Volvo XC60 Recharge hybrid reliability & safety rating
The Volvo XC60 Recharge combines dependability of regular XC60 with Volvo's traditional focus on safety, so crash protection and reliability are impressive
| Euro NCAP | Adult protection | Child protection | Safety assist |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 stars (2019) | 98% | 97% | 95% |
Safety and reliability have traditionally been Volvo strengths and while the initial shine might be wearing off for new and existing owners, the XC60 should still prove a reliable and dependable family car, as you'll see below.
Volvo XC60 Recharge hybrid reliability & problems
Volvo as a brand achieved a strong eighth place finish in the 2022 Driver Power owner satisfaction survey – that’s an improvement of one place on the previous year. Reliability wasn’t particularly impressive, though, with a slightly worse than average 27.65% of respondents reporting a fault within the first year of ownership.
The Volvo XC60 itself came in 69th place overall in the survey, with a much worse than average 36% of respondents reporting a problem within the first year, though this isn’t specific to the plug-in hybrid model. It’s worth noting that newer models often fare better in our model rundown, as the latest technology and convenience features often chime well with owners. Being almost seven years since the Volvo XC60 launch, probably won’t work in the SUV’s favour here.
As for the hybrid system, this setup is used by many models in Volvo's range and in the years they’ve been on sale we’ve not heard any reports of failure. Of course, the three-year warranty and eight-year battery warranty for hybrid cars should help protect you.
Safety
The XC60 comes as standard with plenty of safety technology, including autonomous braking with pedestrian, cyclist and large animal detection, collision warning, a system that'll help you swerve to avoid oncoming traffic if you stray into the other lane, a system that prepares the car for a crash if it senses it runs off the road, plenty of airbags and whiplash protection for the seats. Every version of the XC60 also now comes with a rear autobrake function, which can automatically apply the brakes if the system thinks you’re about to reverse into a bollard or a parked vehicle.
When taken together, all this makes it easy to understand how the Volvo XC60 earned its five-star rating from Euro NCAP, but go for Plus models or above and you’ll also get a 360-degree parking camera and what Volvo calls ‘Driver Assistance’. This adds adaptive cruise control with semi-autonomous lane guidance, blind-spot warnings and stop-go functionality.