Volvo C40 Recharge Review

The C40 has a fastback rear end as opposed to the more boxy boot space of the SUV. The C40’s boot can accommodate 413 litres, compared to 452 litres for the XC40. There’s space under the boot floor, and a 31-litre storage compartment under the bonnet for charging cables.

Volvo has designed the interior with a minimalistic premium feel with most car controls accessed via the central touchscreen.

Most car controls are accessed via the central touchscreen. A button below the screen brings up four boxes for maps, media, phone and car status. There are permanent climate controls at the bottom of the screen. You can also press an icon with four small boxes at the bottom of the screen to bring up more controls.

There are no easily-accessible buttons on the dashboard for drive modes, and no physical controls to adjust the level of regenerative braking, but you can select an ‘Off-Road’ setting and One Pedal Drive mode in the touchscreen.

When parking, the screen shows a useful overhead view of the car and its surroundings, which is helpful because there’s a limited view out of the narrow rear window.

Like the XC40, the C40 provides no display of the car’s electric driving range. These are the only two EVs in existence that we’re aware of that don’t provide a range read-out. There is a battery percentage figure, and the range is shown when the battery gets down to 25%. Other than that, you can ask the in-car Google assistant what the range is.

The Volvo C40 Recharge has an official combined WLTP driving range of 266-269 miles. The all-wheel drive Volvo C40 Recharge Twin has a range of 273-274 miles (thanks to the larger battery). Real-world range is likely to be around 200-220 miles.

The C40 Recharge Twin can rapid charge at up to 150kW, when a 10-80% charge should take 37 minutes. A 0-100% charge using a 7.2 kWh home charger should take around 12 hours.

The Volvo C40 Recharge offers an SUV-like driving experience in a Crossover-Coupe silhouette. There’s a comfortable ride, and lots of performance in the case of the all-wheel drive model – which also provides lots of grip. The electric driving range of 273 miles is bettered by some rivals, and although the C40 has a premium feel, the price reflects this.