I have owned many Volvos (1991 240, 1998 S70, 1998 V70, 2004 V70, 2005 XC90) over the years...while I don't know about modern Volvos, the Volvos I have owned: NO brake pad sensor bc the Swedes rely on routine inspection of the car, which I think is a good thing for responsible owner. This allows the pads to be used more, down to 2-3 mm.
Although we can argue that at that thickness, there is less material to transfer heat.
For ppl with tight budget and drive conservatively, sure I have used Volvo pads down to 1-2 mm.

In the BMWs, you can always withdraw the sensor at 5 mm and zip tie it out of the way so you can re-use the sensor or save $10. Or don't insert the sensor into the pad at all. And just follow good routine inspection every 6-12 months, depending on how much you drive a year.

PS: Just randomly checked a 2018 Volvo XC90 brake section of FCPEuro: no pad sensor.

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1998 E39 528i 5sp MT
2006 E53 X5 3.0 6sp MT