Volvo EC40 long-term test

The car Volvo EC40 Plus, single motor extended range Run by Mark Pearson, used cars editor

Why it’s here To see if this suave and upmarket coupé SUV can cut it against several similar electric car rivals in this highly competitive class 

Needs to It’ll need to dispatch commuting, work and family life without any range anxiety issues and cope with a wide variety of everyday duties

Miles covered 4096 Price £54,305 Target price £52,167 Price as tested £55,055 Official range 345 miles Test range 278 miles Private price £35,080 Dealer price £34,075 Running costs (excluding depreciation) £292.40 

21 April 2025 – Pretty as a picture

Ii What Car? tests, we prefer to focus on things that can be measured objectively, so looks – a purely subjective matter – don’t influence our judgements. But when I’m choosing a new car for myself, looks can absolutely play a part; in fact, as I mentioned in my first report on the Volvo EC40, I specifically chose this electric coupé SUV over the brand’s more practical and subcutaneously similar Volvo EX40 family SUV because I thought it looked nicer.

However, after six months with the EC40, I feel that it would be a good choice, irrespective of whether it resembled a giant catfish or Margot Robbie. Use one almost every day, as I have been doing, and you will find it good to drive, refined, upmarket in feel and usefully efficient.

For me, what really sets it apart from rivals such as the Audi Q4 Sportback e-tron and Skoda Enyaq Coupé is the sense of quality that it exudes. This starts with the exterior finish. My car’s lustrous sage green paint attracted comments from many passers-by. And I have to admit I think I did the right thing in specifying 20in wheels in place of the standard 19in alloys; they filled the arches better and gave my car a more purposeful stance – although I did have to take care not to kerb them when parallel parking.

That the EC40’s interior is entirely leather-free and instead uses materials all made using responsibly sourced or partially recycled upholstery only makes it more impressive. Where plastics have been used, especially in the areas that you look at and touch regularly, the overall effect is still decidedly upmarket.

There’s also some great ambient and adjustable backlighting in the front of the car and on the doors, and a panoramic glass roof that did much to brighten up the interior. Add in proper, physical switches, knobs and steering wheel controls – all of which work with satisfying precision – and you begin to understand why people get excited about Volvo interiors.

True, I couldn’t work out how to get Apple CarPlay phone mirroring working on the car’s somewhat fiddly infotainment screen, and I had no more success with Volvo’s own Connect system. But, being a technophobe, I accepted that this was probably my own fault. At least I was able to make and receive phone calls via Bluetooth in the usual way.

Similarly, I never really understood why the radio would sometimes come on straight away when I started the car, but on other occasions I’d have to wait for a few seconds.

More gratifying was the EC40’s efficiency. I covered more than 4000 miles in my car, and over the course of my tenure it averaged a respectable 3.7 miles per kilowatt hour – a figure that translated to a real-world range of 278 miles. Even in cold conditions, the efficiency didn’t drop all that much.

True, some rivals can go farther between top-ups, but it was enough to ensure that I never suffered from range anxiety – aided by the safety net of being able to charge at home and therefore starting journeys with a full ‘tank’ if necessary.

Although I never had any temptation to try to hustle it, the EC40 felt stable on the motorway and secure and grippy along twisty roads. Meanwhile, the ride could be unsettled around town but smoothed out nicely at higher speeds. Combined with low noise levels, the EC40 made for a comfortable long-distance cruiser.

Despite its curvy shape, the EC40 still proved to be spacious and practical enough for a family of four. Rearward visibility was pretty dire, though, due to chunky side and rear pillars, imposing head restraints and a shallow rear screen. While my car came with parking sensors and a rear-view camera to help out when parking, there were a few times at oblique junctions when I struggled to see if anything was approaching.

So, yes, my time with the EC40 revealed some flaws, but overall it was an easy and pleasant (if pricey) car to live with. I put my faith in my eyes, and that was justified; its beauty was more than skin deep.

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