Top Safety Pick +

2017 Volvo S60

midsize luxury car / 4-door sedan

Award applies only to vehicles with specific headlights

2017 Volvo S60 4-door sedan — 2016 Volvo S60 shown

Crashworthiness

Rating overview
Evaluation criteria	Rating
Small overlap front: driver-side
Moderate overlap front: original test
Side: original test
Roof strength
Head restraints & seats

Crash avoidance & mitigation

Evaluation criteria	Rating
Headlights (varies by trim/option)
Front crash prevention: vehicle-to-vehicle
Optional system	Superior
Standard system	Advanced

Seat belts & child restraints

Evaluation criteria	Rating
LATCH ease of use

Other available safety features

Optional blind spot detection
Optional lane departure warning
Optional lane departure prevention

Key

G
Good
A
Acceptable
M
Marginal
P
Poor

Superior
Advanced
Basic

Some ratings use a scale of Poor to Good. Others range from Basic to Superior.

Small overlap front: driver-side

Rating applies to 2011-18 models

Tested vehicle: 2012 Volvo S60 T5 4-door

The Volvo S60 was redesigned for the 2011 model year. The small overlap frontal crash test ratings also apply to the station wagon version of the S60, known as the Volvo V60, introduced in the 2015 model year.

Evaluation criteria	Rating

Structure and safety cage
Driver injury measures
Head/neck
Chest
Hip/thigh
Lower leg/foot
Driver restraints and dummy kinematics The dummy’s head contacted the frontal airbag but slid left into a gap in coverage between the frontal and side curtain airbags, leaving the head vulnerable to contact with forward side structure and outside objects, despite good stability of the steering column. This gap is mainly due to a combination of the narrow, asymmetric frontal airbag and a curtain airbag that doesn't extend sufficiently forward. The side torso airbag deployed.

Action shot taken during the small overlap frontal crash test.

The dummy's position in relation to the door frame, steering wheel, and instrument panel after the crash test indicates that the driver's survival space was maintained very well.

During the crash, the dummy's head slipped into the gap between the narrow frontal airbag and the side curtain airbag, which does not extend far enough forward.

Intrusion into the driver's space was minimal, and risk of injuries to the dummy's legs and feet was low.

Technical measurements for this test

Evaluation criteria	Measurement
Test ID	CEN1207
Lower occupant compartment
Lower hinge pillar max (cm)	8
Footrest (cm)	5
Left toepan (cm)	4
Brake pedal (cm)	5
Parking brake (cm)	0
Rocker panel lateral average (cm)	3
Upper occupant compartment
Steering column	3
Upper hinge pillar max (cm)	7
Upper dash (cm)	6
Lower instrument panel (cm)	5

Evaluation criteria	Measurement
Test ID	CEN1207
Head
HIC-15	86
Peak gs at hard contact	no contact
Neck
Tension (kN)	0.9
Extension bending moment (Nm)	18
Maximum Nij	0.25
Chest maximum compression (mm)	16
Femur (kN)
Left	0.2
Right	0.1
Knee displacement (mm)
Left	1
Right	0
Knee-thigh-hip injury risk (%)
Left	0
Right	0
Maximum tibia index
Left	0.45
Right	0.54
Tibia axial force (kN)
Left	1.8
Right	0.7
Foot acceleration (g)
Left	42
Right	39

About the small overlap front test

Moderate overlap front: original test

Rating applies to 2011-18 models

Tested vehicle: 2011 Volvo S60 4-door

The Volvo S60 was redesigned for the 2011 model year. Moderate overlap ratings are assigned by the Institute based on a test conducted by Volvo.

The moderate overlap frontal crash test ratings also apply to the station wagon version of the S60, known as the Volvo V60, introduced in the 2015 model year.

Evaluation criteria	Rating
Overall evaluation
Structure and safety cage
Driver injury measures
Head/neck
Chest
Leg/foot, left
Leg/foot, right
Driver restraints and dummy kinematics

Technical measurements for this test

Evaluation criteria	Measurement
Test ID	VTF1017
Footwell intrusion
Footrest (cm)	1
Left (cm)	1
Center (cm)	2
Right (cm)	4
Brake pedal (cm)	1
Instrument panel rearward movement
Left (cm)	0
Right (cm)	0
Steering column movement
Upward (cm)	-1
Rearward (cm)	-8
A-pillar rearward movement (cm)	0

Evaluation criteria	Measurement
Test ID	VTF1017
Head
HIC-15	329
Peak gs at hard contact	no contact
Neck
Tension (kN)	1.2
Extension bending moment (Nm)	4
Maximum Nij	0.23
Chest maximum compression (mm)	22
Legs
Femur force - left (kN)	0.2
Femur force - right (kN)	0.1
Knee displacement - left (mm)	0
Knee displacement - right (mm)	0
Maximum tibia index - left	0.27
Maximum tibia index - right	0.57
Tibia axial force - left (kN)	1.8
Tibia axial force - right (kN)	2.1
Foot acceleration (g)
Left	42
Right	51

About the original moderate overlap front test

Side: original test

Rating applies to 2011-18 models

Tested vehicle: 2012 Volvo S60 T5 4-door with standard front and rear head curtain airbags and standard front seat-mounted torso airbags

The Volvo S60 was redesigned for the 2011 model year. The side crash test ratings also apply to the station wagon version of the S60, known as the Volvo V60, introduced in the 2015 model year.

Evaluation criteria	Rating
Overall evaluation
Structure and safety cage
Driver injury measures
Head/neck
Torso
Pelvis/leg
Driver head protection
Rear passenger injury measures
Head/neck
Torso
Pelvis/leg
Rear passenger head protection

View of the vehicle and barrier just after the crash test.

View of the vehicle after the crash with doors removed, showing the side airbags and damage to the occupant compartment.

Smeared greasepaint shows where the driver dummy's head was protected from being hit by hard structures by the side airbags.

Smeared greasepaint shows where the rear passenger dummy’s head was protected by the side airbag.

Technical measurements for this test

Test ID	CES1106
B-pillar to longitudinal centerline of driver's seat (cm)	-15.5
Negative numbers indicate the amount by which the crush stopped short of the seat centerline.

Evaluation criteria	Measurement
Test ID	CES1106
Head HIC-15	94
Neck
Tension (kN)	1.1
Compression (kN)	0.5
Shoulder
Lateral deflection (mm)	25
Lateral force (kN)	1.4
Torso
Maximum deflection (mm)	29
Average deflection (mm)	27
Maximum deflection rate (m/s)	6.68
Maximum viscous criterion (m/s)	0.83
Pelvis
Iliac force (kN)	1.4
Acetabulum force (kN)	0.8
Combined force (kN)	1.8
Left femur
L-M force (kN)	0.9
L-M moment (Nm)	124
A-P moment (Nm)	16

Evaluation criteria	Measurement
Test ID	CES1106
Head HIC-15	434
Neck
Tension (kN)	0.4
Compression (kN)	0.2
Shoulder
Lateral deflection (mm)	44
Lateral force (kN)	1.6
Torso
Maximum deflection (mm)	36
Average deflection (mm)	31
Maximum deflection rate (m/s)	3.56
Maximum viscous criterion (m/s)	0.52
Pelvis
Iliac force (kN)	0.4
Acetabulum force (kN)	1.9
Combined force (kN)	1.9
Left femur
L-M force (kN)	0.6
L-M moment (Nm)	249
A-P moment (Nm)	27

About the original side crash test

Roof strength

Rating applies to 2011-18 models

Tested vehicle: 2012 Volvo S60 T5 4-door

Rating applies to both the Volvo S60 4-door sedan (tested) and the structurally similar Volvo V60 station wagon.

Overall evaluation
Curb weight	3,563 lbs
Peak force	17,650 lbs
Strength-to-weight ratio	4.95

About the roof strength test

Head restraints & seats

Seat type: All Seats

Overall evaluation
Dynamic rating
Seat/head restraint geometry

Technical measurements for this test

Seat type	All Seats
Geometry
Backset (mm)	7
Distance below top of head (mm)	11
Seat design parameters
Pass/fail	Pass
Max T1 acceleration (g)	8.4
Head contact time (ms)	81
Force rating	1
Neck forces
Max neck shear force (N)	42
Max neck tension (N)	245

About the head restraint & seat test
Currently, IIHS tests apply only to front seats.

Headlights

Ratings are given for 3 different headlight variations available on this vehicle.

Trim level(s)

Dynamic trim equipped with Technology package
Polestar trim
Inscription trim equipped with Technology package
Inscription Platinum trim
R-Design trim

Evaluation criteria	Rating
Low-beam headlight type	HID projector
High-beam headlight type	Halogen reflector
Curve-adaptive?	Yes
High-beam assist?	Yes
Overall rating
Distance at which headlights provide at least 5 lux illumination:

Low beams
On the straightaway, visibility was good on the left side of the road and inadequate on the right side. On curves, visibility was good on both right curves and fair on both left curves.

The low beams never exceeded glare limits.

High beams
On the straightaway, visibility was good on the right side of the road and inadequate on the left side. On curves, visibility was good on both right curves and fair on both left curves.

High-beam assist compensates for some limitations of this vehicle's low beams on the straightaway and on both left curves.

Technical measurements for this test

Evaluation criteria	Measurement
Trim level(s)	Dynamic trim equipped with Technology package Polestar trim Inscription trim equipped with Technology package Inscription Platinum trim R-Design trim
Low-beam headlight type	HID projector
High-beam headlight type	Halogen reflector
Curve-adaptive?	Yes
High-beam assist?	Yes
Overall rating Applies to 2016-18 models

LOW BEAMS	Average minimum useful illumination distance (5 lux)	Amount glare exceeded threshold
Straightaway right edge	71.8 m	None
Straightaway left edge	55.4 m	None
250m radius right curve, right edge	91.8 m	None
250m radius left curve, left edge	56.1 m	None
150m radius right curve, right edge	75.8 m	None
150m radius left curve, left edge	53.8 m	None

HIGH BEAMS	Average minimum useful illumination distance (5 lux)
Straightaway right edge	145.4 m
Straightaway left edge	108.3 m
250m radius right curve, right edge	93.6 m
250m radius left curve, left edge	73.7 m
150m radius right curve, right edge	76.5 m
150m radius left curve, left edge	63.5 m

Trim level(s)

Dynamic trim

Evaluation criteria	Rating
Low-beam headlight type	HID projector
High-beam headlight type	Halogen reflector
Curve-adaptive?	Yes
High-beam assist?	No
Overall rating
Distance at which headlights provide at least 5 lux illumination:

Low beams
On the straightaway, visibility was good on the left side of the road and inadequate on the right side. On curves, visibility was good on both right curves and fair on both left curves.

The low beams never exceeded glare limits.

Technical measurements for this test

Evaluation criteria	Measurement
Trim level(s)	Dynamic trim
Low-beam headlight type	HID projector
High-beam headlight type	Halogen reflector
Curve-adaptive?	Yes
High-beam assist?	No
Overall rating Applies to 2017-18 models

LOW BEAMS	Average minimum useful illumination distance (5 lux)	Amount glare exceeded threshold
Straightaway right edge	71.8 m	None
Straightaway left edge	55.4 m	None
250m radius right curve, right edge	91.8 m	None
250m radius left curve, left edge	56.1 m	None
150m radius right curve, right edge	75.8 m	None
150m radius left curve, left edge	53.8 m	None

HIGH BEAMS	Average minimum useful illumination distance (5 lux)
Straightaway right edge	145.4 m
Straightaway left edge	108.3 m
250m radius right curve, right edge	93.6 m
250m radius left curve, left edge	73.7 m
150m radius right curve, right edge	76.5 m
150m radius left curve, left edge	63.5 m

Trim level(s)

Inscription trim

Evaluation criteria	Rating
Low-beam headlight type	Halogen reflector
High-beam headlight type	Halogen reflector
Curve-adaptive?	No
High-beam assist?	No
Overall rating
Distance at which headlights provide at least 5 lux illumination:

Low beams
On the straightaway, visibility was inadequate on both sides of the road. On curves, visibility was inadequate in all 4 tests.

The low beams never exceeded glare limits.

High beams
On the straightaway, visibility was good on the right side of the road and fair on the left side. On curves, visibility was inadequate in all 4 tests.

Technical measurements for this test

Evaluation criteria	Measurement
Trim level(s)	Inscription trim
Low-beam headlight type	Halogen reflector
High-beam headlight type	Halogen reflector
Curve-adaptive?	No
High-beam assist?	No
Overall rating Applies to 2016-18 models

LOW BEAMS	Average minimum useful illumination distance (5 lux)	Amount glare exceeded threshold
Straightaway right edge	56.6 m	None
Straightaway left edge	31.8 m	None
250m radius right curve, right edge	42.5 m	None
250m radius left curve, left edge	34.6 m	None
150m radius right curve, right edge	36.5 m	None
150m radius left curve, left edge	31.8 m	None

HIGH BEAMS	Average minimum useful illumination distance (5 lux)
Straightaway right edge	171.8 m
Straightaway left edge	141.5 m
250m radius right curve, right edge	59.7 m
250m radius left curve, left edge	55.6 m
150m radius right curve, right edge	48.7 m
150m radius left curve, left edge	46.1 m

About the headlight evaluation

Front crash prevention: vehicle-to-vehicle

Ratings are given for 2 different trim variations available on this vehicle.

System details

Optional Collision Warning with Full Auto Brake and Pedestrian Detection
Standard City Safety

Package name

Optional Technology Package or Standard on Inscription, Platinum, and R-Design Trims

Overall evaluation

Applies to 2017-18 models

Superior

with optional equipment

This system meets the requirements for forward collision warning.
In the 12 mph test, this vehicle avoided a collision.
In the 25 mph test, impact speed was reduced by 14 mph.

System details

Standard City Safety

Overall evaluation

Applies to 2013-18 models

Advanced

Not available.
In the 12 mph test, this vehicle avoided a collision.
In the 25 mph test, impact speed was reduced by 2 mph.

About the original front crash prevention test

Child seat anchors

Rating applies to 2015-18 models

Evaluation criteria	Rating
Overall evaluation
Vehicle trim	T5 Premier
Seat type	leather

This vehicle has 2 rear seating positions with complete child seat attachment (LATCH) hardware.

It has 1 additional seating position with a tether anchor only.

Evaluation criteria	Rating
Overall evaluation
Vehicle trim	T5 Premier
Seat type	leather

Rating icon	Rating
G	Good
A	Acceptable
M	Marginal
P	Poor
	Seating positions that rely on borrowed lower anchors or have only a tether anchor available are not rated.
thether anchor symbol	Tether anchor
lower anchor symbol	Lower anchors
shared lower achors symbol	Lower anchor(s) can be borrowed from adjacent positions(s)
	No hardware available

Details by seating position

Position	Rating
1
1	Tether anchor
	easy-to-find location
	no other hardware could be confused for anchor
	Lower anchors
	too deep in seat
	not too much force needed to attach
	easy to maneuver around anchors
2
2	Tether anchor
	easy-to-find location
	no other hardware could be confused for anchor
	Lower anchors
	none available
3
3	Tether anchor
	easy-to-find location
	no other hardware could be confused for anchor
	Lower anchors
	too deep in seat
	not too much force needed to attach
	easy to maneuver around anchors

Technical measurements for this test

Lower anchor A
Open access rated	No
Depth (cm)	4-6
Force (lbs)	19
Clearance angle (degrees)	60
Lower anchor B
Open access rated	No
Depth (cm)	2-4
Force (lbs)	32
Clearance angle (degrees)	59
Tether anchor
Location	Rear deck
Confusing hardware present	No
Has contrasting label within 3 inches of tether anchor	No
Tether anchors can be accessed while seatback is properly positioned for use of LATCH	Not measured

Lower anchor A
No lower latch for this seat position
Lower anchor B
No lower latch for this seat position
Tether anchor
Location	Rear deck
Confusing hardware present	No
Has contrasting label within 3 inches of tether anchor	No
Tether anchors can be accessed while seatback is properly positioned for use of LATCH	Not measured

Lower anchor A
Open access rated	No
Depth (cm)	2-4
Force (lbs)	26
Clearance angle (degrees)	60
Lower anchor B
Open access rated	No
Depth (cm)	4-6
Force (lbs)	25
Clearance angle (degrees)	62
Tether anchor
Location	Rear deck
Confusing hardware present	No
Has contrasting label within 3 inches of tether anchor	No
Tether anchors can be accessed while seatback is properly positioned for use of LATCH	Not measured

About the child seat anchor evaluation