Where each one leads
Subaru Ascent
Ahead on none of the like-for-like measures.
Volvo XC60
- Against cars of the same year, the Volvo XC60 comes out better in New York safety inspections (fails 42% less often than average) than the Subaru Ascent (fails 1% more often than average).
- On Canada's official test the most frugal 2026 Volvo XC60 uses 9.0 l/100 km, the 2026 Subaru Ascent 11.0.
Too close to call: NHTSA overall safety rating.
Only measures that do not depend on how many cars were sold: pass and failure rates against cars of the same age, ratings, fuel use and CO₂. How we compare
At a glance
| Subaru Ascent | Volvo XC60 | |
|---|---|---|
| Model years in the US safety record | 2019–2026 | 2008–2025 |
| New cars registered in Europe | — | 786,285 (2010–2022) |
| Licensed in the United Kingdom | — | 151,191 |
| On the road in the Netherlands | — | 61,625 |
| In traffic in Finland | — | 3,844 |
EEA new-car registrations (CC BY 4.0) · DVLA licensed vehicles (OGL v3.0) · RDW (CC0) · Traficom (CC BY 4.0) · generations: Wikidata (CC0).
Reliability and problems
| Subaru Ascent | Volvo XC60 | |
|---|---|---|
| UK MOT first-time pass rate | — | 80% |
| … against cars of the same age | — | +4% |
| New York safety inspections failed | 1.0% | 0.7% |
| … against cars of the same year | +1% | −42% |
| Illogical odometer records (NL) | — | 2.8% |
| US owner complaints | 1,039 | 654 |
| Most complaints about | Electrical system | Electrical system |
| Model year with most complaints | 2019 (443) | 2022 (75) |
| US recall campaigns | 13 | 36 |
| Manufacturer service bulletins | 1,475 | 3,949 |
| NHTSA defect investigations | — | 5 |
Complaint, recall and bulletin counts grow with the number of cars sold and are not adjusted for it. UK MOT: DVSA anonymised MOT results (OGL v3.0); New York: DMV inspections; complaints, recalls, bulletins and investigations: NHTSA (public domain); odometer: RDW (CC0).
Safety
| Subaru Ascent | Volvo XC60 | |
|---|---|---|
| NHTSA overall rating | 5★ (2027) | 5★ (2027) |
NHTSA New Car Assessment Program, most recent rated model year (public domain).
Fuel, emissions and price
| Subaru Ascent | Volvo XC60 | |
|---|---|---|
| Official combined fuel use, Canada | 11.0 l/100 km (2026) | 9.0 l/100 km (2026) |
| Real-world use in Europe, diesel hybrid | — | 7.2 l/100 km |
| Real-world use in Europe, petrol hybrid | — | 9.1 l/100 km |
| Real-world use in Europe, diesel | — | 7.4 l/100 km |
| Real-world use in Europe, petrol | — | 9.5 l/100 km |
| Official CO₂ of new cars in Europe | — | 106 g/km |
| Average power of new cars in Europe | — | 171 kW (229 hp) |
| Average mass in running order | — | 2,030 kg |
| Dutch list price when new (median) | — | €69,959 |
| Average odometer in Finland | — | 222,000 km |
Canada: NRCan Fuel Consumption Ratings, most frugal version of the latest year (OGL Canada). Europe: EEA monitoring of new-car CO₂ and on-board fuel meters (OBFCM), CC BY 4.0. Price: RDW catalogue price (CC0). Finland: Traficom (CC BY 4.0).