Compare the2025 Volvo XC60VS 2024 Rivian R1S

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Fuel Economy and Range
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Ergonomics
Recommendations

Safety

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The XC60’s pre-crash front seatbelts will tighten automatically in the event the vehicle detects an impending crash, improving protection against injury significantly. The R1S doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.

Both the XC60 and R1S have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The XC60 Plus/Ultra/Polestar 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 R1S’ 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.

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 R1S 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. Rivian doesn’t offer the convenience and security of a built-in child booster seat in the R1S. 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.

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 R1S’ side airbags don’t have smart features and will always deploy full force.

The XC60 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 R1S doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

The XC60 has standard Post-impact braking, which automatically apply the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The R1S doesn’t offer a post collision braking system: in the event of a collision that triggers the airbags, more collisions are possible without the protection of airbags that may have already deployed.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The XC60 has standard CTA Auto Brake that uses rear sensors to monitor for objects to the rear and automatically applies the brakes to prevent a collision. The R1S doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

Both the XC60 and R1S have rear cross-traffic warning, but the XC60 has Braking Intervention (automatically applies the brakes) to better prevent a collision when backing near traffic. The R1S’ Rear Cross-Traffic Warning doesn’t automatically brake.

Both the XC60 and the R1S have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee 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, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning, driver alert monitors and available around view monitors.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety does 40 MPH moderate front offset crash tests on new cars. In this updated test, results indicate that the XC60 is much safer than the R1S:

	XC60	R1S
Overall Evaluation	GOOD	MARGINAL
Structure	GOOD	GOOD
	Driver Injury Measures
Head/Neck Rating	GOOD	GOOD
Chest Rating	GOOD	GOOD
Thigh/hip Rating	GOOD	GOOD
Leg/foot Rating	GOOD	GOOD
Restraints	GOOD	GOOD
	Rear Passenger Injury Measures
Head/Neck Rating	GOOD	GOOD
Chest Rating	GOOD	MARGINAL
Thigh Rating	GOOD	GOOD
Restraints	GOOD	POOR

Warranty

The XC60’s corrosion warranty is 4 years longer than the R1S’ (12 vs. 8 years).

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. Rivian doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the R1S.

Reliability

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2024 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Volvo vehicles are better in initial quality than Rivian vehicles. With 24 fewer problems per 100 vehicles, JD Power ranks Volvo higher than Rivian.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2024 Auto Issue reports that Volvo vehicles are more reliable than Rivian vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Volvo 3 places higher in reliability than Rivian.

Fuel Economy and Range

The XC60 T8 Extended Range’s maximum EPA estimated range on a full tank and a full charge is 561 miles, after which it can be refueled at any gas station in minutes. The R1S’ range is only 274 to 400 miles, after which

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the XC60 T8 Polestar Engineered’s front brake rotors are larger than those on the R1S:

	XC60	XC60 T8 Polestar Engineered	R1S
Front Rotors	13.6 inches	15.7 inches	13.5 inches

The XC60 stops shorter than the R1S:

	XC60	R1S
100 to 0 MPH	337 feet	340 feet	Car and Driver
70 to 0 MPH	165 feet	173 feet	Car and Driver

Tires and Wheels

The XC60’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 60 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the R1S’ 65 series tires. The XC60’s optional tires have a lower 35 series profile than the R1S’ optional 50 series tires.

Suspension and Handling

The XC60 handles at .88 G’s, while the R1S 4dr Sport Utility pulls only .85 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

For better maneuverability, the XC60’s turning circle is 5.9 feet tighter than the R1S’ (37.4 feet vs. 43.3 feet).

Chassis

The Volvo XC60 may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 2250 to 2800 pounds less than the Rivian R1S.

The XC60 is 1 foot, 3.4 inches shorter than the R1S, making the XC60 easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The XC60 is 12.1 inches shorter in height than the R1S, making the XC60 much easier to wash and garage and drive (lower center of gravity).

For excellent aerodynamics, the XC60 has standard flush composite headlights. The R1S has recessed headlights that spoil its aerodynamic shape and create extra drag.

Passenger Space

The XC60 has .1 inches more front legroom, 1.5 inches more front hip room, 1.4 inches more rear legroom and 1.2 inches more rear hip room than the R1S.

Cargo Capacity

The XC60 has a much larger cargo volume than the R1S 4dr Sport Utility with its rear seat up (22.4 vs. 17.6 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 R1S’ liftover is 27.9 inches.

A standard locking glovebox (which can’t be accessed with the valet key) keeps your small valuables safer in the XC60. The R1S doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

The XC60’s liftgate lifts up in one piece, completely out of the way of loading and unloading, while sheltering the cargo loading area. The R1S’ tailgate’s top part raises up, but the bottom part lowers, getting in the way of loading and making an uneven surface for sliding cargo.

To make loading groceries and cargo easier when your hands are full, the XC60’s liftgate can be opened and closed just by kicking your foot under the back bumper, leaving your hands completely free. The R1S doesn’t offer a hands-free gesture to open its tailgate, forcing you to put cargo down if your hands are full.

Ergonomics

Unlike the driver-only memory system in the R1S, the XC60 Ultra/Polestar has a passenger memory, so that when drivers switch, the memory setting adjusts the driver’s seat and outside mirror angle and the front passenger seat also adjusts to the new passenger’s preset preferences.

The XC60 Ultra/Polestar has a standard heads-up display that projects speed, warning and navigation instruction readouts in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The R1S doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

The XC60’s standard Keyless Entry & Drive allow you to unlock the doors from any outside door handle, open the cargo door, and start the vehicle, all without removing the key from the pocket or purse. An advanced key system standard on the R1S doesn’t offer a sensor on the rear doors, so you’ll have to reach a front handle to unlock the rear door.

Heated windshield washer nozzles are optional on the XC60 to prevent washer fluid and nozzles from freezing and help continue to keep the windshield clear in sub-freezing temperatures. The R1S 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 XC60 offers available headlight washers to keep headlight output high. The R1S doesn’t offer headlight washers.

To help drivers avoid possible obstacles, the XC60 has standard cornering lights to illuminate around corners when the turn signals are activated. The R1S doesn’t offer cornering lights. The XC60 also has standard adaptive headlights to illuminate around corners automatically by reading vehicle speed and steering wheel angle.

The XC60’s standard side window demisters help clear frost or condensation from the side windows in the winter. The R1S doesn’t even offer side window demisters, so the driver may have to wipe the windows from the outside to gain side vision.

When the XC60 is put in reverse, both rearview mirrors tilt from their original position. This gives the driver a better view of the curb during parallel parking maneuvers. Shifting out of reverse puts the mirrors into their original positions. The R1S’ mirrors don’t automatically adjust for backing.

The XC60 Ultra offers optional massaging front seats in order to maximize comfort and eliminate fatigue on long trips. Massaging seats aren’t available in the R1S.

Recommendations

A group of representative automotive journalists from North America selected the XC60 as the 2018 North American Utility Vehicle of the Year. The R1S has never been chosen.

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