An extra critical care car to strengthen our response

Published by Claire Bovey at January 20, 2026

Thanks to the generous support of Farrans, Bristol Airport and National Highways, Great Western Air Ambulance Charity (GWAAC) has welcomed an additional critical care car into our fleet — a Volvo XC90, chosen to support the demanding and lifesaving work our crew do every day.

This additional vehicle is already making a real difference by helping us maintain readiness, resilience and reach. It’s enabling us to keep a full fleet of emergency-ready cars available to respond to patients, wherever they are, whenever they need us.

Great Western Air Ambulance Charity's new green, yellow and blue Volvo XC90 critical care car drives around a corner with it's blue emergency lights flashing

How we bring critical care to patients by road

Our cars aren’t just used for transport or speed. They are fully equipped mobile critical care units, allowing our Specialist Paramedics and Critical Care Doctors to deliver lifesaving interventions wherever they’re needed. They carry the same advanced medical equipment found on our helicopter, bringing hospital-level emergency care straight to the scene by road, either when the helicopter is offline or when the crew decide the car is the most appropriate way to reach the patient.

The cars help us keep critical care going throughout our operational hours, including times when the helicopter can’t fly due to weather, darkness or maintenance.

Read on to find out how this extra car is helping us reach more patients:

Members of the Critical Care Team arrive at the scene of an incident via their critical care car. The crew members are carrying multiple pieces of kit on their back or in their hands with the boot of the car in the process of shutting.

Critical Care Doctor Andrew and SPCC Jack arrive on scene in one of our existing Skoda Kodiaq critical care cars

Maintaining a full emergency-ready fleet

During our operating hours, we run three emergency-ready critical care cars as standard, alongside our helicopter when it is online. Like all emergency vehicles, both our cars and helicopter require regular servicing and, occasionally, unplanned maintenance.

The additional Volvo XC90 is now part of our operational fleet, rotating alongside our other vehicles to ensure coverage remains consistent. This means we can reliably maintain a fully operational frontline fleet, allowing crews to respond with fewer interruptions caused by vehicles being temporarily off the road for servicing or repairs.

This ensures that our specialist crew and equipment are ready and available when emergencies happen, giving patients the best possible chance of receiving critical care quickly.

Great Western Air Ambulance Charity's new green, yellow and blue Volvo XC90 critical care car parked at the entrance to the charity's airbase in front of a building with a helicopter mural painted on it.

Reaching patients faster in Gloucestershire

Gloucestershire is the largest area we serve and the furthest from our airbase. Demand for our service in the county has grown significantly in recent years, and quick access to our specialist crew can be crucial for patients facing serious illness or injury.

With many communities more than an hour from their nearest Major Trauma Centre, rapid access to advanced and critical care can be vital for survival and recovery.

With this additional vehicle supporting our overall fleet resilience, we can confidently position a response car further north in the region when resources allow. This gives crews a head start on emergency calls from rural or remote areas, helping advanced care reach patients sooner, making a real difference in life-threatening situations.

A green, blue and yellow critical care car pictured in front of Gloucester Docks, with boats and buildings in the background

One of our existing Skoda Kodiaq critical care cars pictured at Gloucester docks

Why the Volvo XC90?

The Volvo XC90 has been identified as an ideal vehicle for GWAAC’s Critical Care Team. It is widely used by emergency services and other air ambulance charities and is well suited to the complex demands of pre-hospital critical care.

Its large boot accommodates our specialist equipment, and its spacious interior allows us to carry extra passengers, such as trainees or observers, supporting education and training for the future of our service.

The new Great Western Air Ambulance Charity Volvo XC90 critical care car pictured on the charity's helicopter apron, with the iconic green and blue helicopter behind it.

Thank you to our supporters

This additional critical care car has been made possible entirely through charitable funding. We are incredibly grateful to Farrans, Bristol Airport and National Highways for their support, which has strengthened the resilience of our service, improved coverage across the region and helped ensure patients can receive advanced and critical care as quickly and reliably as possible. Thanks also goes to Kwik Fit who will be supporting us with regular maintenance to keep the Volvo XC90 running.

Their generosity is helping us be there for more people, more often, when they need us most.

We responded to 74% of missions by car in a record breaking 2025 — click here to learn more about our busiest year on record