Volvo XC60 Recharge Ultimate T8 Plug-in Hybrid
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I purchased a 2023 Volvo XC60 Recharge in January 2023 for over $70,000, expecting the premium quality and reliability Volvo promises. Instead, this vehicle has been a relentless source of frustration, riddled with persistent issues that have made ownership a nightmare. Within just two weeks, the check engine light flared up, forcing an early shop visit. The problem resurfaced in July 2023, leaving the car sidelined for a week. Over the next 18 months, the infotainment system became a constant headache—audio outages, malfunctioning parking sensors and cameras, and lost data connectivity forced me to waste hours on online troubleshooting to avoid repeated dealer trips. The situation escalated in February 2025 when a critical engine failure triggered "turtle mode," crippling the vehicle to a 45 mph crawl. This required a grueling three-week repair. Barely six weeks later, in May 2025, the charging cable became stuck, rendering the car completely inoperable. This fiasco demanded a tow, caused a 30-minute delay to work, and led to another two weeks in the shop. In under 2.5 years, this $70,000 vehicle has been out of service for a staggering six weeks. Despite escalating these issues to Volvo corporate, I received nothing but dismissive responses and zero meaningful resolution. Volvo’s utter failure to stand behind their product reveals a brand that prioritizes profits over customers. The XC60 Recharge is not just unreliable—it’s a betrayal of trust, delivering endless breakdowns and stress instead of the luxury it promises. Choosing Volvo means risking your money, time, and peace of mind on a company that abandons you when things go wrong. Save yourself the regret: do NOT buy from Volvo
Purchased in for $78,000.
- Bought: New
The best of both worlds. Electric, one pedal, driving all around our hometown of Bowral and petrol engine on motorway travel to Sydney. Heaps of power from either motor and when in Hybrid mode performance is staggering. Over 3 years old and not a problem. Great quality - designed in Sweden, made in China.
Purchased in .
Dont buy Volvo , not worth what you getting for your money – XC60 T8 was nice but before they moved it to Google Car system. I heard many things can go wrong with that edition and fewer features compared with the 2020 edition. What worries me the most is the way they handle customers. They don't care. You can call Volvo Aus and no help you will get from them but direct you back to the dealer which you are not happy with.
The South Sydney dealer can't fix the issue but they can break more parts without telling you when you pick up the car.
When you find out what the dealer's reply is "Your car is not brand new but a few years old now. Having some broken part will be deemed a reasonable condition after all. "
The dealer doesn't want to fix what they broke on the car even though they are the only ones working on the car as still under warranty at the time, Volvo Head office tells you this gonna nothing to do with them and you will need to talk to the dealer directly. The fair trading advised me I only need to discuss this with Volvo aus but rather than the dealer but they didn't act so now I have to proceed to court to have this addressed
WTH after all when you spend over 100K on a car and end up like this????
My first Volvo but not another Volvo not ever again. This story will cost them some business but guess they don't care.
Think about it if you can be treated like this while you are under the warranty. What gonna happen once you are out of warranty? God save Australia please ~!
Purchased in .
- +7
High power, low fuel bill – It’s not just another luxury SUV with a plug-in hybrid system to help improve your fuel efficiency. It’ll do that, but it’ll also produce 340kW (462hp)! Volvo has been stepping up the build quality game. The interior fit-out is incredibly thorough and matches German rivals, even exceeding them in the choice of some materials used. The Recharge model of the XC60 is priced from $97,990 before on-road costs. Add on optional extras like metallic paint ($1950), an advanced air cleaner ($500) and a climate pack ($800) and you’re priced at $101,240 for this exact specification.
The warranty is 5 years/unlimited kilometres, with servicing costing you either $1750 for 3 years or $3000 for 5 years. Servicing intervals are every 12 months or 15,000km, whichever comes first.
This car comes with an incredibly powerful and crisp Bowers & Wilkins sound system. And unlike Porsche who show off a stopwatch on the dashboard, Volvo boasts a glorious speaker instead. You can customise the sound profile of this system to emulate being in a jazz club or even the Gothenburg Concert Hall in Sweden.
No longer Polestar engineered, this top-spec Volvo XC60 still offers a big set of brakes. You’ll need that extra stopping power since you’re carrying around an extra motor and battery. The brakes can feel a little abrupt, but I prefer a more responsive set than a doughy feel like the one you’d find in some competitors. You also have autonomous front and rear braking that’ll also detect pedestrians and cyclists.
The 2.0L turbocharged and supercharged four-cylinder produces 233kW (316hp) and 400Nm. Add in a 107kW (145hp) with 309Nm and you get a combined power output of 340kW (462hp) and 709Nm! That’s absurd power for a car intended primarily for the school drop-off and family-friendly road trip. This is the very definition of a sleeper, as Volvo claims this car can hit 0-100km/h in just 4.8 seconds.
Air suspension is standard on this XC60, and is a great inclusion for daily driving, moments of sporty driving and when you briefly come in contact with unpaved sections of road. It’s comfortable and relatively plush, but those large alloy wheels can communicate some imperfections in the road directly to your buttocks.
I managed to score a fuel consumption figure as low as 0.9L per 100km! That is utterly insane for a car with this much power. Volvo claims 1.6L per 100km, as long as your battery is charged.
You’re getting 469L of boot space with the seats up, and you’ll have access to bag hooks to help avoid groceries spilling out and around in the back.
For this car to be on the shopping list, you have to know that you don’t want or can’t own a fully electric car for whatever reason. That’s why you’re looking at the stepping stone solution.
The XC60 is a fantastic way to experience electric power without the range anxiety. Trust me, you’ll be wishing for more electric range as I found that’s where the XC60 really shined.
*Disclaimer - I work for ProductReview as their independent car and motorbike expert. I borrow new cars and motorbikes from manufacturers and owners to review. I am not paid or incentivised by these brands to post reviews. I write and create content to provide insight and information about any new or used vehicle I can get my hands on.
$120,000 Lemon – Had our 2022 XC60 for 6 months, so we have given it a chance. We purchased this as our first luxury car and as a way to lower our carbon footprint. First the GOOD: - Electric Engine is powerful and quiet. - The drive selections work very well in managing the battery (like putting it on Hold) - Airbag suspension is very (very) comfortable - Seats are amazing - Remote software works though it would be nice to have more functions as it feels like a bit of an afterthought.
Now the Bad: - The Automotive Software is very poor; phones pick up randomly; too often I get a blank screen and I have to reboot. On my first service, they had to upgrade the software to 2.0 - it took them almost three weeks, during which I did not have my luxury car. - Safety System is flawed. The sensors cannot be turned off, so when you back down an even slightly steep driveway, the emergency brake jams on, and you hurt your back (started seeing a chiropractor). A few times I have had people walk in front of the car and it is happy to accelerate into their legs. The Skoda picks it up every time. - The Applications are poor; Spotify does not work half the time; applications I can get through AndroidAuto on my cheap little Skoda I cannot get in my Volvo
Conclusion - Volvo is a great car manufacturer but not a computer company. For that reason, I expect they went with Google but whereas AndroidAuto is great the software being run by Volvo is not. Had I known all this I would not have purchased this car but we are stuck with it and can only hope Volvo can fix the many issues.
Purchased in .
- Bought: New
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