VOLVO has notched up a double victory in the Professional Driver 2012 awards with its S80 saloon claiming both the Executive Car of the Year and overall Car of the Year 2012 crowns.

The S80 D3 SE Lux came top, above the Mercedes-Benz E220, BMW 530GT and Audi A6 to win the Executive Car of the Year class en route to then winning the overall top prize.

The wins come on the back of Volvo launching a three year/120,000 mile extended warranty for chauffeur drive companies on S60, V60, V70, S80 and XC90 in 2012, and Tristar Worldwide renewing a three-year car supply deal late in 2011 for 2,100 cars to service its Virgin Atlantic Airways' Upper Class chauffeur contract.

Mark Bursa, Professional Driver magazine editor, said: "The Volvo S80 is clearly a car for our times. It received a host of refinements last year.

"The sat nav has been brought bang up to date, while subtle tweaks to the cabin have given a much more prestigious luxury feel. Rear legroom is excellent, and softer seats have enhanced the rear-seat experience."

The judges said the S80's competitive pricing against its rivals, low running costs and appeal to many parts of the executive market make the model a highly appealing prospect for any budget.

Bursa added: "Factor in some excellent running costs, low CO emissions and a very keen contract hire price for chauffeurs, and the Volvo S80 makes so much sense for a very wide range of businesses. It's solid and reliable enough to be a workaday private hire vehicle, yet up-market enough to handle executive chauffeur work."

The Volvo S80 range is available from £29,070 and has high residual values.

According to CAP's Black Book data, a three-year-old S80 D5 SE registered in 2009 on a 59 plate with 30,000 on the clock is likely to fetch £11,600, equivalent to 39.89% of its new value.