Volvo EC40 long-term test

The Volvo EC40 is a stylish and all-electric take on one of our favourite cars: the Volvo XC40. But what’s it like to live with? Our used cars editor is finding out...

Updated21 April 2025

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

In my first report on my Volvo EC40, I mentioned that I only chose this coupé SUV over the more practical and subcutaneously similar Volvo EX40 family SUV because I thought it looked nicer. For someone in my profession or trade, I can see that leaves me on somewhat shaky ground because we all know that the looks of a car are an entirely subjective matter - working for What Car?, my judgments are meant to be drawn from more objective matter.

However, after over 4000 miles and six months with the car, I now find that I was right in my choice anyway, irrespective of whether or not people think the EC40 resembles a giant catfish or Margot Robbie. You see, it is a thoroughly nice electric SUV. Use one as I have been doing almost every day and you will find it a welcome companion, good to drive, decently refined, smart inside, upmarket in feel and usefully efficient.

I could also add that during its time with me, it was reliable, and nothing fell off or went wrong. That I couldn’t work out a way to connect up Apple CarPlay might have been more down to me than the car because I also failed to make Volvo’s own Connect system work. Being a technophobe, I accepted this and rather than making and receiving text messages on the move, I went back to communicating with everyone via pigeon instead.

Likewise, I eventually got used to the fact that sometimes when I got back into the car, the radio I had been listening to would come back on straightaway, and sometimes it wouldn’t come on again for some time, something that strained my limited understanding.

I also got used to what is perhaps the EC40’s worst feature, which is its rear visibility, perhaps a corollary of its swoopy outline. Luckily, my car came with both rear parking sensors and a rear-view camera to counteract that, but there were times at oblique junctions when a better view out the rear would have been useful.

I would also have to add that there was a hint of untidiness to the ride on broken road surfaces, the car’s only real dynamic flaw. It never grew uncomfortable, but it could feel a little unsettled.

And, nice though it is, the EC40 doesn’t exist in a bubble, and at this price point, it finds itself up against some tough opposition - the equivalent Audi Q4 Sportback e-tron is a little cheaper and a little sharper to drive, as is the Skoda Enyaq Coupe.

For me, though, what set my car apart from its rivals was the feeling of quality that it, and nearly every modern Volvo, exudes. It starts with the exterior finish. Its sage green paintwork was a class act that attracted comments from many passersby, and I have to admit I think I did the right thing in ordering the larger and more attractive 20in alloy wheels in place of the standard 19in items just because they filled the arches better and gave my car a more purposeful stance.

That its interior is entirely leather-free and instead uses materials all made using responsibly sourced or partially recycled upholsteries only makes it more impressive. Where plastics have been used, especially in the areas that your eyes and hands interact with most, the overall effect is still decidedly upmarket. There’s also some great ambient and adjustable backlighting around the front and on the doors and a full-length panoramic roof that did much to brighten up its interior. Add in switches and stalks, rotary dials, and even steering-wheel mounted controls, all of which work with satisfying precision, and you begin to understand why people get excited by Volvo interiors.

Then, there was its efficiency. As mentioned, I covered over 4000 miles in my car, and at the end of my tenure, the digital dash readout told me that it had achieved the respectable figure of 3.7 miles per kWh. This is the figure that roughly equates to the miles per gallon figure in a conventionally engined car, and a quick calculation reveals that to indicate a range of 278 miles, which is admittedly off the 345-mile official figure but is still a pretty decent shout. It meant that, admittedly, with the safety net of a home charger, I never encountered any of the dreaded range anxiety.

So, this EC40 proved itself a top-notch, if pricey, electric car. I put my faith in my eyes, and it seems it was justified.

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