Volvo EX60 Introduces an Intelligent Seatbelt That Thinks for Itself
Volvo hasn’t invented anything this deceptively simple in years. The company’s new “multi-adaptive safety belt” looks like an ordinary seatbelt but can tighten or relax electrically according to the driver, the situation and the severity of impact. TIME magazine has already listed it among the best inventions of 2025 — before the EX60, the first model to feature it, has even been unveiled.
Volvo describes the system as a “personal protection platform” — a safety feature that adapts to the individual. It takes into account the height, weight, body shape and seating position of each occupant, adjusting tension dynamically through internal and external sensors that monitor conditions in real time. The belt’s control module applies greater force for larger bodies or more violent collisions and softens its grip for smaller passengers or lighter impacts. The goal is to reduce head trauma in one case and rib injuries in another.
The real breakthrough lies not in hardware but software. The system continuously collects data during use and evolves through over-the-air updates. In theory, the seatbelt becomes smarter with every drive and every software release. In practice, it marks another step into an era where even the most fundamental safety device depends on cloud connectivity.
If the belt adapts to body weight and the driver-facing camera monitors fatigue, the next question seems inevitable: will your insurance one day assess you while you drive? Volvo doesn’t say, but the direction is clear — “personalised safety” means ever-closer interaction between the occupant and the algorithm.
The intelligent seatbelt will make its official debut on January 21, 2026, alongside the fully electric EX60 in Stockholm.
