Volvo’s multi-adaptive safety belt named one of TIME’s Best Inventions 2025 - debuting in the upcoming EX60

This time it's our world-first multi-adaptive safety belt set to debut in our soon-to-be-revealed fully electric EX60 SUV.

TIME just revealed its annual list of the Best Inventions, which features 300 extraordinary innovations changing our lives. And once again, we’re on it. This time, it’s our world-first multi-adaptive safety belt, launched earlier this year, that’s earned a spot among the best.

The new multi-adaptive safety belt is designed to even better protect occupants by adapting to the traffic conditions and the person wearing it.

“We are proud to be recognised by TIME as a leader in automotive safety,” says Åsa Haglund, head of 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.”

Leveraging real-time data from the car’s advanced interior and exterior sensors, the system can customise protection by adjusting to the current situation and the unique personal profile of drivers and passengers, such as their height, weight, body shape and seating position.

For example, a larger occupant in a serious crash will receive a higher belt load setting to help reduce the risk of head injury, while a smaller occupant in a milder crash will receive a lower belt load setting to reduce the risk of rib fractures.

The capabilities of the new multi-adaptive safety belt are designed to continuously improve via over-the-air software updates. As we gather more insights, the car can improve its understanding of the occupants, new scenarios and response strategies.

The new safety belt will be introduced in the upcoming Volvo EX60, which will be revealed to the world on 21 January 2026 during a livestreamed event from Stockholm, Sweden.

Last year, another Volvo Cars safety feature was named one of TIME’s Best Inventions of 2024. The pioneering Driver Understanding System, available in the Volvo EX90 and ES90, uses real-time sensing technology to help detect if a driver is impaired, tired or distracted, so the car can step in to provide support if needed.


Safety as legacy and future
Thanks to over five decades of safety research and a database of over 80,000 occupants involved in real-life accidents, we’ve built unique safety knowledge that captures the complexity of the real world. This foundation has shaped our safety innovations over the years and underpins our pioneering Volvo Cars Safety Standard, which goes beyond official testing requirements. 

One of our most important contributions is the modern three-point safety belt. Introduced in 1959 and later shared freely with other car makers, the safety belt is estimated to have saved a million lives.

With inventions like the multi-adaptive safety belt, we reinforce our position at the forefront of technology and safety, always striving to enhance safety for everyone in real-world traffic situations.