Volvo XC60 plug-in hybrid long-term test: report 2

The car Volvo XC60 T8 Plug-in Hybrid AWD Ultra Run By Darren Moss, Deputy Editor

Why it’s here To show that Volvo can match the best premium rivals for quality while also costing less

Needs to Provide comfortable and economical family transport while also functioning as a mobile office

Mileage 1388 List price £70,860 Best price £70,860 Price as tested £73,205 Official MPG 282.1mpg Test MPG 43.4mpg

23 April 2026 – How far we've come

Up until the 1960s, a network of more than 800 roadside telephone boxes helped to keep Britain’s drivers safe. The Automobile Association (AA) equipped these boxes with local maps, details on nearby garages and – in the age before mobile phones – a hotline to a call centre. All of which was designed to help drivers whose cars had suffered a breakdown.

These days, of course, there’s no need for such things, and only 19 of the boxes remain. I happened upon one of them while driving towards the Norfolk coast in my Volvo XC60, and it got me thinking just how far car technology has come.

Should any mechanical malady befall my Volvo, I wouldn’t need to call an external service like the AA, because for the first three years of ownership, all new Volvos come with the brand’s On Call service, which includes roadside assistance free of charge. 

You’ll notice that I said mechanical malady there, because sadly I have experienced a recent software glitch. I got into the car to come home from the What Car? office one evening and the car’s head-up display (HUD) refused to turn on, and wouldn’t reactivate until I shut off the car and tried again. Thankfully, my speed is displayed on the car’s digital instrument cluster, but I’ve become used to looking at the HUD because I like to keep my eyes on the road.

Hopefully that glitch was a one-off. Our real-world data supports that theory, because the XC60 in both petrol and plug-in hybrid forms finished within the top 10 models in the Premium SUV class in the most recent What Car? Reliability Survey.

Of course, the AA’s 1960s patrols wouldn’t have been able to help with the plug-in hybrid aspect of my car, which I’m pleased to report is functioning brilliantly. I plug in wherever possible close to the What Car? Office, and enjoy around 40 miles of electric driving as a result – usually enough to cover a couple of commutes. And even in the most remote parts of Norfolk, I found a convenient – if costly – public charging point to top up my car’s batteries. Perhaps those remaining roadside boxes could be repurposed as charging stations? It would be a fitting second life for them: once a lifeline for the stranded motorist, now a boost for the electrified. Just a thought.

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