Compare the2025 Hyundai SonataVS 2024 Volvo S60

In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the Sonata are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The S60 doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

Both the Sonata and the S60 have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, front wheel drive, height adjustable front shoulder belts, plastic fuel tanks, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning, driver alert monitors and available all wheel drive.

The Hyundai Sonata achieved a “Top Safety Pick” rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) for the 2024 model year. This recognition was based on its impressive performance in the small overlap frontal crash test, updated side impact crash test, headlight evaluations, and pedestrian crash prevention testing. The S60 has not yet been fully evaluated by the IIHS for 2024.

The Sonata comes with a full 5-year/60,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire car and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The S60’s 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 10,000 miles sooner.

Hyundai’s powertrain warranty covers the Sonata 6 years and 50,000 miles longer than Volvo covers the S60. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the S60 ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

There are almost 3 times as many Hyundai dealers as there are Volvo dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Sonata’s warranty.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2024 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Hyundai vehicles are better in initial quality than Volvo vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Hyundai third in initial quality, above the industry average. With 80 more problems per 100 vehicles, Volvo is ranked 31st, below the industry average.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2024 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Hyundai vehicles are more reliable than Volvo With 47 fewer problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, J.D. Power ranks Hyundai higher than Volvo.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2024 Auto Issue reports that Hyundai vehicles are more reliable than Volvo vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Hyundai 14 places higher in reliability than Volvo.

The Sonata N Line’s standard 2.5 turbo 4-cylinder produces 43 more horsepower (290 vs. 247) and 53 lbs.-ft. more torque (311 vs. 258) than the S60 B5’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid.

On the EPA test cycle the Sonata gets better mileage than the S60 running its gasoline engine:

Both the Sonata SE and the S60 have a standard automatic start/stop engine feature to stop unnecessary fuel waste and pollution at stoplights and heavy traffic. All Sonata SEs have a standard disable switch for the system, so a driver can keep the engine from shutting off when the vehicle stops temporarily. The S60 T8 doesn’t offer a way to disable start/stop.

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Hyundai Sonata uses regular unleaded gasoline. The S60 requires premium, which can cost on average about 84.9 cents more per gallon.

The Sonata offers an available sequential manual gearbox (SMG). With no clutch pedal to worry about and a fully automatic mode, an SMG is much more efficient than a conventional automatic but just as easy to drive. The S60 doesn’t offer an SMG or a conventional manual transmission.

The Sonata N Line’s launch control uses engine electronics to hold engine RPM’s precisely in order to provide the most stable and rapid acceleration possible, using all of the available traction. The S60 doesn’t offer launch control.

For better traction, the Sonata N Line’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the S60 (245/40R19 vs. 235/45R18).

The front and rear suspension of the Sonata uses coil springs for better ride, handling and control than the S60, which uses transverse leafs springs in the rear. Coil springs compress more progressively and offer more suspension travel for a smoother ride with less bottoming out.

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Sonata is .8 inches wider in the front and 1.1 inches wider in the rear than the track on the S60.

For better maneuverability, the Sonata’s turning circle is 1.2 feet tighter than the S60’s (35.9 feet vs. 37.1 feet).

The Hyundai Sonata may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 450 to 950 pounds less than the Volvo S60.

Because it has more passenger and cargo room, the EPA rates the Sonata a Large car, while the S60 is rated a Compact.

The Sonata has 8.4 cubic feet more passenger volume than the S60 (104.4 vs. 96).

The Sonata has 2.6 inches more front headroom, 3.8 inches more front legroom, 1.8 inches more front shoulder room, .6 inches more rear headroom, 1 inch more rear hip room and 1.6 inches more rear shoulder room than the S60.

The Sonata has a much larger trunk than the S60 (15.6 vs. 11.6 cubic feet).

To shield the driver and front passenger’s vision over a larger portion of the windshield and side windows, the Sonata has standard extendable sun visors. The S60 doesn’t offer extendable visors.

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Hyundai Sonata and the Volvo S60, based on reliability, safety and performance.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Sonata second among midsize cars in owner reported satisfaction. This includes how well the vehicle performs and satisfies its owner’s expectations. The S60 isn’t in the top three in its category.

The Hyundai Sonata outsold the Volvo 60 Series by almost four to one during 2023.