First Drive: 2024 Volvo XC60 Recharge PHEV Makes the SUV Better With Batteries Included

As its name suggests, a PHEV blends a gas engine and a battery-electric drivetrain just like a conventional hybrid but adds the ability to plug the vehicle in at a regular power outlet or EV charging station to add a short, electric-only range. In the case of the Volvo, the EPA says it has a 35-mile all-electric range—among the longest ranges in its class.

Once the battery runs out, the car gets 28 mpg combined according to EPA estimates, which is an improvement over the standard XC60. The more often you plug in, the better your average fuel economy will be. Unlike a traditional hybrid, which does not need to be plugged in, you’ll have to pay when you recharge.

Whether a PHEV works for you depends on your driving style: For those with a short, regular commute who have a place to plug in and occasionally go on a longer journey, a PHEV offers the benefits of an EV with the go-anywhere range of a gas vehicle. But those who take longer journeys would likely benefit more from a traditional hybrid SUV, such as the fuel-sipping Lexus NX 300h.

To make things more confusing, Volvo uses the Recharge name for both its PHEVs and fully electric vehicles, and it recently started calling its gas-only cars “mild hybrids.”

Adding an electric motor also changes how a car drives, which is why we’re putting the XC60 Recharge through our full evaluation, not just our fuel economy tests, even though we already fully tested an XC60 back in 2019. In addition, Volvo updated its infotainment system since we last evaluated one of their vehicles, and the new XC60 gives us a chance to try it out.

Because we already tested an XC60, this First Drive review will mostly focus on the aspects that differentiate the Recharge from the rest of the lineup.