Volvo Cars has reached an important milestone in its electrification journey. In September, the company delivered its one millionth plug-in hybrid, 13 years after it launched its first PHEV.
The company is transitioning towards becoming a fully electrified car maker, with plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) a significant pillar of the company’s growth today. PHEVs made up 23% of Volvo Cars’ global sales in the first half of 2025. PHEV sales grew from almost 46,000 units in 2019 to over 177,000 units in 2024, underpinned by strong demand for the XC60 and XC90 PHEV in all three main sales regions.
The XC60 was the best-selling PHEV in Europe in 2024 and led the premium PHEV segment globally in the last three years. It continues to be a segment leader in 2025. Both the XC60 and XC90 were renewed last year, reinforcing their appeal in key markets such as Sweden, the US and China.
According to the company, as a result of the robust demand for its PHEVs, Volvo Cars has the highest share of PHEV sales of its total sales among all legacy premium car makers. It also continues to roll out new PHEVs, as demonstrated by the recently launched XC70 SUV, which is Volvo Cars’ first long-range plug-in hybrid with an electric range of over 200 kilometres under the CLTC testing cycle.
Internal Volvo Cars data shows that its PHEVs are often used as if they were fully electric, especially in urban areas. On average, drivers of Volvo PHEVs use their car without internal combustion power for around half of total driving time.
Volvo Cars launched its first PHEV already in 2012, when it started selling a diesel PHEV variant of the V60 estate. For several years after, it was the only global car maker that offered a PHEV version of every model in its line-up. It currently offers PHEV variants on five different models, which complement a line-up of six fully electric models.
ALSO READ: BEV sales in Europe jump 27% to 159,746 units in August