When driving in cold conditions, there are many things to take into consideration. From energy consumption and battery health to a comfortable climate and different safety aspects. Be sure to familiarise yourself with what this way of driving entails, as well as which laws and regulations may apply.
Visibility
In cold conditions, ice and condensation can obstruct visibility. Your car is equipped with defrosters, a heated rear windscreen and heated wing mirrors to prevent that from happening.
Warning
Scraping the windscreen and lidar
Both the windscreen area in front of the front-facing camera and the glass on the lidar have their own heating to defrost and remove any build-up of snow or ice. Do not use an ice scraper on these areas as it can scratch the glass surface. Scratches or damage to the glass in front of the windscreen in front of the camera or the lidar glass can interfere with or limit their detection capabilities.
Range
Your car's battery can be negatively affected by cold temperatures. When the car has a cold battery, a snowflake 
appears next to the battery percentage. This indicates that the battery’s charge capacity, performance and range are reduced compared to normal conditions. You can avoid this by always charging your car while it's parked, which can prove especially useful if you are parking in a cold climate.
When the battery warms up, for example during preconditioning of the car or when driving, the snowflake disappears from the driver display.
Tip
Activating eco climate allows your car to make extra adjustments to increase your range.
If you feel like this makes the passenger compartment a bit too cold, you can use seat heating and steering wheel heating to keep warm, as these use less energy.
Maintenance
Note
Frozen door handles
In rare cases, frost or ice may prevent the handles folding outwards. If this happens and the car is unlocked, you can still use the handles to open the car.
- Activate preconditioning in the Volvo app to heat the car.
- Carefully brush or tap the door handle to remove the ice manually.
Tyre pressure
As the temperature drops, the tyre pressure drops. Remember to check the tyre pressure regularly and adjust it as needed.
Important
Cleaning in front of radars
If you find dirt, snow or ice, or if the car indicates that a radar is blocked, you should address it as soon as possible. Always clean and clear a large area around the radars to make their full field of view available.
Parking in cold weather
When the battery is cold, the car temporarily reduces battery performance until it's warmed up. Driving the car in a state of reduced performance doesn't harm the battery.
To avoid temporarily reduced performance from a cold battery, connect the car for charging and activate the car's preconditioning ahead of your trip. The car can then heat the battery without affecting performance and available range.
In temperatures below -30 °C (-22 °F), avoid leaving the car parked without charging for longer than 24 hours.
