Volkswagen made minor changes to its popular Beetle for 1960. In an effort to upgrade the steering system, upgrades were made to the steering wheel (which was recessed for safety) and the steering box, and a steering dampener was added. The seat backs were recontoured, and the outside door handles were revamped with a push button (instead of a pull-type). In addition, the output of the generator was increased from 160 to 180 watts.

Other than that, the Volkswagen Beetle remained essentially the same as it had been in previous years, which was part of its appeal. In a year when sales of other foreign cars were dropping, the Beetle's sales remained steady, probably because the car was dependable, easy to maintain, inexpensive to own and drive, and unique.

As in previous years, the 1960 Beetle came with a four-cylinder, four-stroke 1200cc air-cooled engine that generated 36 horsepower. It was mounted in the rear, so that its weight provided traction to the rear wheels. A four-speed transmission, independent front suspension and telescopic shock absorbers were also part of the Beetle package.

Color options for the 1960 Beetle included black, ruby red, pastel blue, beryl green, turqoise, pearl white, and gulf blue.