Volvo introduces world-first multi-adaptive seatbelt in EX60

Volvo debuts a multi-adaptive safety belt in the 2026 EX60 EV, using sensor data to customize protection and enhance real-world passenger safety.

Volvo is taking another bold step in automotive safety. In 2026, the all-electric EX60 will hit the market featuring the world’s first multi-adaptive seatbelt system — a breakthrough that, according to the company, could fundamentally reshape how passenger protection works by making it fully personalized.

At the heart of this innovation lies the integration of exterior and interior sensors with intelligent algorithms that assess each situation in real time. Height, weight, body shape, posture, crash direction, and impact speed are all evaluated within milliseconds to select the most appropriate setting from eleven available load-limiting profiles. The goal: minimize injury by fine-tuning the force the seatbelt applies to the body.

Previous seatbelt systems offered no more than three such profiles. Volvo’s new approach significantly expands that range, focusing on tailoring protection to individual needs. This is especially crucial for passengers whose physiques fall outside standard parameters — whether more vulnerable or more robust. For example, in a minor crash, a more delicate occupant receives lower belt tension to prevent rib injury, while a larger person in a more severe impact may benefit from stronger restraint to reduce head trauma.

The system draws from Volvo’s extensive crash data archive, encompassing over 80,000 real-life incidents. This dataset, built over decades, allows engineers to understand the complexities of real-world crashes and design safety systems that better reflect human diversity. And with over-the-air software updates, the seatbelt will evolve over time, adapting to new scenarios and refining its responses.

Development and testing have taken place at Volvo’s crash lab, which celebrates its 25th anniversary this year. There, engineers recreate real accident conditions to push safety technologies beyond regulatory standards.

The EX60 will be the first car to feature this technology, but Volvo sees it as a starting point. It’s likely that the multi-adaptive belt will make its way into future models — a move that could influence industry-wide safety benchmarks.

Just as the three-point seatbelt introduced by Volvo in 1959 changed the course of vehicle safety, this new development might once again set the standard others strive to meet.