Volvo V60 and V90 return to UK in shock estate comeback

Volvo is bringing its estate cars back to the UK, having taken them off sale last year to focus on SUVs.

Autocar has found details of new UK-bound variants of the Volvo V60 and Volvo V90, which are due back on sale imminently, due to a resurgence in demand for estate cars. 

Their saloon equivalents, the S60 and S90, aren't scheduled to make a return, however.

The V60 will be offered with the choice of a 2.0-litre mild-hybrid petrol engine, producing 197bhp and capable of 0-62mph in 7.6sec, and a pair of petrol plug-in hybrid powertrains with 350bhp and 455bhp.

The larger V90 returns exclusively with the plug-in hybrid powertrains, capable of 0-62mph in just 5.5sec in its most potent form and with an electric-only range of up to 36 miles. 

Prices for all variants are expected to be published in the coming weeks. Previously, the V60 was priced from £47,750 as a mild hybrid and £57,580 as a PHEV. The V90 PHEV cost £62,220 before sales stopped. 

Volvo confirmed the decision to revive estate sales in a statement to Autocar: "We removed the V60 and V90 from sale in the UK last August amid falling appetite for estate cars. While this remains a long-term trend, we have seen a resurgence for our estate products in recent months and have decided to reintroduce the V60 and V90 to our UK portfolio in response to this. We will begin taking orders next month.

"When operating in a fast-moving industry, we continually re-evaluate our product portfolio to ensure we have the right mix to serve all our customers. As part of this process, it is not uncommon for us to remove certain models or derivatives from sale and reintroduce them later.

"We were thrilled by the many comments from customers and media last year, with many stories and memories of how our estate cars have been a huge part of their lives. We look forward to helping create more."

It isn't yet clear how long the two estates will remain on sale, as the model lines approach the end of their natural lifecycles, the V90 having been launched in 2016 and the V60 in 2018.

When asked for a timeframe, Volvo would only say: "We do not comment on future model plans."

Recently published sales figures show that the V60 and V90 were Volvo's slowest-selling global models in 2023, clocking a combined 44,600 sales compared with the best-selling Volvo XC60 SUV's 228,600. But calls for an estate revival from UK customers will have been especially influential, given that this is Volvo's third largest global market. 

Meanwhile, Volvo has confirmed that production of the S60 will come to an end at its South Carolina factory later this month, to make way for the new EX90 electric SUV.

Production of the S90 continues in Daqing, China for now, but an electric successor dubbed ES90 is due to be launched next year. 

Plans for any electric Volvo estate remain under wraps, with the Swedish company moving to streamline its line-up to focus on a small number of core segments as it expands its EV offering.