Volvo XC60 PHEV’s range up to 200km

Wasn’t the XC60 given an update just last year?

Yes, that’s right, but in 2025 the updates to the XC60 were relatively small, extending to a bigger touchscreen with Google software and a new grille up front. This time around, the changes seem more subtle but are actually more profound. 

Explain how…

As soon as you see the updated Volvo XC60, you can tell that it’s changed. Up front, it’s not merely a case of small tweaks to the lights and bumpers; everything forward of the door pillar and windscreen is new, from the metalwork of the wings, bonnet and bumpers to the new grille — which is both shallower and wider.

Meanwhile, the new LED Matrix headlights get a much slimmer interpretation of the “Thor’s Hammer” signature shape, as also seen just last week on the updated Volvo EX40 crossover.

What else has changed?

At the rear, the tailgate is also all new — only the glass is actually carried over — and again, there are slimmer LED lights which are designed to emphasise the width of the XC60, rather than its height.

It works too — the first time you see the new car, it seems lower and leaner than before. There are new alloy wheel options too — aero-friendly 20-inch rims, and a sportier 21-inch design with diamond-cut sections.

As before, there’s the option of having either a chrome or dark trim exterior finish, and there’ll be an all-black Black Edition too.

If you don’t fancy black, there’s a new colour called Heather Bronze, which is a deep, rich brown that, under direct sunlight, reveals an intriguing lilac undertone. 

Is it all just aesthetic changes?

No, there’s a major mechanical change too. Well, an electric change.

While some other markets still get the Volvo XC60 with B3 or B4 mild-hybrid petrol engines, in Ireland we’re sticking with the two plug-in hybrids, badged T6 and T8.

These both get a much-enlarged battery, which now stretches to a substantial 37.9kWh, and is so much larger that it’s had to move from its previous location under the rear seats, to an EV-like position under the main floor.

This new battery gives the XC60 much more range. Like two-and-a-half times more range, with the WLTP figure for the T6 now stretching to 200km on electric power, while the T8 (sitting on 21-inch wheels) can manage 189km.

That’s a hugely significant change, and Volvo reckons it now means that most drivers across Europe will be able to do all of their daily commuting and driving on just the batteries, with a need for only one charge-up during the week.

Then, at the weekend, there’s a quoted 1,200km total range on a fully charged battery and full tank of fuel together. 

What are the Volvo XC60’s new performance figures?

The most important figures, certainly from an Irish tax perspective, are that the T6 has emissions of just 23g/km of CO₂, while the T8 emits 26g/km.

This means both cars will qualify for the second-lowest rate of motor tax, at €140. Fuel consumption is rated at just 1.0-1.1 litres per 100km, but that will presumably be difficult to achieve in real-world conditions unless it is plugged in fastidiously.

We’ll have to see how much difference the bigger battery makes in day-to-day driving. Both versions do get more power — the T6 now has up to 356hp, while the T8 makes a robust 455hp, giving it a startling 4.8-second 0-100km/h time. 

Any other changes? 

The interior has been given a very mild working over, with some new trim choices — including some lovely pale ash wood inserts for the doors and dashboard, which extend into the rear doors for the first time — and the option of some buttery-soft Nappa leather which can be had in a colour called ‘Cardamom’ which is a warm tan sort of shade.

Other than that, interior changes are limited to some minor tweaks to the chrome trim and the air vents, but there have been some software updates too.

A new set of cameras on the outside means that the parking system now optionally includes a high-definition 3D 360-degree view. 

New cameras?

Yes, they’re part of a comprehensive new active safety suite. The new cameras have higher definition than before, and there are new radar units in the front bumper which can see into a junction, as well, to prevent you turning into the path of oncoming traffic.

There are new ultrasonic sensors too, and the XC60 also gets a new central safety computer ‘brain’ which Volvo says makes a better fist of interpreting what the various sensors can see.

So now, the car can decide, should it see for instance a swerving cyclist, whether to brake, or to deploy the automated emergency steering to help you swerve away.

There’s also a new automated lane-change assistant, and a new door opening alert system to prevent you swinging the door out into the path of an oncoming cyclist.

Interestingly, in spite of this increased safety automation, Volvo’s Mikael Ljung Aust, the company’s senior technical safety leader, told Complete Car that the idea isn’t to take control away from the driver.

“There's a very strong part of the discussion that says we've always believed the driver is right and they are doing the right things,” said Ljung Aust. “If we were to intervene with, say, you pressing the accelerator, that means we are deciding you are wrong, or you are not right in this context. So figuring out ways where we can safeguard around those kinds of mistakes that drivers do, without leaving you with a car that's all of a sudden not moving for no reason, that’s the very fine balance we're trying to strike.”

Any new tech?

The XC60 got its new 11.2-inch touchscreen last year, and because it runs on Google-based software, that now means that it comes with ‘natural speech’ Google Gemini AI voice assistance too. There are also over-the-air software updates, and the option of a Bowers & Wilkins stereo.

Is the Volvo XC60 the only car getting these updates?

No, the bigger XC90 is also getting the new plug-in-hybrid system, and the addition of Google Gemini, but without any additional styling changes to the recent exterior update.

It gets the same T8 engine as the XC60 so that’s 455hp again, and the bigger battery gives the bigger XC90 (which still gets seven seats as standard — a rarity for a plug-in hybrid) an electric range of 164km, and CO₂ emissions of 35g/km. 

When can I have a new XC60 or XC90 in Ireland?

Both new cars will be entering production soon and should be hitting Irish shores in time for the January new car sales rush next year.

Video player loading.