Volvo XC40 Recharge long term test: report 3

The car Volvo XC40 Recharge Twin AWD Ultimate | Run by Claire Evans, consumer editor

Why it's here To see if the pricey pure electric version of the XC40 is as much of a leader in the family SUV segment as its conventionally fuelled siblings were when they first went on sale

Needs to Be a safe, fault-free commuter car part of the week, and cope with the demands of rural family life without running out of range at the weekends

Mileage 3306 List price £61,855 Target Price £61,855 Price as tested £61,855 Official range 270 miles Test range 234 miles

27 May 2023 – Something for nothing

The old adage that there’s no such thing as a free lunch isn't always true for electric car drivers. Although the fastest public chargers can be eye-wateringly expensive, I recently had a pleasant surprise while using Gridserve's Thurrock M25 services. 

Although the unit requested that I touch my bank card on the reader to start the charge, no money was taken from my account. This used to be commonplace on the old Electric Highway system when chargers weren’t working properly, but it’s the first time I’ve had a free charge from Gridserve. I suspect it’s because a major overhaul of the service area is being done, including the installation of more chargers. 

On a completely different topic, I’ve noticed that my Volvo XC40 Recharge is the same colour as many of my clothes. Apparently, green cars are chosen by down-to-earth people – I’ll take that as a compliment – while red is for extroverts and black for sophisticated types. 

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