Volvo’s upcoming EX60 to debut world-first adaptive safety belt

Volvo Cars has been recognised for its leadership in automotive safety, with TIME magazine naming the brand’s new multi-adaptive safety belt as one of the Best Inventions of 2025. The world-first system will debut in Volvo’s upcoming fully electric EX60 SUV, set to be unveiled on 21 January 2026 during a livestreamed event from Stockholm.

The innovative safety belt takes Volvo’s long-standing focus on occupant protection to a new level. Using real-time data from the car’s interior and exterior sensors, the belt can automatically adjust its restraint force based on both the driving situation and the characteristics of the person wearing it.

“We are proud to be recognised by TIME as a leader in automotive safety,” said Åsa Haglund, Head of the Volvo Cars Safety Centre. “With the multi-adaptive safety belt in the upcoming EX60, we’re leveraging real-time data to adapt to the situation and the person wearing it – providing smarter, personalised protection that can help reduce injury.”

The system fine-tunes belt tension according to a range of variables, including a passenger’s height, weight, body shape and seating position. In the event of a crash, for example, a larger occupant might receive a higher belt load to minimise the risk of head injury, while a smaller passenger in a milder impact would experience a lower load to reduce the chance of rib injury.

Importantly, Volvo says the technology will continue to evolve through over-the-air software updates, as the company gathers more real-world data to refine its responses to different occupants and crash scenarios.

The recognition marks the second consecutive year Volvo has been included on TIME’s list of groundbreaking innovations. In 2024, the magazine highlighted the brand’s Driver Understanding System, which monitors for signs of driver fatigue, distraction, or impairment in the EX90 and ES90.