Compare the2025 Volvo XC60VS 2024 Audi Q8

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Cargo Capacity
Towing
Ergonomics
Economic Advantages
Recommendations

Safety

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In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the XC60 are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The Q8 doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Volvo XC60 offers optional built in child booster seats. They’re more crash worthy than an added child seat because of their direct attachment to the seat. Audi doesn’t offer the convenience and security of a built-in child booster seat in the Q8. Their owners must carry a heavy booster seat in and out of the vehicle; XC60 owners can just fold their built-in child seat up or down.

The Volvo XC60 has a standard driver’s side knee airbag mounted low on the dashboard. The knee airbag helps prevent the driver from sliding under the seatbelts or the main frontal airbag; this keeps the driver better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. A knee airbag also helps keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Q8 doesn’t offer knee airbags.

Using vehicle speed sensors and seat sensors, smart airbags in the XC60 deploy with different levels of force or don’t deploy at all to help better protect passengers of all sizes in different collisions. The XC60’s side airbags will shut off if a child is leaning against the door. The Q8’s side airbags don’t have smart features and will always deploy full force.

The XC60’s driver alert monitor detects an inattentive driver then sounds a warning and suggests a break. According to the NHTSA, drivers who fall asleep cause about 100,000 crashes and 1500 deaths a year. The Q8 doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the XC60 and the Q8 have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, all wheel drive, 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 and available around view monitors.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Volvo XC60 is safer than the Audi Q8:

	XC60	Q8
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	125	296
Neck Injury Risk	22%	30%
Neck Stress	198 lbs.	235 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	178	238
Chest Compression	.5 inches	.5 inches
Neck Injury Risk	28%	34%
Neck Compression	55 lbs.	117 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Volvo XC60 is safer than the Audi Q8:

	XC60	Q8
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Chest Movement	.7 inches	.7 inches
Abdominal Force	126 lbs.	128 lbs.
Hip Force	190 lbs.	260 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	12 inches	15 inches
HIC	237	282
Spine Acceleration	29 G’s	49 G’s
Hip Force	410 lbs.	593 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

Warranty

Volvo pays for scheduled maintenance on the XC60 for 3 years and 30,000 miles. Volvo will pay for oil changes, tire rotations, air filter replacements, cabin filter replacement, brake fluid replacement, inspections, and any other required maintenance. Audi only pays for the first scheduled maintenance visit on the Q8.

Reliability

To reliably start during all conditions and help handle large electrical loads, the XC60 has a standard 800-amp battery (850 T8). The Q8’s 380-amp battery isn’t as powerful.

The battery on the XC60 is in the trunk, which protects it from hot underhood temperatures that can degrade battery life. By keeping the XC60’s battery 20 to 30 degrees cooler, its life is increased by years. The Q8’s battery is in the hot engine compartment.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2024 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Volvo vehicles are more reliable than Audi With 30 fewer problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, J.D. Power ranks Volvo higher than Audi.

Engine

The XC60 T8’s standard 2.0 turbo/supercharged 4-cylinder hybrid produces 120 more horsepower (455 vs. 335) and 154 lbs.-ft. more torque (523 vs. 369) than the Q8’s 3.0 turbo V6 hybrid.

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the XC60 T8 Extended Range running on electricity gets better mileage than the Q8 (66 city/60 hwy MPGe vs. 17 city/23 hwy).

On the EPA test cycle the XC60 running its gasoline engine gets better mileage than the Q8:

			MPG
XC60
	AWD	2.0 turbo/supercharged 4-cyl. Hybrid	28 city/28 hwy
		2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	23 city/30 hwy
Q8
	AWD	3.0 turbo V6 Hybrid	17 city/23 hwy

The XC60 T8 Extended Range can travel with zero emissions for 35 miles. The Q8 can’t move without running its internal combustion engine.

The XC60 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 Q8 doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the XC60 T8 Polestar Engineered’s front brake rotors are larger than those on the Q8:

	XC60 T8 Polestar Engineered	Q8
Front Rotors	15.7 inches	14.8 inches

The XC60 stops much shorter than the Q8:

	XC60	Q8
60 to 0 MPH	131 feet	141 feet	Motor Trend

Tires and Wheels

The XC60’s optional tires provide better handling because they have a lower 35 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Q8’s optional 40 series tires.

Suspension and Handling

The XC60 Ultimate has a standard automatic front and rear load leveling suspension to keep ride height level with a heavy load or when towing. The XC60’s height leveling suspension allows the driver to raise ride height for better off-road clearance and then lower it again for easier entering and exiting and better on-road handling. The Q8 doesn’t offer a load leveling suspension.

The XC60 B5 Core handles at .87 G’s, while the Q8 Prestige pulls only .83 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

For better maneuverability, the XC60’s turning circle is 6.2 feet tighter than the Q8’s (37.4 feet vs. 43.6 feet).

For greater off-road capability the XC60 has a 2.7 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the Q8 (8.5 vs. 5.8 inches), allowing the XC60 to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

Chassis

The Volvo XC60 may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 300 to 900 pounds less than the Audi Q8.

The XC60 is 11.2 inches shorter than the Q8, making the XC60 easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The design of the Volvo XC60 amounts to more than styling. The XC60 has an aerodynamic coefficient of drag of .32 Cd. That is significantly lower than the Q8 (.39) and many sports cars. A more efficient exterior helps keep the interior quieter and helps the XC60 get better fuel mileage.

Cargo Capacity

The XC60 has a larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Q8 with its rear seat folded (63.3 vs. 60.7 cubic feet).

A low lift-over cargo hatch design makes loading and unloading the XC60 easier. The XC60’s cargo hatch lift-over height is 26 inches, while the Q8’s liftover is 33.7 inches.

Towing

Standard Trailer Stability Assist (TSA) on the XC60 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 Q8 doesn’t offer electronic trailer sway control.

Ergonomics

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the XC60 has a standard rear fixed intermittent wiper with a full on position. The rear wiper standard on the Q8 only has an intermittent setting, so in a hard rain visibility isn’t as good.

The Q8’s cornering lamps activate a lamp on the front corner when the turn signal is activated. The XC60’s standard adaptive cornering lights turn the actual headlight unit up to several degrees, depending on steering wheel angle and vehicle speed. This lights a significant distance into corners at any speed.

Economic Advantages

Insurance will cost less for the XC60 owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the XC60 will cost $810 to $5830 less than the Q8 over a five-year period.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Volvo XC60 will be $16443 to $28783 less than for the Audi Q8.

Recommendations

A group of representative automotive journalists from North America selected the XC60 as the 2018 North American Utility Vehicle of the Year. The Q8 has never been chosen.

The Volvo XC60 outsold the Audi Q8/SQ8/RS Q8 by almost three to one during 2023.

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