Volvo is introducing its latest raft of intelligent safety features to its latest electric EX60, EX90, and ES90 models.
Dubbed ‘Connected Safety’, the safety suite debuted in 2016 on its flagship S90 saloon and XC90 SUV with ‘Slippery Road Alert’ and ‘Hazard Light Alert’. The system uses real-time hazard warnings based on data taken from other cars, and shares the information with other vehicles fitted with vehicle-to-vehicle communication technology. It has since been rolled out to the XC40 and its best-selling car of all time, the XC60.
Volvo’s latest version of Connected Safety introduces four new alerts to its three newest all-electric models.
‘Large Animal Alert’ warns the driver if a large animal such as a moose, horse, or bison is at large on or near the road ahead, while ‘Vulnerable Road User Alert’ adopts a Tesla-like system of bringing attention to pedestrians and cyclists within the car’s vicinity.
‘Roadwork Alert’ cautions drivers when roadworks are detected up ahead, while ‘Accident Ahead Alert’ uses real-time data from connected Volvo cars or traffic management centres to advise of any nearby accidents.
According to Volvo: “These features expand the system’s ability to provide clear, early warnings – especially in low-visibility conditions such as winding roads or poor weather. These complement existing [safety] features like the Slippery Road Alert and Hazard Light Alert.”
Connected Safety is not a Volvo-specific safety feature. Via the European Data for Road Safety ecosystem, the alert data can be shared with other V2V-compatible cars.
“Built on decades of our real-world safety insight, these innovations represent another step towards our vision of zero collisions,” explained Åsa Haglund, the chief of Volvo Cars Safety Centre. “Every time a Volvo car shares safety intelligence, it helps other drivers prepare earlier to avoid accidents and feel safer.”
This latest version of Volvo’s Connected Safety suite is yet more evidence of the Swedish firm’s signature focus on safety.
While it would require an additional story to mention each safety feature the Gothenburg-based carmaker has introduced to the automotive world, the three-point seat belt (invented in 1959), Side Impact Protection System or ‘SIPS’ (1991), inflatable curtain side-head airbags (1998), and a 112 mph speed cap (2020) can all be credited to Volvo.
Its latest EV, the award-winning EX60, debuted the multi-adaptive seatbelt, which can preconfigure its pretensioners depending on body size and weight. The invention made it onto Time Magazine’s ‘Best Inventions’ list of 2025.
In addition to the Connected Safety update, the same OTA update introduced Spatial Audio support in Apple CarPlay to EX90 and ES90 models with the Dolby Atmos technology-backed Bowers & Wilkins sound system, featuring 25 high-performance speakers.
In terms of pricing, the medium-sized EX60 SUV starts from £56,580; the full-sized EX90 SUV from £73,610; the ES90 saloon from £67,560.
