Volvo XC40 2025 review: Recharge Plus long-term | Part 3

As we hand the keys back for our XC40, it’s a good time to reflect on what has made it such a successful example of a combustion car making the switch to pure electric.

Volvo tells us more than half of new XC40 buyers are picking an electric version and after three months and around 3000km behind the wheel, it’s not hard to see why.

Still, there are some things you should know before you pick an XC40 as your next car - so stick with us to see our final thoughts on this entry-level electric version, including what we loved about it, what we didn’t like so much, and what kind of buyer I think it best suits.

How much does the XC40 Recharge Plus Electric cost to run?

Now at the end of our test, we can calculate roughly what it’s cost us to run the electric XC40 in our time since picking it up. In total, I travelled 2818km with an average energy consumption of 16.8kWh/100km. For the sake of argument and easy maths, let’s round that distance up to 3000km and ignore the full charge the car came with, which leaves us with a total consumption of 504kWh.

A worst-case charging scenario of only using DC fast chargers (which, admittedly I used a lot because I meant I only had to charge once every two or so weeks and only for about 40 minutes at a time) at a rate of $0.64 per kWh, leaves us with a total cost of $322.56 for three months.

It’s significantly cheaper than fuel (a 2.0-litre turbo XC40 at the official fuel consumption would require at least $414 of fuel at the current average price in Sydney), but if that number surprises you with how high it is, keep in mind that if you exclusively charge at home this electric version will be significantly cheaper again. For the same consumption, expect closer to $80 for three months of running costs.

I can’t charge at home because I don’t have power to the garage, however, I was able to top up several times for free at some nearby AC charging stations, which means the actual total running cost I estimate to be somewhere between $200 - $250 for my three months with the car.

Other expenses? At least for the first five years there won’t be many. Not only does the XC40 Recharge only require servicing once every two years or 20,000km, but the brand also throws in the first ‘five years’ of maintenance (so, two services) for free.

Is the XC40 big enough for families?

It depends on the size of your family. If you have one child, it’s probably fine, if you have more than that, it might get tight quickly.

This is for a few reasons. As we talked about in previous chapters, there’s simply not a lot of storage space in the XC40’s cabin, especially compared to dedicated EVs, largely because it is based on a combustion car platform.

This is evident in the design of the centre console in particular where I frequently ran out of storage space. The doors have a small bottle holder and pocket, while the centre console at least offers two decent bottle holders.

As mentioned previously, there’s a lot of space lost to the wireless charger which takes up pretty much the entire tray below the multimedia screen, an odd flip-open ashtray piece, and even the armrest console box is a bit shallow. This led to frequently running out of space in the cockpit, unfortunately.

On the other hand, I am a fan of the XC40’s almost minimalist cabin design. The screen (which looks small in today’s market) is nice and straightforward to use.

It’s not the most functional software, and ships with just a handful of apps, but I found while it may not have the depth of functionality of, say, a Tesla, I didn’t want for more features, and meaningful software updates brought useful additions like the ETA and distance to the dash cluster, which was not present when I picked the car up.

It is unfortunate you have to negotiate with the climate via a touch-based menu, although there are buttons for the de-fogger and a dial for audio volume.

The rear seat appears spacious initially. The outboard positions have enough room for full-size adults. At 182cm tall I have enough knee and headroom, although the centre position is tight, and there’s a raise for the transmission tunnel on combustion variants which removes legroom for occupants in this position.

Amenity-wise you score USB-C ports, outboard heated seats, and adjustable air vents, although the pockets in the doors are tiny and the nets on the backs of the front seats are pretty ordinary (and never wear well).

The biggest issue is using the rear area to load unwieldy objects or use it at night. This is because the rear doors don’t open up very far and have pretty chunky armrests, so clearance for loading luggage, a baby seat, or even a large dog, is not easy.

Additionally, because the XC40 has a panoramic sunroof, there’s no rear dome light, and it has dark trim all round with tinted windows, so it’s pitch-black at night.

There are definitely more space-efficient options in this category, and definitely ones which will be easier to use for families. Worth keeping in mind if you’re comparing the XC40 against other premium cars, let alone other EVs.

To its credit, the XC40 does have a large and quite versatile boot area. Measuring 410 litres, the space is square and functional, with a trick floor which can lift to split the boot in half if you don’t want smaller items to move around too much.

It also gets a decent under-floor storage area good for charging cables, but no spare wheel which is a bummer for long-distance travellers.

It also scores a 31-litre frunk area, which can be good for charging gear. I used it for this when I had the boot loaded up for a trip in the event that I wanted to AC charge because I would otherwise have to completely unload the boot to get to the underfloor area.

Is the XC40 Recharge good to drive?

In a word: Yes.

The XC40 is a simple, friendly car to get behind the wheel of. Not only are you not dealing with arcane features, like the Tesla Model Y’s wacky centre screen and lack of dash, but it also feels straightforward when it comes to operating it.

The steering is nice and light in its standard mode, making a heavy battery-laden EV feel light and easy to navigate in tight quarters, and it firms up at speed, giving you just enough feedback for confidence in the corners.

It’s also fairly rapid off-the-line. This XC40 isn’t face-melting like some rival EVs can be, instead it takes on more of a sensible character, with the motor tuned to wind power out smoothly so it doesn’t break traction.

It also has a heavy single-pedal regenerative braking mode. Again, this is cleverly tuned so it winds the regen on slowly enough that it’s not jerky, but also strong enough that you can accurately modulate your speed without the need to also use the brake pedal.

It will take a day or so to get used to, but then it’s hard to live without, even compared to other EVs which don’t execute single-pedal-drive with such success.

One thing I’m shocked about is how Volvo doesn’t brag more about these deep MY24 upgrades which came with the launch of this rear-wheel drive version.

The suspension has been completely re-worked and it’s much more compliant than before. It’s still firm enough to control the weight of the batteries under the floor in corners, but it’s also added a soft edge to what used to be a pretty hard ride in this car’s previous incarnation.

This version of the car also isn’t an athlete by any means. Is it sufficient for tearing up a few corners? I suppose. If you’re a keen driver, the better option is the related Polestar 2, but it’s even less practical on the inside.

Is the Volvo XC40 Recharge energy efficient?

I mentioned this in previous chapters, but now at the end of the test it’s worth calling out the final energy efficiency number of 16.8kWh/100km is less than the official number (17.2kWh/100km) which meant not only was my car reporting more range than its sticker claim at 100 per cent (450km vs 430km), but it takes the XC40 from the back of the efficiency pack to more like the middle. Anything less than 17kWh/100km in an EV this size is pretty good.

For what it’s worth, Volvo is also one of few brands which offers a lifecycle emissions report for its vehicles. Available on the website, this report, which is produced by the brand claiming to track emissions throughout its production chain, allows you to see how many kilometres you’d have to drive this EV for to break even with a standard XC40. Sure, it could be elaborate greenwashing, but the report isn’t exactly complementary, particularly if you’re charging up from coal.

For example, over its lifecycle, Volvo says the twin motor version (so, it will be better for this 2WD, but still) will emit 54 tonnes of C02 into the environment compared to the 59 tonnes for the combustion version.

Interestingly, the brand says you can halve this to just 27 tonnes if you charge exclusively via renewables (theoretically possible, if you lived in the ACT or SA instead of NSW or Victoria or if you have a robust home solar set-up). Food for thought for the eco-conscious among you.

What’s the Volvo XC40 Recharge like to... recharge?

On par for the segment, certainly. Expect the industry standard 11kW on AC (for a charge time of about six hours from 10 per cent) or about 150kW on DC for a 10-80 per cent charge time of roughly half an hour.

As mentioned in previous chapters, the issue with charging this car isn’t capability, it’s that the charge network is currently struggling to keep up with demand. Do your research on local charging locations if you’re planning on making the jump to EV.

Don’t forget

Before we sign this one off, the Volvo XC40 Recharge will simply become the Volvo EX40 before the end of the year, and will dump the clumsy ‘Recharge Pure Electric’ stuff from the end of its name.

There will be no spec changes associated with this the local division tells us, just the badge of the car, so that it can live alongside the EX30 and EX90 in the brand’s line of fully electric vehicles.

So, should you buy a Volvo XC40 Plus Electric?

Despite this base design having a few years on it now compared to many of its competitors, I still think it’s one of the best offerings out there in this space right now.

It doesn’t have the same price appeal it may have once had when it first launched (especially mainstream EVs have moved down in the price-scale since then), but I think it’s made the switch to electric very successfully, offering suitable range and charging specs with what remains one of the best small SUV design treatments on the market right now. 

Who will it best suit? Thanks to its easy-going charm but lack of a truly spacious cabin design, I think it will work best for either empty nesters or small families (likely with just one child) who want to switch to zero emissions motoring in this premium SUV space.

Acquired: June 2024

Distance travelled this month: 1137km

Odometer: 4137km

Average energy consumption this month: 16.8kWh/100km