28.11.2012 Volvo V60 plug-in achieves 5-star NCAP

The new Volvo V60 plug-in hybrid has been awarded a five-star Euro NCAP rating, the highest safety score ever achieved by a plug-in hybrid.

As part of the ratings process the V60 plug-in hybrid, which achieved the same score as its traditional counterpart, underwent safety tests including a frontal offset collision at 40mph.

A breakdown of the safety results shows that it scored well across the board; 93% for adult occupant, 83% for child occupant, 65% for pedestrian safety and 100% for safety assist. These figures mean that it has an overall rating higher than that of other five-star rated cars such as the Nissan Leaf, Chevrolet Volt and Toyota Prius plug-in.

"The Plug-in Hybrid has been exposed to an extensive test programme during the development phase, as all our new car models," says Jan Ivarsson, Senior Manager Safety Strategy & Requirements at Volvo Car Group. "This includes full-scale crash tests with different load cases, such as frontal collision, rear and side collisions to verify that also the battery technology fulfils our stringent safety requirements.

"The V60 Plug-in Hybrid also offers all unique Volvo active safety functions, such as City Safety, Collision Warning with full Auto Brake and Pedestrian Detection."

As with most electrified vehicles the Volvo V60 weighs more than the standard models, a characteristic which necessitated a different approach to safety. According to Volvo, 'the structure has been modified and reinforced to enable a controlled deformation to help provide a high safety level.'

Additionally, the battery pack is 'well encapsulated and located under the load floor' in order to minimise the potential of battery damage in the result of a collision.

This follows news that Volvo are ramping up production of the V60 plug-in hybrid to 4,000-6,000 cars from model year 2014, after Volvo last week announced that 2013’s 1,000 car batch had already sold out.

Volvo V60 Euro NCAP rating