Volvo XC90 Recharge T8 hybrid reliability & safety rating
The XC90 Recharge T8 combines the dependability of a regular XC90 with Volvo’s traditional focus on safety, so it makes for reassuring transport
| Euro NCAP | Adult protection | Child protection | Safety assist |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 stars (2015) | 97% | 87% | 100% |
Volvo XC90 Recharge T8 reliability & problems
The XC90 itself didn’t feature in the top 75 cars of the 2022 Driver Power customer-satisfaction survey, but Volvo as a brand came an acceptable eighth overall. A total of 27% of respondents reported faults with their Volvo in the first year of ownership – not a particularly impressive score, but better than luxury rival brands Land Rover and Jaguar.
As for the hybrid system, this setup is shared across many models and in the years they’ve been on sale, we’ve not heard any reports of failure. Of course, that eight-year warranty protects you if anything should go wrong with the battery.
Safety
The XC90 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 running off the road, plenty of airbags and whiplash protection for the seats.
This was enough to earn the XC90 a five-star Euro NCAP crash safety rating, but you can also upgrade the safety systems with the optional Blind Spot Information System, which adds steering assistance, cross-traffic alert and autonomous braking when you’re reversing. A 360-degree camera is optional as well, but it's a shame you can't have a space-saver spare tyre, as there's no room for it under the boot floor where the batteries for the hybrid system sit.
