Volvo EX40 Review 2025

When initially launched, the electric Volvo XC40 Recharge impressed with its performance, but the range and price held it back. Over the several years that the car has been on sale, it's gone through countless incremental changes to boost its appeal in a variety of areas, including range and affordability, and it's now a rather different proposition. It also has a different name, because since a rebrand in 2024, it's now called the Volvo EX40. It's not the cheapest family electric car on sale, but it should definitely be on your shortlist. We'll explain all in our Volvo EX40 review.

The 'regular' Volvo XC40 has been one of the best small SUVs you can buy for several years, and has proved to be a big hit for the brand. Like every other car brand, Volvo has been transitioning towards a purely electric future over the past few years, and so we’ve seen the arrival of both plug-in hybrid variants and a full-on electric version, the latter of which we're talking about here.

Initially launched in 2020 and originally called the Volvo XC40 Recharge, these models sported a punchy twin-motor four-wheel-drive system that would provide a total output of 408PS and 660Nm of torque, resulting in the electric XC40 covering 0-62mph in a rapid 4.9 seconds. Not so impressive was the range, with the 78kWh battery delivering an official range of up to 269 miles. 

This was soon followed by single-motor front-wheel drive version, which was more affordable to buy, but many more changes were to come, and big ones at that. The first large tranche of changes arrived in 2023.

As before the Volvo EX40 was offered with the choice of two EV systems, a single-motor setup and a dual-motor setup, but there were a number of changes and revisions. Perhaps the biggest change for the single-motor car was the switch from front-wheel drive to rear-wheel drive, making it the first rear-wheel-drive Volvo in 25 years. The main reason for this switch is efficiency, with the single-motor car now coming with an official range of up to 290 miles from a maximum of 264 miles achievable on the front-wheel drive car. 

At the same time, the twin-motor Volvo EX40 came in for some attention as well. It's still just as quick, but the range was improved significantly by a new 82kWh battery (up from 78kWh), increasing to a much more respectable official maximum range of 334 miles. 

It was all-change again in 2024, when the name of the car itself was changed. More recent all-electric offerings to the Volvo SUV range had used the 'EX' prefix, so to fit in with that, the all-electric XC40 Recharge was rebranded as the EX40. The XC40 name continued for plug-in hybrid petrol versions of the car, though.

The changes have continued since then, though. Nowadays, you choose between four different powertrain options with the Volvo EX40 - Single Motor, Single Motor Extended Range, Twin Motor, Twin Motor Performance - with power outputs of between 238PS and 442PS, and range figures of between 296 miles and 355 miles.

One thing that hasn't changed too much over the years is the look of the car. Thanks to a subtle facelift in 2022, the Volvo EX40 still looks very sharp on the road. The only tell-tale difference between the standard car and the electric SUV is the concave grille of the combustion-engined car has been replaced by a body-coloured panel.

Due to the space saved by the absence of an engine, the Volvo EX40 gains a 31-litre ‘frunk’ storage area underneath the bonnet, while the Volvo EX40 has 413 litres of boot space at the rear (47 litres less than the combustion-engined car). 

Inside, the Volvo EX40 has a cabin broadly the same as the regular car, which means plenty of premium finishes and comfortable seating. There's also a decent Google-powered infotainment system called Android Automotive (not to be confused with Android Auto) with Google Maps and Google Assistant built-in. Apple users fear not as there's also Apple CarPlay connectivity. 

Volvo EX40: Charging times and range

Whether you’re looking at the Volvo EX40 or another electric car, we’d definitely advise installing a 7kW wallbox charger. Otherwise you’ll be waiting days - not hours - for your car to charge. 

Precisely how long you'll be waiting depends on which battery your EX40 has. If you're depending on a normal domestic three-pin socket, then cars with the 69kWh battery will take around 25.5 hours to fully charge, cars with the 78kWh battery will take 29 hours, and cars with the 82kWh pack will take to 30.5 hours. See, we weren't joking.

Do as we suggest and get a wallbox, and those charging times plummet to 9.5 hours for the 69kWh battery, 10.5 hours for the 78kWh battery and 11 hours for the 82kWh battery.

How quickly your XC40 Recharge/EX40 takes on a DC rapid charge will depend on how old it is. The original twin-motor car could accept a maximum charging rate of up to 150KW, while in the early single-motor car, this figure was slightly less at 130kW. Either way, a 10-80% charge could be delivered in around 35 minutes. During the 2023 revision, the twin-motor's maximum charging speed was upped to 200kW, dropping the 10-80% top-up figure to less than half an hour. These days, all versions of the car have 200kW DC rapid charging capability. As always however, expect to pay much more for public DC rapid charging than you do for charging at home: three times more is usually a good rule of thumb.

The official WLTP range these charges will give you depends on the trim level of your car, due to variations in vehicle weight and wheel size. The early front-wheel drive single-motor cars had a range of around 264 miles, but this was upped to around 290 miles in 2023 with the switch to rear-wheel drive. At the same time, the most powerful twin-motor car was given a bigger battery, upping that version's 269-mile range to a much more respectable 334 miles. 

Versions introduced later on both had the large 82kWh battery. The Single Motor Extended Range version is the leader of the pack for range on 355 miles, while the Twin Motor Performance has a figure of 326 miles.

The good news is that the polished ride-and-handling balance of the combustion-engined XC40 has been transferred over to the all-electric Volvo EX40. 

There’s no getting away from the fact that it’s a good bit heavier than the combustion-engined car due to the extra weight of the batteries running along the bottom of the car, but the Volvo EX40 is a nice and relaxed thing to drive overall. 

Expect the Volvo EX40 to cruise quietly at all speeds, but while it’s very refined overall, tyre roar can be an issue if you opt for the largest alloy wheels. Around town the car is smooth and settled, and while there isn’t the option to spec the Volvo EX40 with adaptive suspension, it’s certainly one of the more comfortable electric SUVs available. 

There’s no questioning how quick the Twin Motor Volvo EX40s are off the line, but don’t think you’re buying an electric SUV that can replace a hot hatch. This is a car that’s more suited to a more flowing, relaxed driving style, with the steering not as sharp as in some rivals. It’s also pretty tall, so expect some body roll, especially if you throw it into a corner a bit faster than you should.

We’ve said several times throughout this review that the XC40 Recharge/EX40 has undergone massive amounts of change over the years it’s been on sale as Volvo has periodically applied almost constant incremental updates. It’s even had a new name along the way for heaven’s sake. Well, perhaps is this nowhere more true than with the powertrains available.

It was initially launched in 2020 with a punchy twin-motor four-wheel-drive system that provided a total output of 408PS and 660Nm of torque, resulting in a rapid 0-62mph sprint time of 4.9 seconds. Not so impressive was the range, with the 78kWh battery delivering an official range of up to 269 miles.

This was soon followed by a single-motor front-wheel drive version, which was more affordable to buy. This had a lot less power at 231PS, but was still quick enough for the majority of drivers and delivered healthy off-the-line urge. It has a smaller 69kWh battery, though, so the range was smaller at 264 miles

The next set of changes arrived in 2023. As before, the Volvo XC40 Recharge was offered with the choice of two powertrains, a single-motor setup and a dual-motor setup, but there were a number of changes and revisions. The biggest change for the single-motor car was that it went from being front-wheel drive to rear-wheel drive. The main reason for the switch was efficiency: it still had the same 69kWh, but the single-motor car now had an official range of up to 290 miles where it had previously been 264 miles. Power was also hiked slightly from 231PS to 238PS, making it capable of dispatching the 0-62mph sprint in 7.4 seconds.

At the same time, the twin-motor Volvo EX40 got an overhaul as well. The power output of 408PS remained, but the use of new motors changed the power split. It had previously been 204PS at both the front and the rear, but that changed to 150PS at the front and 258PS at the rear for a more rear-biased feel. It was also a smidge quicker from 0-62mph at 4.8 seconds. The range was also improved significantly by a new 82kWh battery (up from 78kWh), increasing to a much more respectable official maximum range of 334 miles (up from 269 miles).

It was after this time that the name of the car was changed from XC40 Recharge to EX40, and that happened in mid-2024.

These days, you choose between four different powertrain options: Single Motor, Single Motor Extended Range, Twin Motor, and Twin Motor Performance.

The Single Motor has 238PS, and power comes from the 69kWh battery pack, giving it a range of 296 miles. The Single Motor Extended Range, meanwhile, gets the same larger 82kWh battery as the rest of the EX40 line-up, and as such, it has the longest range of the lot at 355 miles. It also has a little more power  than the other Single Motor car at 252PS, but due to the extra weight of its battery, it posts exactly the same performance figures as the entry-level car, with a 0-62mph time of 7.3 seconds.

The Twin Motor’s output remains at 408PS and the rest of the performance and range figures remain pretty much the same, too (0-62mph in 4.8 seconds, range of 332 miles).  The Twin Motor Performance hikes the output up to an even-more-bonkers 442PS, chopping another two tenths off the 0-62mph sprint time and dropping the official WLTP combined range to 326 miles.

We’ll be honest, we think that both Twin Motor variants are complete overkill in a car like this, and are way faster than they need to be. Save yourself the cash and go with one of the more restrained variants, which are plenty quick enough.

Euro NCAP elected not to test the all-electric version of the XC40, even after it became the EX40, because it's too similar to both the combustion-engined XC40 and the EC40 all-electric coupe-SUV variant, both of which have already been tested. Happily, both scored the full five stars. 

The Volvo EX40 has a high level of standard safety tech. This includes automatic emergency braking (known as AEB and referred to by Volvo as City Safety autonomous emergency braking) and Oncoming Lane Mitigation that helps stop the Volvo EX40 driving over the road's centre line and into danger.

Adaptive cruise control also became standard throughout the range later in the car's life, while Volvo’s Pilot Assist tech comes on all but the entry-level car: this is a more sophisticated version of ACC that provides a moderate level of autonomous driving on motorways, making automatic steering, acceleration and braking inputs (though you’ll still need to have your hands on the wheel).

If you're looking to tow with an electric Volvo EX40, the four-wheel-drive Twin Motor versions have a maximum braked towing weight of 1800kg, while the Single Motor versions have a maximum braked towing weight of 1500kg.

The Volvo EX40 is exactly the same size as the Volvo XC40, making it a little smaller than both the BMW iX1 and Audi Q4 e-tron. Step inside the Volvo EX40 and you certainly don’t feel squeezed in, with plenty of space up front and in the rear. 

As you’d expect, there’s a high driving position, while the front seats are incredibly comfortable and ideal for long journeys. There are also plenty of storage solutions dotted around the front of the cabin, including a wide centre console. 

In the back, even tall adults shouldn’t feel hemmed in, though we’d recommend no more than two adults in the back as the big hump in the centre of the floor will make things pretty uncomfortable for the person sitting in the middle seat.

Kids will have lots of space, and there are two Isofix fittings on the outer-rear seats. The only downside is that there might be some complaints from kids that they can’t see out that easily due to the window line of the Volvo EX40 that rises up towards the rear. 

The Volvo EX40's 413 litres of boot space might be less than the combustion-engined XC40’s 460 litres, but the front gains a 31-litre ‘frunk’ storage area where the engine would normally sit. Still, it's down on rivals like the BMW iX1, which has a 540-litre boot. 

As we’ve come to expect from Volvo, the quality of the Volvo EX40's interior is one of the best we’ve seen in a small SUV.

The sophisticated and fuss-free design of the interior is complemented by an array of quality materials, while all the key touch points are nicely engineered. There’s also some nice attention to detail as well. Rather than having hard plastic trim from the footwell to the centre console, the Volvo EX40's floor carpets extend up to cover that area, while the door panels also have carpet trim.

The Volvo EX40 has a 9.0-inch portrait-format infotainment screen, and the system is driven by Google Android Automotive. This means that your navigation is powered by Google Maps, your voice control is powered by Google Assistant, and you can download apps directly to the car from Google Play.

Initially, there was no smartphone mirroring for Android users, but don't fret as all you have to do is sign into your Google account and it's a home-away-from-home. For example, if you've used Google Maps on your smartphone or laptop, you'll be able to find previous address searches on the Volvo EX40 Google Maps, while all your subscribed podcasts will be there as well. Some Android users still didn't like the lack of Android Auto, though, so Volvo introduced as it standard later on.

Apple users also have Apple CarPlay should they want it, and music aficionados will want to opt for the top-of-the-range Volvo EX40 in Ultra trim that comes with the 13-speaker Harman Kardon sound system from the options list. The addition of a subwoofer, more watts and Dolby Pro Logic TT surround sound is a nice upgrade over the standard eight-speaker set up.

If you're buying brand new, prices start at around £45,000 for the Single Motor, while the Single Motor Extended range costs just shy of £2000 more, which many buyers will be prepared to pay for the extra range it gives you. It's quite a jump up in price for the Twin Motor: this starts at around £57,000, while the further upgrade to the Twin Motor Performance will cost about a grand.

This is not a cheap car, then, but then again, no all-electric premium SUV is ever going to be, and compared with its direct rivals, it actually looks very competitive. That said, electric SUV from more mainstream brands will cost you a chunk less. We certainly wouldn't bother paying the extra for the Twin Motor versions of the EX40 when they're so much more expensive, and the extra performance they give you is so pointless.

If you're buying used, you stand to make considerable savings. Around £20,000 should be enough to get you an XC40 Recharge Twin Motor from 2021 (that's all there was back then) with around 50,000 miles on the clock. Around the same sum will get you a younger example of the early single-motor car with slightly lower mileage.

Buyers considering a used example do need to be careful, though, because in the past, Volvo has - somewhat confusingly - used the XC40 Recharge name to signify the plug-in hybrid versions of the car as well. It sounds basic, but when viewing a used purchase, be sure to look under the bonnet to make 100% sure of which one it is. If there's a frunk underneath, it's the EV. If there's a 1.5-litre petrol engine, it's the PHEV.

If you'd rather not take the chance and want to go for an EX40 rather than and XC40 Recharge, these will start at around £34,000 for 2024 and 2025 cars. These will be a mixture of Single Motor and Single Motor Extended Range variants all with a negligible four-figure mileage.

Charging your EX40 at home will be by far the cheapest way to fuel your car. Assuming that your domestic electricity is billed at the UK's national average of around 28p per kWh, then a full charge of the EX40's 69kWh battery will cost around £19, while it'll be around £22 on cars with the 78kWh battery and around £23 for cars with the 82kWh battery.

Most drivers will charge their cars overnight, and provided that you're on the right tariff, that means you'll be charging on heavily discounted off-peak power. If so, then you can easily halve the costs already quoted.

Public DC rapid chargers may be a lot quicker and more convenient, but they're also much more expensive. It's not uncommon to see prices of 90p per kWh on even relatively slow ones, so you're looking at trebling the costs previously quoted for each charge on one of those. That's why we'd only use them when you absolutely have to, and you certainly shouldn't rely on them on a regular basis.

The Volvo EX40 comes with a three-year/60,000-mile warranty, while the battery has an eight-year/100,000-mile warranty. In the manufacturer standings of the latest HonestJohn.co.uk Satisfaction Index, Volvo came 21st out of 33 carmakers for reliability, which is a very average result.

Where once you paid nothing in VED road tax for a zero-emission electric vehicle, that loophole has now been closed, so you pay the same flat rate of tax as all other cars. And it's a double-whammy of bad news on that score, because all versions of the car cost more than the £40,000 threshold that triggers the 'luxury car surcharge', meaning you'll be stung for that as well for a five-year period, and the cost is steep.

Like everything else with the Volvo EX40, there has been lots of change over time when it comes to the trim levels available.

Volvo initially launched the XC40 Recharge with a range of trims familiar to the Volvo range, including the ever-popular R Design trim, and these were then replaced by Twin, Twin Plus and Twin Pro trims. A while later, and moving in line with the rest of the Volvo range, the XC40 Recharge then became available in Core, Plus and Ultimate trim levels. These days, the car is now called the Volvo EX40, and it comes in Core, Plus, Plus Pro and Ultra trims.

As well as the trim levels changing over time, the level of equipment that came with each of them improved periodically over time, too. So, if you're buying used, bear in mind that later cars might well be significantly better equipped than earlier ones of an equivalent spec.

The current trim structure begins with entry-level Volvo EX40 Core trim, which is still pretty impressively specced. It gets:

• 19-inch alloy wheels
• 12.3-inch digital instrument display
• 9.0-inch central touchscreen
• wireless phone charging
• heated front seats
• dual-zone climate control
• LED headlamps
• front- and rear parking sensors
• reversing camera
• adaptive cruise control
• automatic wipers
• electrically operated tailgate

Next up is the Volvo EX40 Plus and in addition, this gets:

• heated steering wheel
• Pilot Assist
• fog lamps
• blind spot assist
• cross traffic alert
• rear collision warning
• power driver's seat adjustment
• heated rear seats
• part-leatherette upholstery

In addition to this, the Volvo EX40 Plus Pro gets:

• 360-degree cameras
• pixel LED headlights with cleaners
• side parking sensors
• tinted rear windows

At the top of the range sits the Volvo EX40 Ultra and this version gets luxuries including:

• Harman Kardon premium sound system
• panoramic roof
• power front passenger seat adjustment
• power folding rear head restraints