Safety has been a hallmark of Volvo products since the Swedish automaker's inception, so it comes as no surprise that the 2005 V50 was constructed from the ground up to protect its occupants in an accident. Designed to exceed the latest safety regulations worldwide, and incorporating the extent of Volvo's safety technology, the V50 is one of the company's first vehicles to employ VIVA (Volvo Intelligent Vehicle Architecture). VIVA is the name Volvo has given the V50's safety package. Among the more important features of VIVA is a patented front vehicle structure which is made using varying grades of steel designed to crumple rapidly at first to dissipate crash energy, and then as forces approach the passenger cabin higher-strength steel creates a barrier to prevent damage from intruding upon the interior.

In addition to this new safety structure design, the Volvo V50 includes SIPS and WHIPS, but no chains. (For mountain driving in the winter, you'll need to drop by the local auto parts store.) SIPS is Volvo's Side Impact Protection System, and it includes side-impact airbags and side-curtain airbags with reinforcements installed between the A-pillars, inside the doors, and in the seats. And because the side-curtain airbags deflate slowly, they help to protect during a rollover accident. WHIPS stands for Whiplash Protection System, and includes front seats and head restraints that move with the occupants' bodies to limit injury in a rear collision.

Dual-stage front airbags, traction control, collapsible pedals, seatbelt pretensioners for outboard positions, and force limiters for the front seats are also included. Volvo is one of the few automakers that offers the option of child seat boosters integrated with the rear seats. Dynamic Stability and Traction Control (DSTC) is optional on the V50 2.4i and V50 T5, but comes standard on the V50 T5 AWD, where it's bundled with a low-speed traction control system that operates at speeds under 32 mph.

The 2005 Volvo V50 has not been crash tested by the NHTSA or the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), but the IIHS did conduct a 40-mph offset frontal crash, side-impact crash, and rear-impact crash tests on the structurally similar Volvo S40 sedan. The S40 received a "best pick" rating from the IIHS for offset crash protection, an "acceptable" rating for side-impact protection, and a "good" rating for rear crash protection.