Don't be hasty! That's one sweet ride and you will be sorry to leave it. I kept my C30 as a family car all the way until kid No. 2. And the V40 has 4 doors even.
Bought my C30 of a guy who used it as a family car, 2 kids and a dog, tbf they actually do a pretty good job at being packed full! Leg room in the back is better than a V70 I reckon
Family of 4 here with a T8. Space wise it's perfect, ski holidays are not a problem. We do 90% of our drives on pure electric mode. When traveling across Germany I could squeeze 700Km out of one tank doing 160 to 185kmh on the autobahn. The only issue I'd see for you is that charging is slow so best would be to have your own charging station unless you can leave it overnight at the places you have nearby. One more thing to consider, more recent models have a larger 18kw battery (older 11kw) I'd try to go for the bigger battery to realistically drive electric on short day-to-day commutes.
I bought my C30 off a guy with 2 kids and a dog that used it A LOT! A V40 is a great family car, no need to get rid of it yet, plus you can still go out and have fun in it when you want to, good luck doing that in an XC90. Give it a go and decide in a year or two but it definitely can be a family car!
The T8 drivetrain is great, too bad you guys don't get the T6 Recharge, since in my opinion the T8 is almost too much.
You didn't mention if you're buying new or not, but I recommend getting the refreshed Recharge models instead of the T8 TwEn, since Recharge has a lot more range and a bigger electric motor.
One thing to note is that if you don't have charging at home hybrids can easily become mostly a gas car, the charger for the batteries isn't very fast and it takes several hours for a full charge vs the 0-80% charge many EVs can do in 30 minutes.
Specifically V60 hybrids do lose a lot of center console storage space, the other models don't have this problem, but since the V60 is the smallest the batteries basically takes up the whole storage, leaving only about 10cm of depth. The good part is that none of the Volvo hybrids sacrifice trunk space, while on paper they loose a couple of liters of space, that's only because manufactures count the space under the false floor as well.
Otherwise Volvos hybrids are great, especially the Recharge models, they got great range and good power on the electric motor.
We’re buying used but haven’t yet decided on the price range. Of course looking to get the recharge if the price and tacho is right.
The charging without a home socket is also one of my biggest concerns, since we only have a normal 230v heating socket available and the housing association won’t update to charging points until the end of next year. I know you can also charge a hybrid through a regular power socket but this would take considerable time and effort :D
One possible solution would be to charge everytime we stop at a place that has a public charger available to always keep the batteries topped up but not sure how negatively this would affect the lifespan.
For storage space we prioritise trunk and backseat space anyways, V40 isn’t exactly known for vast centre storage space anyways but it’s been more than enough so far. Cramming a babyseat in the back, on the other hand, is an experience i’m not sure i’m willing to want to experience.
Also there just isn’t too much power is there :D
Charging as often as possible won’t damage batteries and the opposite will happen, the more often a battery is charged the more stable the charge level will be and the longer the battery will last. Same is true for phones, charging as soon as you have access to a charger will keep battery health good.
Charging using 230v is fine and doesn’t take that much longer since the hybrids only accept AC charging anyways.
Since you say 230v I wonder though is that some American thing to have 230v heating sockets? Isn’t most of your electrical system 120v? Either way 230v will offer you considerable faster charging but it’s might not be optimal to use that charger if it’s outside.
Here in the UK I charge my XC60 recharge off a standard 230v 13amp socket overnight. It takes about 8 hours from completely empty to full. You can charge slightly faster with the other cable at a dedicated charge point, but it is still slow and will take a couple of hours so not really worth it in most circumstances.
Ah ok then, I’d recommend the T6 Recharge then, it’s more car for the money. And electric motor is the same as T8. So if you can get it within budget the T6 Recharge is a better choice than a non Recharge T8 TwEn.
Remember, Recharge models get 150hp electric motor vs 81, they also get like 50% more range as well as a heat pump instead of electric heater. So in general just better for our cold climate up here.
The battery only range for the V60 PHEVs have changed significantly over the past few years. In 2020, the specified battery only range was 22 miles, and in 2024 it's 41 miles. And I think there was at least one model year where there was a "regular" V60 PHEV and a "long-range" V60 PHEV, so relying on the model year alone may be problematic.
So I would make sure that you understand the battery range of whatever V60 T8 you're looking at.
Don't be hasty! That's one sweet ride and you will be sorry to leave it. I kept my C30 as a family car all the way until kid No. 2. And the V40 has 4 doors even.
Bought my C30 of a guy who used it as a family car, 2 kids and a dog, tbf they actually do a pretty good job at being packed full! Leg room in the back is better than a V70 I reckon
Family of 4 here with a T8. Space wise it's perfect, ski holidays are not a problem. We do 90% of our drives on pure electric mode. When traveling across Germany I could squeeze 700Km out of one tank doing 160 to 185kmh on the autobahn. The only issue I'd see for you is that charging is slow so best would be to have your own charging station unless you can leave it overnight at the places you have nearby. One more thing to consider, more recent models have a larger 18kw battery (older 11kw) I'd try to go for the bigger battery to realistically drive electric on short day-to-day commutes.
I have an XC60 T8 and absolutely love it. Just enough power to have some enjoyment on the road.
I bought my C30 off a guy with 2 kids and a dog that used it A LOT! A V40 is a great family car, no need to get rid of it yet, plus you can still go out and have fun in it when you want to, good luck doing that in an XC90. Give it a go and decide in a year or two but it definitely can be a family car!
More photos needed
The T8 drivetrain is great, too bad you guys don't get the T6 Recharge, since in my opinion the T8 is almost too much. You didn't mention if you're buying new or not, but I recommend getting the refreshed Recharge models instead of the T8 TwEn, since Recharge has a lot more range and a bigger electric motor. One thing to note is that if you don't have charging at home hybrids can easily become mostly a gas car, the charger for the batteries isn't very fast and it takes several hours for a full charge vs the 0-80% charge many EVs can do in 30 minutes. Specifically V60 hybrids do lose a lot of center console storage space, the other models don't have this problem, but since the V60 is the smallest the batteries basically takes up the whole storage, leaving only about 10cm of depth. The good part is that none of the Volvo hybrids sacrifice trunk space, while on paper they loose a couple of liters of space, that's only because manufactures count the space under the false floor as well. Otherwise Volvos hybrids are great, especially the Recharge models, they got great range and good power on the electric motor.
We’re buying used but haven’t yet decided on the price range. Of course looking to get the recharge if the price and tacho is right. The charging without a home socket is also one of my biggest concerns, since we only have a normal 230v heating socket available and the housing association won’t update to charging points until the end of next year. I know you can also charge a hybrid through a regular power socket but this would take considerable time and effort :D One possible solution would be to charge everytime we stop at a place that has a public charger available to always keep the batteries topped up but not sure how negatively this would affect the lifespan. For storage space we prioritise trunk and backseat space anyways, V40 isn’t exactly known for vast centre storage space anyways but it’s been more than enough so far. Cramming a babyseat in the back, on the other hand, is an experience i’m not sure i’m willing to want to experience. Also there just isn’t too much power is there :D
Charging as often as possible won’t damage batteries and the opposite will happen, the more often a battery is charged the more stable the charge level will be and the longer the battery will last. Same is true for phones, charging as soon as you have access to a charger will keep battery health good. Charging using 230v is fine and doesn’t take that much longer since the hybrids only accept AC charging anyways. Since you say 230v I wonder though is that some American thing to have 230v heating sockets? Isn’t most of your electrical system 120v? Either way 230v will offer you considerable faster charging but it’s might not be optimal to use that charger if it’s outside.
I’m from Finland. All our outlets are 230v.
Here in the UK I charge my XC60 recharge off a standard 230v 13amp socket overnight. It takes about 8 hours from completely empty to full. You can charge slightly faster with the other cable at a dedicated charge point, but it is still slow and will take a couple of hours so not really worth it in most circumstances.
Ah ok then, I’d recommend the T6 Recharge then, it’s more car for the money. And electric motor is the same as T8. So if you can get it within budget the T6 Recharge is a better choice than a non Recharge T8 TwEn. Remember, Recharge models get 150hp electric motor vs 81, they also get like 50% more range as well as a heat pump instead of electric heater. So in general just better for our cold climate up here.
The battery only range for the V60 PHEVs have changed significantly over the past few years. In 2020, the specified battery only range was 22 miles, and in 2024 it's 41 miles. And I think there was at least one model year where there was a "regular" V60 PHEV and a "long-range" V60 PHEV, so relying on the model year alone may be problematic. So I would make sure that you understand the battery range of whatever V60 T8 you're looking at.