Impressive performance, spacious seating, EV range, and Volvo’s typical commitment to safety
Roseville, Calif.- To simplify the brand, Volvo has removed the Recharge tag for its line of vehicles with an electric component, including fully electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles.
It was a move designed to help customers distinguish between its electric and hybrid models, and to streamline its naming system. Volvo currently manufactures five full EVs and reportedly is developing five more models.
Luxury compact SUV
We enjoyed our week with the 2025 Volvo XC60 plug-in hybrid (PHEV). There’s a lot to admire with this luxury compact SUV. Among its fine traits are impressive performance, spacious seating, EV range, and Volvo’s typical commitment to safety.
Volvo is no novice when it comes to plug-in hybrids – the XC60 and other SUVs have been around since 2012. Yet full EVs have only been sold since 2021 when the XC40 debuted. The XC brand has never enjoyed major success; its best sales year was 2021 (41,582).
There are many fine luxury plug-in hybrids and the latest XC60 version is rated high on the list. One thing that helps its rating is getting 35 miles of electric range on a full charge. It has an 18.8-kWh battery, utilizes several electric motors and charges quickly – just over 30 minutes on a fast charger.
Fun to drive
Looks are deceiving, because at first glance the XC60 PHEV doesn’t give off the impression it’s fast. Yet not many plug-in hybrid SUVs can match its power, thanks to two electric motors mated with a turbocharged 2.0-liter, four-cylinder that generates 455 horsepower and a whopping 523 pound-feet of torque.
The XC60 PHEV travels 0-60 mph in 4.7 seconds, an impressive speed for an SUV that weighs between 4,677 to 4,752 pounds. The vehicle comes standard with all-wheel drive and the fuel economy is solid – 63 MPGe in electric mode and 25-29 mpg overall.
We enjoyed how the XC60 handled in practically every driving situation. It’s a fun SUV to take on the open road and also performs well around town doing errands. It shifts through the gears effortlessly and gives the driver lots of confidence when navigating along country roads where precise handling is appreciated.
The Volvo XC60 comes standard with a long list of driver assistance safety features that includes automated emergency braking with pedestrian detection, run off road mitigation, lane-departure warning, adaptive cruise control with semi-autonomous driving mode, front and rear parking sensors, forward collision mitigation, and blind spot monitoring.
AT A GLANCE – 2025 VOLVO XC60 Plug-in Hybrid
- Performance: two electric motors, turbocharged 2.0 liter, four-cylinder, 455 horsepower
- Mileage estimate: 63 MPGe, 25-29 mpg
- Price estimate: $58,100 to $68,950
- Warranty: 4 years/50,000 miles; drivetrain: 4 years/50,000 miles; roadside assistance: 4 years/unlimited; corrosion: 12 years/unlimited
Inside
The interior is roomy and provides among the most passenger and cargo space in its class. Unlike many SUVs, the XC60 has a vertical instead of horizontal 11.2-inch touchscreen and there are few physical buttons. We found it annoying that commonly used features are buried in multiple screens and can take away from a driver’s attention.
The SUV has Google integration that includes a voice activated Google “Assistant.” It comes standard with various Google apps and services, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and Bluetooth connectivity.
Seating is spacious up front and three back seat passengers will have good leg and head room. Both front seat occupants have convenient six-way power-adjustable seats. Cargo space is 29.7 cubic feet and expands to 63.3 cubes with the back row folded down.
The 2025 Volvo XC60 plug-in hybrid has many fine qualities that make it worthy of checking out if leaning toward a plug-in hybrid SUV. It has excellent performance, an expansive interior and good EV range.
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