Deal of the day: Volvo V60 Plug-in Hybrid

Another day, another five-figure hybrid saving; this time it’s the turn of the Volvo V60. Volvo was the first manufacturer to offer a diesel-electric hybrid with the V60 Twin Engine, which claims a staggering economy figure of 155.2mpg and CO2 emissions of just 49g/km.

Although a left-field choice, the Volvo fights its corner in the compact executive market fiercely, providing a viable alternative to more popular rivals. One gripe we had about the hybrid V60 was its high asking price, but the sizeable £12,396 saving offered by autoebid.com somewhat silences this criticism.

The car Volvo V60 Estate 2.4 D6 AWD Plug-in H R-Design LN 5dr
The saving £12,396
The discounted price £39,479
The online broker autoebid.com

For

As with many other hybrids, EV mode allows short, electric-only trips for emission-free driving. However, unlike other hybrids, the Volvo’s EV only mode allows higher speeds under this mode, meaning it can be used under more diverse circumstances.

An innovative power mode setup with ‘save’ mode also allows the driver to conserve the hybrid’s batteries in anticipation of a later EV-only trip. When used together, though, the performance of the V60 Plug-in is promising, being the next most powerful V60 after the Polestar, and its four-wheel drive will surely come in handy in the perennially forecasted cold snap.

Aside from the hybrid benefits, the V60’s cabin is a particularly pleasant place to be, although you’d expect this from a car with an original price tag on the scary side of £50k.

Against

The asking price of the V60 hybrid places it firmly in the territory of the BMW 3 Series and Mercedes-Benz C-Class, and this is where it comes slightly unstuck; matching neither the fine handling of the BMW nor the boot space of the C-Class, the latter of which isn’t class-leading.

The hybrid’s batteries encroach upon the V60’s boot space considerably, and while cleverly packaged, the load area is only a little bigger than that of the Ford Fiesta.

Should I add any options?

As a top-spec car, the V60 hybrid leaves very few toys in the optional extras list, but the handsome saving means there is plenty of wiggle room, should you want some more luxuries.

The drive can be sharpened up by Speed Sensitive Steering, which is a no-cost option, and we recommend the £800 Security Pack, which adds keyless drive, Volvo’s ‘personal car communicator’ device and laminated windows, which will claw back a little refinement.

An eight-metre charge cable might come in handy at £50, too. Avoid the £550 19in alloys, as they’ll worsen economy and increase emissions. Metallic paint is £625 while ‘premium metallic’ (available in silver or white) is £925.

What next?

The deal can be found on autoebid.com, simply select Volvo, then ‘New Volvo V60 Deals’, and scroll down to the D6 R-Design model.

Click here to see our weekly deals round-up of the best cars in each class

By Jimi Beckwith