In 2020, Volvo began electronically limiting the top speed of all its new cars to what speed?

In 2020, Volvo began electronically limiting the top speed of its new cars to 180 km/h (112 mph).

Volvo announced the policy in March 2020 and said it would apply to every new Volvo model from the middle of that year. The company presented the limit as part of its “Vision 2020” safety strategy, which aimed to eliminate deaths and serious injuries in new Volvo vehicles. Speed was identified as one of the main factors that can turn a crash into a fatal event.

The limiter operates electronically, so the car’s software prevents it from accelerating beyond 180 km/h, or about 112 mph. Volvo also introduced Care Key, which allows owners to set a lower maximum speed when lending a vehicle to a family member or inexperienced driver.

The policy was unusual because many performance-oriented cars in Europe had traditionally been limited to 250 km/h, while some markets had no comparable manufacturer-wide cap. The 180 km/h ceiling is a Volvo factory limit, not a universal legal speed limit; local road laws still determine how fast drivers may legally travel.