The car

It's a 2015 Volvo XC60 D4 Lux auto, painted navy with a beige leather interior. Highlights of the spec include heated seats and the Family Pack. Justin only bought it in January 2022 so has had it only a few months at the time of writing.

The owner

Justin McElwee is from Galway, but lives in Sligo now and regularly drives to Galway for his work with the HSE. Hence, he covers about 40,000km a year - and has done for the last 30 years. Unsurprisingly, he has always had diesels.

The XC60 replaced a 2015 Volvo S60 R Design, Justin's fourth S60 (he has also owned two S40s, five S80s and a Volvo XC90. He moved from the S60 to the XC60 this year as he wanted more space and versatility. Though two of his kids are old enough to have their own cars, he has a three-year-old and a ten-year-old as well so his priorities are safety, comfort and reliability, "in that order."

The ownership experience

"I like Volvos and particularly the XC60. Have to say they were all reliable particularly from 2005 onwards. Always had diesels. I regularly saw 300,000+ miles on the D5 engine, which was fine with proper servicing. The XC60 D4 Auto is powerful, which is good as the car is heavy, yet it can be frugal, too."

Average fuel consumption: "About 45mpg."

Advice to prospective buyers

"Maintain it and it will look after you. Research is key and read several reviews and questions from CompleteCar.ie, etc. Do your research and you should have trouble-free and safe motoring. It's a vehicle in big demand and will sell again easily."

What next?

"Most likely a Volvo S90 if not another XC60. Wouldn't consider EV at the moment due to rural location where I live and lack of charge points, mileage I do, range concerns while using heated seats, air conditioning, power points for tablets etc. Wait time on public charge points would be a worry too - even 'fast charge' which take 30 minutes - if you're first there, that is."