t discount it. Audi’s program is gone, and I’m not sure about BMW and MB.
BMW’s OSD program got dropped during the pandemic unfortunately.
Same with MB – Audi ended theirs in 2018.
Porsche actually charges you more for factory delivery.