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A second facelift for the eight-year-old Volvo XC60 mid-size SUV is due in Australian showrooms later this year, with tech and design revisions.
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The current Volvo XC60 has received its second facelift in eight years to keep it fresh amid new competition from the latest mid-size SUVs from BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Audi.
New additions for the 2026 Volvo XC60 include a larger 11.2-inch portrait infotainment touchscreen – up from nine inches – similar to the latest version of its larger XC90 sibling, with a 21 per cent higher pixel density.
The infotainment update also includes a new-generation of the Snapdragon Cockpit Platform from American chip manufacturer Qualcomm, with Volvo claiming its Android Automotive operating system is twice as fast as before with 10 times faster graphics.
"The result is a more responsive infotainment system that displays the right information at the right time to reduce driver distraction and enhance safety," Volvo said in a media release.
It is also running updated software first introduced in the EX90 and EX30, which will roll out as an over-the-air update to around 2.5 million Volvos running Android Automotive by the end of the year – including the 2022 to 2025 XC60.
A Volvo Cars Australia spokesperson confirmed the 2026 XC60 is due in local showrooms between July and September 2025, with pricing and specification details to be confirmed closer to its launch.
It also receives a new grille design similar to the facelifted 2025 XC90, along with revised alloy wheels, darkened tail-lights, and three new colours: Forest Lake, Aurora Silver and Mulberry Red.
There are updated interior materials – including Quilted Nordico and Navy Herringbone Weave leather-free options taken from the EX90 and XC90 – new cupholders, and an "improved" wireless phone charger.
Other changes inside the 2026 XC60 include an "even quieter" cabin, air purification technology, and new silver mesh grilles for its optional Bowers & Wilkins speakers.
There are no changes to its global powertrain line-up, which includes the mild-hybrid 2.0-litre turbo 'B5' and plug-in hybrid supercharged 'T8' for Australia, matched to an eight-speed automatic transmission and all-wheel drive.
The latest XC60 update for Model Year 2026 follows its first facelift in 2021 for Model Year 2022, which introduced tweaked front and rear bumpers, new alloy wheel designs, and the Android Automotive operating system with built-in Google apps.
It also received a revised centre console layout, a wireless phone charger, and updates to its upholstery and trim inlay options four years ago.
The current, second-generation Volvo XC60 debuted eight years ago in March 2017 before its Australian launch in August 2017, with learnings from the now-10-year-old XC90 launched in 2015 as Volvo's first vehicle fully developed under Geely ownership, not Ford.
The XC90 and XC60 remain on sale today alongside their all-electric counterparts: the EX90 and the soon-to-be-revealed EX60, respectively.
It is likely the facelifted XC60 will be sold alongside the EX60 – which is expected to make its global debut later this year – for some time yet, with Volvo recently backtracking on its plan to go all-electric in Australia from 2026 and globally by 2030.
The second facelift for Volvo's best-selling model follows the launch of new-generation versions of its closest rivals, the BMW X3, Mercedes-Benz GLC and Audi Q5, in the last two-and-a-half years.
More than 230,000 Volvo XC60s were sold globally in 2024, ahead of the XC40 (120,500), XC90 (108,600), EX30 (98,100) and EX40 (53,400).
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Jordan is a motoring journalist based in Melbourne with a lifelong passion for cars. He has been surrounded by classic Fords and Holdens, brand-new cars, and everything in between from birth, with his parents’ owning an automotive workshop in regional Victoria. Jordan started writing about cars in 2021, and joined the Drive team in 2024.
