The Volvo XC60 has become the best-selling Volvo of all time, and you’ve probably already been overtaken by one in the right lane. That’s because it’s the kind of car that sneaks up on you. Quiet. Composed. Ridiculously safe. And now, with over 2.7 million sold, it has officially outpaced the iconic Volvo 240, that brick-on-wheels that could probably survive a nuclear blast.
Volvo has been banging on about safety since forever, but the XC60 took that and added plug-in hybrid smarts, minimalist Scandinavian styling, and enough cushiness to make you question why you ever bought that German SUV with “sport” in its name but none in its ride.
The numbers? Wild. Since its launch in 2008, this mid-size SUV has gone global, been built in both Sweden and China, and picked up a World Car of the Year award in 2018. And now, for the 2026 model year, it’s getting a refresh: new styling, smarter infotainment and a ride that might finally let you cruise over Joburg potholes without spilling your flat white.
“Growing up in Sweden in the 1980s, the Volvo 240 was the iconic family car,” says Susanne Hägglund from Volvo. And fair enough. That thing was a fridge on wheels, beloved and indestructible. The fact that the XC60 has now dethroned it says a lot about what today’s buyers actually want.
The new family car isn’t an estate. It’s this SUV.
Forget the wagon. Today’s family hauler is the SUV, and the XC60 nails it. Spacious without being massive. Refined without being shouty. Safe enough to make your insurer give you a gold star.
Let’s be real. It’s not trying to be cool. It’s trying to be clever. You don’t buy an XC60 to flex. You buy it to survive the morning school run without having a breakdown. And that’s a kind of luxury you can’t put a badge on.
Safety royalty, updated for the 2020s
The Volvo 240 helped write the book on car safety. It had crumple zones, reinforced cabins and even the world’s first integrated booster seat. The XC60 carries that legacy forward with tech like City Safety, Oncoming Lane Mitigation and enough driver assistance systems to make it feel like your car has its own therapist.
In other words, if you do crash it, chances are you’ll be more annoyed about the cappuccino stain than your physical wellbeing.
Hybrid now, electric next
Volvo is phasing into an electric future, but the XC60 is already bridging the gap. The plug-in hybrid variant was Europe’s top seller last year, and Volvo says nearly half the distance driven in these cars is electric only.
So yes, you can do your morning commute without burning a drop of fuel, then still have a petrol engine to get you to Clarens for the long weekend.
The bottom line
It might not give you goosebumps, but the XC60 is the car you recommend to people you actually care about. It’s not flashy. It’s not fast. But it is freakishly good at being a proper car. And that, in a world of shouty crossovers and overpriced status wagons, is a flex all on its own.