Volvo XC40 Recharge review

• Overview
• What is it?
• Is this just a normal XC40 with an e-motor shoved in?
• Let’s talk numbers.
• How does the XC40 Recharge drive?
• Our choice from the range
• What's the verdict?
• Polestar 2
• Ford Mustang Mach-E
• BMW iX3
• Driving
• What is it like to drive?
• What about the single motor car? 
• How does it ride? 
• Is it too much of a techfest?
• What about safety?
• Interior
• What is it like on the inside?
• What’s the infotainment like?
• Is it practical? 
• Buying
• What should I be paying?
• What specs are on offer? 
• What powertrains are there? 
• What about leasing options? 

Overview

What is it?

Volvo’s XC40 small SUV has been on sale since 2017, impressing with its Scandi sensibility and attention to detail. Three years later the XC40 Recharge was the Swedish carmaker’s first fully electric offering – trying to provide a compelling alternative to the likes of the BMW iX3, Mustang Mach-E or Volkswagen ID.4 – and of course the Polestar 2 with which it shares a platform and powertrains.

It was pricey at first, but the situation has been slightly improved with the introduction of single motor entry cars (as opposed to the fancier twin motor version) that now starts the range at around £47k.

Is this just a normal XC40 with an e-motor shoved in?

The XC40 was designed from the beginning to take an electric powertrain, so it doesn’t suffer from some of the usual compromises that can happen here. It arguably doesn’t feel quite special enough inside to justify the price tag that its fancy electric tech demands, but to be fair to Volvo it throws in a lot of standard equipment to make you feel better about it.

The XC40 Recharge looks identical to its ICE and PHEV siblings, bar the now obligatory blanked-off body colour grille and Recharge branding on the C-pillar. The charging port is on the nearside front wing, there are bespoke alloy wheel designs and some new exterior colours.

Let’s talk numbers.

The XC40 Recharge comes with two powertrain options, the 228bhp single motor powertrain with 67kWh battery, and the perkier 402bhp twin motor set-up with 78kWh battery. These are officially rated at 264 and 270 miles of range, which is a reasonable number to aim for.

But wait! There is a caveat. At the start of 2023 Volvo announced that both powertrains would be getting updates later in the year, with slightly more power and more range in the offing. You can now only order the updated car on the configurator, so if you’re wondering why our numbers don’t match up with those on Volvo’s website, that’s the reason. Phew.

Two nice bits of trivia – the new-for-2023 rear-wheel drive single motor will be the first RWD Volvo of this millennium, and the twin motor is one of the elite band of Volvos to make it to 62mph from rest in under five seconds. Wow.

In more practical figures, the single motor will charge from 10 to 80 per cent of battery in 27 minutes on a 150kW charger, which is also impressively fast. More like 11 hours on your home wall box, mind. The updated twin motor will unlock 200kW charging when it arrives.

How does the XC40 Recharge drive?

It’s all very sensible, unless you’re in the ridiculously powerful twin motor, in which case it’s not very sensible. The XC40 is an easy car to live with day to day, if you’re worried about switching to electric.

The Plus-spec trim has a keyless entry system that means you can just leave the key in your pocket and don’t even need to press a start button, it just registers the pressure of your posterior on the driver’s seat and it’s ready to go. This is the pointiest and squirtiest of cars.

The twin motor car offers bonkers performance from a family crossover, but the whole range is impressively refined. The interior is decently put together with some interesting trim options, while the ride is smooth and sophisticated. You’ll be spoiled for other cheaper cars.

Our choice from the range

Volvo

170kW Recharge Plus 69kWh 5dr Auto

£48,245

We’ve loved the XC40 from the start but had a few reservations about the powertrains. Not any more. In EV guise the XC40’s worthier attributes – the thoughtful packaging, sense of wellbeing and design – are augmented by a remarkable new turn of speed. Like the Tesla Model 3 (and related Polestar 2), the XC40 Recharge makes an almost irresistible case for electrification.

Sure it’s not cheap, but it’s loaded with kit and the twin motor version has enough pace and balance on a good road to keep much more overtly sporting cars honest. The semi-skimmed single motor car is simply a great day to day family car.

Polestar 2

£39,845 – £68,845

Ford Mustang Mach-E

BMW iX3

Continue reading: Driving

Driving

What is it like to drive?

The two different powertrains on the XC40 Recharge offer very different experiences – this might be the smallest Volvo but it weighs in at 2.1 tonnes in twin motor guise, 175kg less if you go for the single motor set-up. Of course, we already knew that batteries are heavy, but beyond that what we have here is nothing less than the most dynamically excitable Volvo ever. Seriously.

Sure, the twin motor’s immense torque is guaranteed to raise a smile, but even increased familiarity with the wicked side of electrification doesn’t diminish the wow factor. But it’s also well-mannered with it, sling-shotting you out of corners or exiting roundabouts in a way that really is as amusing as it is addictive. Entry and mid-corner, that’s a different (less engaging) story. But getting on the power is a riot.

What about the single motor car? 

The single motor set-up is a more sedate experience, with almost half the power, a little less weight and two seconds or so slower to 62mph. In practical terms you’ll appreciate less power on a day to day basis. There are no driving modes in the XC40 Recharge, so it’s all there at a squeeze of your toes, while the single motor car is just a little less in your face.

How does it ride? 

The XC40 Recharge in whatever form disguises its weight well and copes admirably in all but the greasiest of conditions. The ride is beautifully damped and the suspension sophisticated in the way it can smooth out the worst of the UK’s tarmac excesses. The front suspension gets MacPherson struts with coil springs, and there’s a multi-link set-up at the rear. Volvo has never pretended to be the last word in driving dynamics or suspension kinematics, but the XC40 Recharge is more than deft enough.

Is it too much of a techfest?

It’s actually also very simple to use, which is a refreshing change among some of the nerdier class of EVs out there. There’s nothing to fear about going electric if it’s an XC40 you’re getting – the keyless entry option also does away with the start button, the car ready to go once you’re sat in the driver’s seat. You just select Drive and off you go.

There are no powertrain modes to twiddle with – you can firm up the steering if you want (it’s better than the floatier calibration), and set the braking to maximum regen for one-pedal operation and improved efficiency. That can take a little getting used to, but quickly becomes second nature.

What about safety?

That obviously remains a core part of Volvo’s philosophy. Innovations on this model include a rear auto brake that can sense if the car is about to be rear-ended and applies the brakes automatically to stop it slamming into the car ahead.

There’s also an enhanced Pilot Assist, which draws on Google Maps for speed limits and bends in the road. Volvo is probably further along the road to autonomous driving than most, but the XC40 Recharge doesn’t remonstrate with you by way of warning chimes should you stray across a white line.

Previous: Overview

Continue reading: Interior

Interior

What is it like on the inside?

The ambience inside the XC40 Recharge is all very calm and reassuring, with crisp graphics on the 12in digital instrument panel, although it is a bit annoying that you can’t change some of the information readouts, like electricity consumption, and the XC40 doesn’t tell you the remaining range unless you start wading through central infotainment menus. Still, can’t get range anxiety if you’ve got no idea what the range is, eh? Clever stuff.

What’s the infotainment like?

Volvo’s Android-based infotainment is almost likeable now that it’s been upgraded. It remains quite different to offerings from other carmakers, but is perfectly useful once you’re used to it.

The best thing about the infotainment is that you’ll actually want to use the satnav now – it uses Google Maps (you can also download extra apps from Google’s store), so you can sign in to your own account with all that entails.

The Google voice assistant also works quite well – it’s much better than voice operated systems elsewhere that have narrow operating windows and even then don’t always work very well.

Is it practical? 

Despite the relative size of the XC40 Recharge it’s still best suited to carrying four people rather than five. There’s decent leg room in the back for tall folks, but the middle seat is affected by the raised tunnel moving from front to rear. There’s a decent amount of cabin storage and it’s all very thoughtfully put together – you get a nifty little curry hook in the front passenger footwell, for instance.

Kids might feel a little shortchanged at the stylistic flourish that kicks up the rear window line through the back doors, somewhat cutting off their ability to look out the window.

They might not be assuaged by this, but you do also get 578 litres of space in the boot, which extends to 1,328 litres with the seats down. And a frunk under the bonnet, which is just big enough to keep your charging cables in. Who doesn’t love a frunk?

Previous: Driving

Continue reading: Buying

Buying

What should I be paying?

The XC40 Recharge started off very expensive as Volvo drip-fed us trim levels, starting with the most expensive options at launch. It’s a bit better now, starting from £46,505 for the Core-spec car with the single motor powertrain, but you can get a plug-in hybrid XC40 for nearly £2k less in a fancier trim and the petrol powered Core model starts at £36k.

What specs are on offer? 

There are three trim levels available – Core, Plus and Ultimate. Core gets you a decent standard spec – 19in wheels, cruise control, powered tailgate, rear parking sensors, auto wipers and headlights, dual-zone climate control, heated front seats, 12in digital instrument panel, wireless phone charging, smartphone integration and Volvo’s 9in infotainment set-up based on Android that uses Google Maps.

Plus starts at £52,55 and adds front parking sensors and a rear camera, a heat pump for added efficiency, heated rear seats and steering wheel and keyless go, while Ultimate costs from £56,605 and comes with 20in alloys, 360-degree parking cameras, a panoramic sunroof, Harmon Kardon sound system and fancy ambient lighting in the cabin.

What powertrains are there? 

Each XC40 Recharge trim is available with a single motor or twin motor powertrain. You’ll get 228bhp out of the former and 402bhp from the latter and it costs around £5k to add the extra power.

The single motor gets a 67kWh battery and front-wheel drive for an official WLTP range of 264 miles, while the twin motor cars get a 78kWh battery for a 270-mile range. The power increase drops 0–62mph performance from 7.4 seconds to 4.9s, but it does increase kerbweight from 1,955kg to 2,132kg. The XC40 Recharge is certainly no featherweight…

We should point out that both powertrains are due updates in 2023, with more power and more range on the horizon. The single motor is set to ditch front-wheel drive for RWD, too. You can already order those cars on Volvo’s online configurator, but we’ll have more for you when we’ve driven them.

What about leasing options? 

Now it’s not cheap, but if you like your car purchases to be as painless as possible then you could do worse than the Care by Volvo scheme, which gets you a car for a flat fee over a fixed monthly period with no deposit. And Volvo throws in roadside assistance, servicing, tax and suchlike into the bargain.

You’d pay £729 a month over 36 months for the entry level Core spec car, add £10 to get into the Plus model and add £20 for an Ultimate. You can even order your car online. Options are all clearly marked – it’s an extra £100 a month for the twin motor or £30 for the folding towbar, for instance. You choose your mileage, you can pay extra to be able to cancel with three months’ notice. All very simple.

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Continue reading: Specs & Prices

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