The DOT lenses Volvo ships with their cars are among the worst I've seen. Why they strip the e-codes (European lenses) out of their cars, heaven only knows. BMW, M-B and Audi all keep E-code equipment on the car.

Best solution is to obtain e-code lenses, and upgrade your halogens to the best available. Go to http://www.autolamps-online.com and follow the links to halogen upgrades. These are European lights which throw higher output. This output is wasted on US DOT lenses, but is very highly focused by the E-codes.

For fastest halogen upgrade, Pep Boys sells Sylvania XV with 20% brighter output for about $10 each. This claim is true. Stay away from "Xenon" type halogens by other makers or with vague claims. They don't work. (The Wagner "Xenon" extra bright lamps at Autozone, for example, are a waste of money.)

Some owners are buying HID conversion kits (which would still require e-code lenses, else you'll blind oncoming drivers). This is an effective but pricey solution.

You might also consider adding foglights.

A NOTE AUTOMOTIVE LIGHTING IN THE RAIN: rain reduces the effectiveness of your lighting. To begin with, the falling rain interferes with the light pattern from your lenses/reflectors. Secondly, the wet roadway is more refractive, scattering the light that hits it rather than returning it to your eye. Finally, road surfaces seem darker, limiting the amount of information you can perceive. (Best night lighting is on dry concrete...or on fresh snow.)

Good foglights (careful, there's a lot of junk being sold) can assist in two ways. First the lights are mounted low (with a hard horizontal cutoff) so less glare is reflected back to the driver. And second, the low mounting points bring the details of the roadway into sharper relief because of the angle from which the light strikes the roadway. Foglights are effective for 50-100 ft; they are auxilliary lights, not headlights.
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(98 S70 T5SE misc mods, mostly lighting) (92 940GLE)