Volvo XC60 review

The mild hybrid petrol starts from £46,245 in entry-level Core trim, rising to £50,324 in mid-spec Plus trim and £58,636 in top-spec Ultra trim.

If you spec the PHEV in Core (£54,375) or Plus (£57,687) trims then you'll get the T6 powertrain, while upgrading to Ultra trim (£65,008) will automatically get you the more powerful T8 hybrid system.

To give you some perspective there, the Audi Q5 now starts at just over £50k, while the BMW X3 can still be had for £48,375 but almost everyone will buy the £50k+ M Sport trim. The Mercedes-Benz GLC is more expensive still with an entry-level 220d costing just shy of £53k. Looking for something more left-field? The Lexus NX and Mazda CX-60 both cost a smidge less than the Volvo in their base spec forms.

What about leasing options?

At the time of writing you can pick up a mild hybrid XC60 for £429 a month for the Core-spec car, or the PHEVs at £499 for our preferred T6 Plus model, over four years with a circa £5k down payment and 8,000 yearly mileage allowance.

What are the equipment levels like?

At first glance the XC60 doesn’t appear a cheap car, but the entry Core spec is very generous indeed. It includes 18in wheels, auto wipers and headlights, dual-zone climate control, keyless go, cruise control, wireless phone charging and front and rear parking sensors as standard. The nine-inch touchscreen with Google built-in is also present on all models.

Plus upgrades you to 19in alloys and brings sportier looking bumpers and a different grille design. It also adds adaptive cruise control, a heated steering wheel, heated rear seats in addition to the warmable front pews on the Core model, and a Harman Kardon sound system. You also get four-zone climate control, a heated windscreen and a 360-degree parking camera. 

Go for top-spec Ultra trim and you get snazzy 20in wheels, a panoramic sunroof, head-up display, massaging and ventilated as well as heated front seats, an incredible Bowers and Wilkins sound system, a solid crystal gear selector and Nappa leather trim. All very civilised.  

What's the best spec?

The B5 mild hybrid petrol might be the best choice of the lot if the PHEV sums don’t add up as a private buyer. It may not actually be the XC60's best powertrain, but it's a good chunk cheaper than its German rivals and a full £8k less than the T6. However, where the petrol and diesel cars get a 37 per cent BIK rate, both PHEV models are on the eight per cent rate, which will make them attractive propositions for company car drivers. Lucky you if that's the case, because our ideal and extremely sensible XC60 would probably be the T6 PHEV in mid-range Plus trim. Lovely.