Volvo XC40 Recharge electric review: range, battery & charging
The electric XC40 has received a range boost for 2023, while rapid charging speeds remain competitive for its class
| Model | Range | Wallbox charge time | Rapid charge time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single-motor | 290 miles | 10hrs 45mins (0-100%, 7.4kW) | 34mins (10-80%, 130kW) |
| Twin-motor | 334 miles | 12hrs 30mins (0-100%, 7.4kW) | 28mins (10-80%, 200kW) |
Two versions of the XC40 Recharge are available, both of which received range and efficiency boosts in early 2023. The entry-level, single-motor model features a 67kWh battery – the same as before – while the range-topping twin version is now fitted with a 79kWh battery, up from 75kWh previously. The XC40 Twin is also capable of slightly faster rapid charging speeds than the base model – 200kW rather than 130kW.
Volvo XC40 Recharge electric range
The entry-level XC40 Recharge single-motor now offers 290 miles of range – up by 26 miles on the pre-2023 version. This extra range boost has been achieved with the switch from front-wheel drive to rear-wheel drive, according to Volvo – improving efficiency in the process. The dual-motor XC40 also gained some extra range – this time thanks to a larger battery – and can now cover up to 334 miles on a charge, compared to 259 miles when it launched.
We have now tried one of the updated models, though the XC40 we drove was a dual-motor version. Our experience with a revised, single-motor C40 (the XC40’s sleeker, couple-style sibling) did suggest marked improvements in efficiency – to the tune of around 30 more miles in day-to-day driving. Thanks to their recent updates, the XC40 Recharge's range is now on par with rivals like the Hyundai Ioniq 5, Audi Q4 e-tron and – in Twin form, it even beats the Tesla Model Y Long Range.
Following our drives, we reckon you can expect a range of around 220-240 miles in a new single-motor XC40 Recharge, or roughly 270-290 miles in the dual-motor XC40 Recharge Twin. So even if you commute vast distances or plan to use your electric XC40 for the occasional long road trip, it should offer enough range for the job.
Charge time
If you run the battery to near-flat, fully recharging it at home from a standard 7.4kW wallbox will take over 12 hours for the twin-motor model, or just under 11 hours for the entry-level version. Alternatively, if your property has three-phase electricity (most don’t), the XC40 Recharge can take advantage of faster 11kW home charging, reducing those times to just under seven and just over eight hours respectively for the smaller and larger batteries.
The new XC40 Twin (built from mid-2023 on) boasts a slightly faster maximum charging rate of 200kW, up from 150kW in the older version. The revised single-motor model, however, saw its peak charge rate drop to 130kW due to a change in battery supplier. That means that despite its bigger battery the dual-motor car can recharge from 10-80% faster (28 minutes) than the single-motor version (34 minutes) using a suitably fast rapid charger. Don’t dismay, however, even that single motor charging time isn’t far off the class average.
