The lesser risk in a Volvo XC60 is a 2.4 D5 with proof of its aux belt tensioner recall and a cambelt change at 96,000 miles or 8 years, as the 2014 to 2017 2.0 D4's EGR clogs.
3 known faults, 2 rated high severity in our database; owners report 38.0 mpg, 79% of the official figure. Everything below is built from that data and the archived owner history, not from a press car.
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Check a Volvo XC60 advert (free) →The safer first-generation XC60 is a 2.4-litre five-cylinder D5 with the aux belt and tensioner recall work done and receipts for a cambelt change at 96,000 miles or 8 years. That engine isn't fault-free: between 46,000 and 65,000 miles a tensioner or pulley in its belt drive can give out and throw a belt, which wrecks the engine. The recalls fitted a replacement belt and tensioner, so without proof of that work it's not the safer buy at all.
Treat the 2014 to 2017 cars with the 2.0 D4 (VEA) diesel as the ones to avoid unless the paperwork is spotless. Their EGR system clogs with soot between 54,000 and 70,000 miles, which usually brings on an engine warning light and sometimes limp mode. Several owners have had valves and coolers replaced. Go by engine size rather than the badge, because some 2011 to 2014 cars badged D4 have the 2.4 five-cylinder and its belt risk.
The newer XC60 sold from 2017 has very little owner evidence behind it either way, so don't read that silence as a clean bill of health. It's a comfortable, classy SUV with a five-star Euro NCAP rating, but there's no pattern of faults yet to steer you towards or away from a particular engine, so buy one on its own service record.
Neither of the main diesels is trouble-free, so the D5 with its belt paperwork in order is the lesser risk. The 2.4-litre five-cylinder has a serious known fault where a tensioner or idler pulley gives out between 46,000 and 65,000 miles and throws a belt, wrecking the engine. Three recalls covered the belt and tensioner, and a car that missed them needs the whole assembly changing because the original belt isn't available any more. Its cambelt is due at 96,000 miles or 8 years.
The 2.0 D4 (VEA) four-cylinder diesel on 2014 to 2017 cars is the one to be wary of. Its EGR system clogs with soot, which usually lights the engine warning and sometimes drops the car into limp mode. Owners have reported EGR trouble at 54,000, 60,000 and 70,000 miles, and one 70,000-mile car also got through 0.6 litres of oil over 1,400 miles. Its cambelt is due at 90,000 miles or 10 years, with the aux belt and tensioner looked at alongside.
Don't take a D4 badge at face value: some 2011 to 2014 cars wear it on the 2.4-litre five-cylinder, so confirm the engine size and ask the belt questions that go with it. Fuel getting into the sump during particulate filter regeneration is a known fault on the D5 and the 2.0 D4, pushing the oil level up and thinning the oil with diesel, and a 2010 bulletin dealt with it on D5s with a software update and draining off the excess.
The Geartronic automatic hasn't got a known fault logged against it, but owners have reported a string of problems: a 2010 D5 slipping at low mileage, a 2011 D5 jerking on downchanges, a 2014 that went into limp mode while towing and needed a new control module, and a 2013 whose gear selector module had to be replaced. That job cost one owner £518.70 including diagnostics, so drive any automatic with those faults in mind.
On a D5, get the bonnet up and look at the aux belt and tensioner before anything else, then ask for the recall paperwork showing the replacement parts went on and a bill for the last cambelt. Start it cold and listen for belt squeal or chirping, and watch for a battery or power steering warning, which means the auxiliary belt has come off. One freshly fitted belt came off within yards of leaving the garage on a 2011 car, so ask who fitted it and when.
On a 2.0 D4, look for an engine warning light or a reduced performance message, ask whether it starts roughly after standing for a few days, and ask for receipts for any EGR valve or cooler work plus proof the intake manifold recall was carried out. A car that's had a new EGR valve but kept its old cooler isn't sorted: one owner had exactly that, and after a long trip it went into limp mode with the cooler blocked solid.
Inside, feel the carpets and the driver's mat for damp and look at the headlining around the interior light. One 2011 car let water in until it started upsetting the electrics, and a 2010 had its windscreen come unstuck and leak onto electrical parts. Try every door lock and the tailgate, and check the tailgate stays up on its own; worn struts groan, and one owner has paid £800 for new ones every 4 years.
On the drive, go from reverse to drive a few times and feel for a clonk, and let it change down into a roundabout without jerking. On one 2.4 AWD car the suggested cause of a clonk was tyres worn more than 3mm apart, so check all four match. Make sure the electric parking brake lets go cleanly, and treat ABS, stability control or power steering warnings that come and go as a fault owners have struggled to trace.
Paste the advert into the free check and it runs these against the listing, the MOT history and the DVLA record before you travel.
Buy a 1st Gen XC60 as a 2.4 five-cylinder with its belt recall and cambelt receipts in the folder, and give the 2014 to 2017 2.0 D4 a miss unless every EGR repair and the manifold recall are on paper. Some 2011 to 2014 cars badged D4 carry the 2.4 too, and they need the same belt paperwork as a D5. Without it the D5 isn't a safe bet, since a thrown belt can ruin the engine.
The D4's EGR clogging shows up between 54,000 and 70,000 miles as a warning light and sometimes limp mode, and owners have reported it on 2014 and 2016 cars. The five-cylinder's belt failure sits between 46,000 and 65,000 miles on cars up to 2015. One owner's 2014 D4 needed a new alternator at 64,000 miles, and rear brake discs were renewed at 34,260 miles on one 2012 D5 and at 40,000 on a 2015.
Away from the engines, owners have reported water getting into the cabin, door and tailgate locks packing up, and warnings for the ABS, stability control and parking brake that come and go. Two 2011 cars between them had a leak and intermittent electrics. A specialist has seen a control module under the front passenger floor throw up several faults at once when the headlamps are flashed. On a 2016 car the central screen kept flashing on and off, and the dealer's fix was a software update.
Real-world economy on this generation: Volvo XC60 38.3 mpg, Volvo XC60 36.8 mpg.
Sellers rarely admit these faults outright
Paste any Volvo XC60 advert and we check it against the faults, the MOT record and these figures in seconds.
Check an advert now (free) →Owners report 38.0 mpg across the Volvo XC60 engines with data, about 79% of the official figure, from 1,581 submissions.
Volvo XC60 Real MPG by engine →The XC60 from 2017 is a comfortable SUV with a classy cabin, and that's what living with one comes down to. It doesn't feel cheap once you're inside, so it's a car that still feels like a treat long after the novelty of buying it has worn off, whether it's doing short hops or longer trips.
On the newer car, the T8 plug-in hybrid is properly quick when you put your foot down, so it isn't all about taking things easy. It pairs that pace with the same comfort as the rest of the range, which makes it the version for anyone who wants a relaxed SUV that can still get a move on.
The lesser risk in a Volvo XC60 is a 2.4 D5 with proof of its aux belt tensioner recall and a cambelt change at 96,000 miles or 8 years, as the 2014 to 2017 2.0 D4's EGR clogs. Our database holds 3 known Volvo XC60 faults, 2 rated high severity, and the sections above say which generation and engine carry them.
On a D5, get the bonnet up and look at the aux belt and tensioner before anything else, then ask for the recall paperwork showing the replacement parts went on and a bill for the last cambelt. Read the MOT history for repeat advisories and ask for invoices for any work the seller mentions. Then paste the advert into the free check, which reads it against every known Volvo XC60 fault before you travel.
Owners report 38.0 mpg on average, about 79% of the official figure, from 1,581 submissions. Belt (2.0 D4, D4204T): 90,000 miles or 10 years, whichever comes first, so budget for it if the history does not show it done. The known faults page lists a rough repair cost against each fault. Volvo XC60 Real MPG by engine.
If you used the Honest John car-by-car reviews before the site closed in 2026, this is where the Volvo XC60 buying advice now lives. It is written from the archived owner reports and model notes (archived page, 56 items read for this model), our own known-faults database, the confirmed service intervals and the Real MPG figures. Every number on the page comes from that data, not from the text. The same data feeds our free advert check.
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The Volvo XC60 is one decision. Reading the advert, the history and the seller are the rest, and these cover them.
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