XC60 D4 190
190 hp and 400 Nm from the factory, 230 hp and 500 Nm after.
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Unlocking · October 2026Volvo Drive-E remapping: the ECUs are finally unlocked
For years we had to turn recent Volvos away. Their ECU was locked by the manufacturer and would not hand over its software. In September and October 2026 two locks fell, one after the other, and a large part of the Drive-E range is within reach again.
If you drive an XC60, a V60, an XC90 or an XC40 and have already been told "we cannot do Volvos", here is what was in the way, what has just changed, and what it means on your own car.
What was in the way, in plain terms
To modify an engine program, you first have to read it. You connect the tool, you ask the ECU for the file it is running, you save it, and that copy is what you work from. With no read there is no starting point, and nothing can be done.
Since the Drive-E engines arrived in 2014, Volvo has fitted them with ECUs that refuse that request. They do not merely protect the software, they will not release it at all. Two families are involved, and they are not the same units: the second generation Denso across most of the range, and the Bosch MG1CS080 on the small petrol engines and the plug-in hybrids.
Faced with that, some workshops offered a tuning box wired to the sensors. That remaps nothing: it feeds the ECU false readings so that it injects more. The engine then works outside its own tables, without knowing what it is actually doing. We have never fitted one, and that is not about to change.
Both locks have fallen
On 25 September 2026, the Bosch MG1CS080 became accessible. That is the ECU of the petrol XC40 and V40, and of the XC40 and C40 Recharge.
On 2 October 2026, it was the turn of the second generation Denso, fitted across the rest of the range: S60, S80, S90, V60, V70, V90, XC60, XC70, XC90, diesel and petrol alike.
So we can do our job on these cars again: read the original software, set it aside, develop a map for your engine, and write it. Your factory file stays archived with us, and we can put it back whenever you want, before a resale, for instance.
Is your Volvo on the list?
Two lists, because these are two different units. The ECU cannot be guessed from the model alone: we identify it on site, and it is the ECU that decides.
Bosch MG1CS080
- XC40: 1.5 T2, 1.5 T3, 2.0 T4, 2.0 T5
- V40 and V40 Cross Country: 1.5 T3
- XC40 Recharge, C40 Recharge: T4 and T5 plug-in hybrids, and the electric versions
Second generation Denso
- Saloons and estates: S60, S80, S90, V60, V70, V90
- SUVs: XC60, XC70, XC90
- Diesel D2, D3, D4, D5; petrol and hybrid T2 to T8, including the T8 Twin Engine; B3 to B6 mild hybrids
What it gives, engine by engine
Six common Volvos, with factory power and torque, then the figures we aim for at Stage 1. They come from our engine database, the same one behind the configurator on our home page. On your car, the dyno measurement is what counts.
XC90 D5 235
235 hp and 480 Nm from the factory, 290 hp and 580 Nm after.
V60 D4 190
190 hp and 400 Nm from the factory, 235 hp and 470 Nm after.
XC40 T5 247
247 hp and 350 Nm from the factory, 290 hp and 400 Nm after. Petrol.
XC40 T4 190
190 hp and 300 Nm from the factory, 230 hp and 450 Nm after. Petrol.
V40 T3 152
152 hp and 250 Nm from the factory, 190 hp and 300 Nm after. Petrol.
Take the XC40 2.0 T4: 150 Nm more is not a question of top speed. It is the car no longer falling into a hole as you pull out of a roundabout, and pulling away without a downshift when you are loaded or on a hill. On the diesels, the difference shows mostly between 1 500 and 3 000 rpm, where those engines spend their lives.
For the XC40 and C40 Recharge we publish no figures: those versions are handled case by case, and we would rather tell you what is possible after seeing the car than before.
How it works here
The ECU is never opened. We remove it, connect it in our laboratory through its own connectors, read it, then refit it. The unit leaves sealed exactly as it arrived.
The difference between the two families matters to you:
- Second generation Denso: everything is done here, in one visit. Allow half a day, both dyno runs included.
- Bosch MG1CS080: this one has to be unlocked first, and that step takes place elsewhere. The ECU goes away, comes back, and we then work normally. So allow several days off the road, which we state precisely when we quote.
After that it is our usual method: a diagnosis before touching anything, a dyno run in standard form, map development, a second run under the same conditions, a road test. You leave with both curves on paper.
The limits we work within
An engine breaks when you ask more of it than its parts can take. So we work inside what the mechanics will stand: the ECU protections stay active, and the pressure, temperature and torque thresholds are respected. Requests that fall outside those limits, we turn down.
That is also why we measure before and after: a smooth curve, with no hollow and no spike, is the sign of a setting that will hold. Our maps carry a 5 year warranty.
We have gone into this in more depth elsewhere: is remapping reliable?
What we still cannot do
The newest Volvos carry a third generation Denso ECU, better protected, and that one has not fallen. Two Volvos from the same year may well not have the same unit: it depends on the version and the production date.
That is why we identify your ECU before promising anything. If your car cannot be accessed, we tell you and you pay nothing.
Frequently asked questions
How do I know whether my Volvo is covered?
Give us the model, the engine and the year, and we will tell you which ECU family your car is likely to carry. The final check is done on site, by reading the unit's identifier: that is what decides, not the brochure.
How long does the car stay with you?
On the Denso models, allow half a day, both dyno runs included. On the XC40, V40 and C40 with the Bosch MG1CS080, the unit has to go away to be unlocked first: allow several days. We give you the exact time when we quote, never a vague estimate.
Do you open the ECU?
Never. We remove it and connect it through its original connectors. It is not desoldered, not drilled, not opened, and it goes back exactly as it came.
Do you touch the emissions systems?
No. The particulate filter, the EGR valve and the AdBlue system stay in place and active. We remove nothing and disable nothing, on Volvo as anywhere else.
What if I want to go back to standard?
Your factory program is saved before any work and archived with us. Restoring it is a simple job, it is part of the service, and it stays possible years later.
Can a T8 or a Recharge be done?
The combustion side is worked like a conventional engine. Battery management and the split between the two motors stay as Volvo set them: we do not touch that, and it is what keeps the whole system coherent. For the Recharge models we look at the car before committing to figures.
See also: Stage 1 remapping, tuning box or remapping, our workshop in Nivelles.