Volvo V60 Recharge hybrid review: reliability & safety rating
Safety and reliability have been Volvo watchwords for years, and the V60 Recharge is no different
| Euro NCAP | Adult protection | Child protection | Safety assist |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 stars (2018) | 96% | 84% | 76% |
A five-star overall crash-test rating and 96% adult protection score from Euro NCAP mean the V60 Recharge plug-in hybrid is one of the safest cars on the road today. That's true of the entire Volvo range, to be fair, all of which are built on the same basic architecture. Reliability is another strong point, so this is a car that gives great peace of mind from the off.
Volvo V60 Recharge hybrid reliability & problems
Although it's a fairly complex system, Volvo's plug-in hybrid drivetrain has been around for a few years now, fitted to the majority of the manufacturers' cars, and no serious issues have been reported. This model of V60 didn't appear in the most recent Driver Power customer-satisfaction survey, but the very closely related XC60 SUV was included in 2022's results, being ranked 69th overall. As a manufacturer, Volvo came eighth out of 29 brands, ahead of rivals including Lexus (12th), Audi (22nd) and Mercedes (23rd).
Safety
Volvo has been synonymous with safety for decades now, and has remained at the cutting edge as the focus has moved from passive safety that protects occupants in the event of a crash to active safety that aims to prevent crashes happening in the first place.
Standard safety equipment on the V60 Recharge includes the 'City Safety' system, which can detect pedestrians, cyclists and large animals in the road, and assist with braking or steering if there's a risk of hitting them.
There are also systems to help avoid or mitigate a crash with a vehicle coming the other direction, or the car running off the road. Driver alertness is monitored, with the car warning you if it detects you're in danger of nodding off and there's also lane-keeping assistance, road-sign recognition, a full complement of airbags, electronic stability control and ISOFIX child-seat anchor points.
The optional 'Intellisafe Pro' package adds an adaptive cruise control function, so the car will maintain a safe distance from vehicles in front, speeding up or slowing down with traffic automatically. The package also includes blind-spot and rear cross-traffic monitoring, as well as a rear collision mitigation system.
Volvo's safety efforts with the V60 were vindicated by a five-star Euro NCAP crash-test result, including a near-perfect 96% score for adult occupant protection, along with 84% for child occupant protection and 76% for its on-board safety assistance systems.
