Compare the2024 Volvo S60VS 2024 BMW 5 Series

For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Volvo S60 have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The BMW 5 Series doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Volvo S60 are height-adjustable to accommodate a wide variety of driver and passenger heights. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages passengers to buckle up. The BMW 5 Series doesn’t offer height-adjustable seat belts.

Both the S60 and 5 Series have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The S60 Plus/Ultimate has power child safety locks, allowing the driver to activate and deactivate them from the driver's seat and to know when they're engaged. The 5 Series’ child locks have to be individually engaged at each rear door with a manual switch. The driver can’t know the status of the locks without opening the doors and checking them.

The S60 has a standard Whiplash Protection System (WHIPS), which use a specially designed seat to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the WHIPS allows the backrest to travel backwards to cushion the occupants and the headrests move forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. At the same time the pretensioning seatbelts fire, removing slack from the belts. The 5 Series doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

Both the S60 and the 5 Series have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, plastic fuel tanks, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, post-collision automatic braking systems, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning, driver alert monitors, available all wheel drive and around view monitors.

For its top level performance in IIHS driver and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, side impact, roof strength and head restraint tests, its standard vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention system, with its optional vehicle-to-pedestrian front crash prevention system, and its standard headlight’s “Good” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the S60 its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2022, a rating granted to only 131 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The 5 Series has not been fully tested, yet.

Volvo pays for scheduled maintenance on the S60 for 1 year and 4000 miles longer than BMW pays for maintenance for the 5 Series (4/40,000 vs. 3/36,000).

The battery on the S60 is in the trunk, which protects it from hot underhood temperatures that can degrade battery life. By keeping the S60’s battery 20 to 30 degrees cooler, its life is increased by years. The 5 Series’ battery is in the hot engine compartment.

The S60 T8’s standard 2.0 turbo/supercharged 4-cylinder hybrid produces 80 more horsepower (455 vs. 375) and 125 lbs.-ft. more torque (523 vs. 398) than the 540i xDrive’s standard 3.0 turbo 6-cylinder hybrid.

On the EPA test cycle the S60 running on electricity gets better mileage than the 5 Series:

On the EPA test cycle the S60 T8 running its gasoline engine gets better fuel mileage than the 530i 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder Hybrid xDrive (30 city/33 hwy vs. 27 city/35 hwy).

The S60 T8 can travel with zero emissions for 41 miles. The 5 Series can’t move without running its internal combustion engine.

The S60 has a standard cap-less fueling system. The fuel filler is automatically opened when the fuel nozzle is inserted and automatically closed when it’s removed. This eliminates the need to unscrew and replace the cap and it reduces fuel evaporation, which causes pollution. The 5 Series doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

For better maneuverability, the S60’s turning circle is 3.3 feet tighter than the 5 Series’ (37.1 feet vs. 40.4 feet). The S60’s turning circle is 3.6 feet tighter than the 5 Series xDrive’s (37.1 feet vs. 40.7 feet).

The Volvo S60 may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs up to about 250 pounds less than the BMW 5 Series.

The S60 is 11.8 inches shorter than the 5 Series, making the S60 easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

Pressing a button automatically lowers the S60’s optional rear seats, to make changing between passengers and cargo easier. The 5 Series doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

The S60 has a 2000 lbs. towing capacity. The 5 Series has no towing capacity.

Optional Trailer Stability Assist on the S60 uses the Dynamic Stability and Traction Control sensors to detect trailer sway, then uses individual brakes to counteract any swaying and help keep the tow vehicle and trailer steady. The 5 Series doesn’t offer electronic trailer sway control.

Heated windshield washer nozzles are optional on the S60 to prevent washer fluid and nozzles from freezing and help continue to keep the windshield clear in sub-freezing temperatures. The 5 Series doesn’t offer heated windshield washer nozzles.

In poor weather, headlights can lose their effectiveness as grime builds up on their lenses. This can reduce visibility without the driver realizing. The S60 offers available headlight washers to keep headlight output high. The 5 Series doesn’t offer headlight washers.

Consumer Reports® recommends the Volvo S60, based on reliability, safety and performance.