2024 Volvo XC40 Recharge Consumer Reviews
Pricing
Single Motor Core (Editors' Pick) - $53,645 MSRP
Edmunds suggests you pay
$40,553 Federal EV Tax Credit: not eligible The Single Motor Core trim does not qualify for the Clean Vehicle Credit.
Prices based on sales in TX thru 6/2/25
Final assembly in Belgium
We have a limited number of reviews for the 2024 XC40 Recharge, so we've included reviews for other years of the XC40 Recharge since its last redesign.
Shockingly good EV
TW, 02/22/2021
2021 Volvo XC40 Recharge Pure Electric P8 4dr SUV AWD (electric DD)
48 of 59 people found this review helpful
We’ve had our Volvo XC40 Recharge for about 6 weeks. I expect that many of you considering this car have never owned an EV before, it was our first, too. I’ll cover the car itself and also touch on EV ownership. To cut to the chase, I really love this car and I am enjoying driving electric. Driving this car always puts a smile on my face. With 400+ horsepower, this is very fast for an SUV. The XC40 Recharge feels effortless accelerating from any speed. The other great thing about an EV is that there is no transmission and no gears so when you hit the gas to accelerate, there is no lag waiting for the transmission to downshift, it just takes off. And with an electric drivetrain there is no engine noise at all. With the battery below you, most of the weight is really low so there is no body roll when going through corners. It’s an awesome driving experience. Looks are subjective but I appreciate the understated Swedish design of the XC40 Recharge. In my opinion, it’s one of those few vehicles that looks great from any angle. Our vehicle is an R-Design as it seems that all of the Recharges headed for the US as at the moment. For its class, the interior is quite good. There’s probably a bit more hard plastic than I would like but that’s nitpicking. I am 6’2” and have a big build. I don’t fit well in most European cars as most have sports seats which frankly I just don’t fit in. I have plenty of room in the XC40 and I’ve climbed in the back and I am comfortable there too. Trunk space is decent and more than adequate to haul groceries for a family of 5. Bottom line, while it is a small SUV, it doesn’t really feel that way inside. The XC40 Recharge infotainment runs Android. This isn’t just Android Auto, it actually is Android. This really makes things like voice commands work well. Every other car I’ve had, voice commands are frustrating and I never end up using them. In this car it works great as it leverages Android’s voice capability. Just say, Hey Google and whatever you want and it figures it out. Which brings me to the other advantage of Android, Google Maps. The car’s nav runs real honest to goodness Google Maps and works just as well as on your phone. It will find and insert charging stops into your journey if you exceed the range of your car. Apps can be downloaded from Android Play to stream music and other types of entertainment. To set expectations, there are only a handful of apps right now as Volvo and Polestar are the first cars to run Android natively. I expect more apps to show up if other manufacturers jump on the Android bandwagon. So let’s talk about owning an EV now. It seems that concerns over range are the primary worries about people considering an EV. I was concerned too but I am over it now. My advice, if you own your own home, have a 50 amp circuit installed in your garage. This will allow you to charge your car from empty to full overnight (about 8 hours if you were truly at 0% charge). Home charging allows you to come out to a fully charged car every day. For us, we don’t take long trips that often and when we do, we will just let Google Maps plan out the stops. I think many under-estimate how nice home charging is. Just plug in when you pull in the garage for the night and unplug in the morning. While I am on the topic, the stated range from Volvo is 208 miles. In the last 6 weeks, I would say that is very reasonable. We’ve had a few longer drives where our consumption would put the range as high as 240 miles. At highway speeds (70-80mph) and low temps you may be below the stated range. I would say expect anywhere from 170 - 240 miles per change depending on conditions, speed and frankly how much lead is in your foot. On price, entry point is about $53k with many hitting dealer lots in the $58k range. That’s not cheap for a small SUV. It represents about a $10k uplift over the XC40 T5 R-Design. This vehicle does qualify for the federal $7500 credit and you may have other state credits, too. Factoring in the tax credit, is this worth a $2500 uplift over the T5? Absolutely, without question. It’s (lots) faster, quieter, smoother and costs less to operate. Be aware though, you only get the credit if you buy instead of lease. Before buying the Volvo we drove a Tesla model 3. I felt the Tesla was a bit unrefined. It rattled over rough pavement and both my wife and I found the seats uncomfortable. That said, Tesla is ahead on efficiency (better MPGe) and Tesla’s autonomous driving tech is second to none. If those are more important to you, I encourage you to give Tesla a look. We went with a Volvo because it felt more like a luxury vehicle and had a more traditional car configuration (there is a drivers instrument panel!). I love pretty much everything about this car. After owning an EV, I also doubt I’ll ever go gas again. If you are looking for a nice alternative to Tesla, give the XC40 Recharge a try.
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Love it!
George Wood, 02/12/2022
updated 02/20/2025
2022 Volvo XC40 Recharge Ultimate 4dr SUV AWD (electric DD)
6 of 6 people found this review helpful
A great SUV for short trips, 2 people and a dog, around town use. Very comfortable, will seat 4 adults readily. Extremely good acceleration, timed recharge make recharging after midnight easy. I said short trips. That is about 100 mile radius because range is just over 200 miles. I find storage adequate, but my 2020 Honda CRV had a bit more storage, which made handling my walker a little easier. My wife, myself and our dog can easily handle all items needed for a weekend trip to a vacation condo about 50 miles one way away. I love all the gadgets in the Ultimate trim, and use most of them. Am beginning to learn about “Hey Google” but have not had a lot of use for it yet. All my recharges so far have been on my home charger, so, don’t know how the public chargers work. All in all, I am delighted with the XC40 Recharge Ultimate and would buy it again. GHWood. [contact info removed]
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2024 Volvo XC40 Recharge for sale near you
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This EV hits the sweet spot.
Lew, 07/07/2023
updated 01/11/2024
2023 Volvo XC40 Recharge Ultimate 4dr SUV AWD (electric DD)
5 of 5 people found this review helpful
We have had this car for 3 weeks, and love it. We have had none of the problems the others have had with the electronics. The "Hey, Google" voice control is great. Our other two cars are gas-powered BMW's, one more of a sports car than this and one more luxurious than this. Still, the Recharge hits its own sweet spot, quiet, comfortable, and practical, so that both my wife and I love driving it. I watched a YouTube video from England, comparing a Tesla 3, the XC 40 Recharge, and a car that we don't get here, a BMW X1 EV. Tesla was considered to be in 1st place for the electric part of EV but third place for the vehicle part--things like seats and ride. The BMW was faster and more spacious than the Volvo and was the 1st choice of two reviewers, while the third reviewer said that for himself, he would choose the Volvo. He didn't need the slightly greater speed or space, and he liked driving around in the Volvo the most. That is the way that we feel--this car hits a sweet spot. If you are in the market, you should give this a try.
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Love the car - but no AM radio
Bob, 06/07/2021
2021 Volvo XC40 Recharge Pure Electric P8 4dr SUV AWD (electric DD)
11 of 13 people found this review helpful
I've had the XC40 Recharge for two weeks now and I love it. Quick, smooth and easy to drive. I take a canyon to work and it handles the curves easily. The lower than expected center of gravity because of the batteries is really nice. I have mine set for one pedal drive (taking my foot off the "gas" automatically applies recharge braking), which really saves on battery usage, and my car came with adaptive cruise control which also saves the battery on the freeway. My only gripe is, no AM radio, it does have FM (but not HD FM). The car has several Android radio apps, so you can listen to the local news, but you sometimes get other city commercials. Living in Los Angeles we heard San Francisco advertisements, which was kind of funny. When I bought the car, I had to sign a paper that said that the Apple Car Play isn't available yet. Apple Car Play is expected towards the end of 2021. That being said, the Google operating system still works great. Bluetooth sync'd with my phone and pulled all my phone numbers, favorites and all my saved locations from Google Maps, which was a real timesaver. The only thing I miss right now is having the phone read me my texts and the ability to respond to them. Our local power company does have options to save on electricity, but I can charge for free at work and it might not be worth the hassle to set up at home. I am still going to have a 240 volt plug installed because it's much faster than being plugged into a wall outlet. I'm thinking of replacing my wifes XC60 in a few years, with an electric version if it's available.
2.5 years of ownership. Still loving it.
Steve, 08/21/2021
updated 08/29/2024
2021 Volvo XC40 Recharge Pure Electric P8 4dr SUV AWD (electric DD)
18 of 23 people found this review helpful
I’ve owned and driven countless cars in my 48 years of driving, personal vehicles, company cars, rentals, many muscle cars, but the XC40 recharge purchased 2.5 years ago is the most exciting and fun car I have ever experienced. It is fantastic and I can’t find fault with it. It is deceptively and thrillingly fast, super quiet on the road, feels as solid and safe as a small tank. Has no rattles or squeaks whatsoever and the Harmon Karmon audio system is very, very nice. For a small SUV my wife and I do not feel cramped in it, my Golden Retriever fits in the back without having to lay the seats down. It charges easily and mine came with a home charger I had installed and my power company gave me a credit for doing it. Who would believe that would happen? I use this car for local trips around town and it suits the role perfectly. One pedal driving is the only way to go and not even having to push a start button to go is incredible. Last year I bought a Toyota Venza for long highway drives so Volvo range was never an issue for me. However, I am already considering changing the Venza over to something electric in a couple of years when all EVs battery range will surely improve. For now, 208 mile range is fine, especially considering the excitement of driving this amazing machine.
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