No other luxury automaker pushes the boundaries of innovation quite like Volvo. In fact, some of the top critics in the industry have awarded Volvo with praise and recognition across a wide variety of categories. Motorcars Volvo Cars has created this informative guide that lists the most current awards and accolades earned by the Volvo brand. Once you see this impressive list, it's even easier to understand why more and more luxury vehicle shoppers are making the switch to a Volvo vehicle.
Volvo Awards & Accolades
IIHS Top Safety Pick+ Awards
Whether you're an experienced driver or just hitting the road for the first time, safety remains a universally important characteristic of any new vehicle purchase. There's simply no substitute for the confidence and peace of mind that comes from knowing that your vehicle is engineered to a higher standard than most. In recent years, the criteria for receiving the coveted Top Safety Pick award from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) have become much tougher. Vehicles must now meet higher standards for headlights, increased side crash protection, and improved pedestrian crash prevention systems.
Despite these higher standards, the XC90, XC90 Plug-in Hybrid, and the all-electric EX90 all earned Top Safety Pick awards from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) for 2026. A testament to the impressive engineering and cutting-edge safety features found across the Volvo lineup, the XC90 and EX90 remain the benchmark for their classes in terms of safety.
Best New Family Car
Searching for a luxury vehicle that the whole family can agree on? Each year, the team of experts at Good Housekeeping evaluates various types of vehicle segments from every corner of the industry to determine their top picks for the Best New Family Cars. They consider criteria like safety, connected technology, and comfort amenities when making their decisions for winners within their individual categories.
For 2026, the XC90 took home the Best Luxury Midsize SUV award, noting that the analyst called it "the smoothest car I've ever driven". She went on to mention the helpful driver aids and the good looks that you also get with the XC90.
Car & Driver Editors' Choice
While a lot of awards are focused on a specific type of vehicle, the Car & Driver Editors' Choice awards cover vehicles across a wide range of categories and segments, which is why Volvo was able to win so many for 2026. The XC40, XC60, XC60 Plug-In Hybrid, XC90, and XC90 Plug-In Hybrid all took home awards this year. Refined interiors and tasteful style were noted as standout features again and again as reasons why these models were chosen.
Parents Best Family Cars
Similar to the Good Housekeeping awards, Parents magazine has annual Best Family Cars awards to name the best family-friendly vehicles across a variety of categories. Volvo is mentioned right from the outset as a longtime favorite of family-friendly vehicle shoppers, so it comes as no surprise that the XC90 and XC90 Plug-In Hybrid each took home an award for their respective categories. Much is made of the comfort and high-quality materials used in the interior of these vehicles, but one of the big points was that "The Volvo XC90 offers more safety features than its competitors".
Sources:
IIHS - https://www.iihs.org/ratings/top-safety-picks/2026/all/volvo#award-winners
Good Housekeeping - https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/travel-products/g69530823/best-family-car-awards-2026/
Car & Driver - https://www.caranddriver.com/features/a70013199/2026-editors-choice/
Parents - https://www.parents.com/the-2026-parents-best-family-cars-awards-11906543