Driven: 2024 Volvo C40 Recharge Is Good Enough – But Is Good Enough?

The Volvo C40 Recharge is a two-row electric crossover that made its debut for the 2022 model year. It sits just above the XC40 Recharge and below the new EX90, which loses the Recharge moniker but is still electric. There’s also the EX30, which has been significantly delayed and will be the smallest of the brand’s EVs when it does finally make it to the US.

The big news for the C40 lineup this year is the addition of a single motor rear-wheel drive setup available across the three-trim range. This offers increased range for those who frequently head out on longer drives, but that comes with a big dip in horsepower. We had the opportunity to check out this new version of the C40 Recharge to see if it’s worth your hard-earned cash.

Exterior: It Looks Like A Volvo

The C40 Recharge looks a lot like other EVs in the Volvo lineup – enough so that it’s easy to get them confused without checking out the badge on the back. What differentiates them all is size and performance, even if you can’t tell from the outside.

Exterior styling here is reserved and minimalist. There’s nothing flashy and that’s how we like our Volvos; if you want flashy, then go buy a Cadillac. The C40 Recharge is understated luxury with clean lines and an unfussy exterior. The more sloped roof of the C40 gives it a somewhat sportier appearance, and we love the wheels, which are the one eye-catching area of the design.

Interior: Sustainable Materials With Visual Appeal

The notion of building sustainable cars is something that is a point of pride for Volvo. It doesn’t use leather anymore, but instead features Nordico synthetic leather made from leftover cork that would otherwise be a waste product of the wine industry. Our vehicle had beautiful wool blend surfaces in a soft gray in varying textures between the doors and the seats. You won’t miss the lack of leather.

There’s also a beautiful use of lighting. Door panels that appear to have a lightly patterned plastic during the day are subtly lit during the evening to provide a warm glow. It’s an attractive interior that, like the exterior, is luxurious and comfortable without being brash. Infotainment comes in the form of a 9-inch touchscreen. It’s a responsive sytem with Google Assistant, which makes issuing voice commands quick and easy.

Seating: Comfortable With Good Rear Legroom

The front seats of the C40 Recharge have plenty of room for adults to get comfortable. There’s ample headroom and legroom with good adjustability, so it’s easy to get a clear view of the road. There’s minimal bolstering, which makes these seats well-suited to larger adults. They offer a good balance of support and comfort.

The rear seats have room for three, technically, but it’s a bit narrow for that to be comfortable. Two adults, however, will have plenty of room. There’s good headroom and legroom for all but the tallest passengers, even with the front seats pushed back. The center armrest also has a couple of cupholders, which is a nice touch.

Cargo: Enough Room For Light Duty

This is not a large SUV, so if getting an electric vehicle with lots of cargo room is your priority, then check out our experience with the EX90. It has three rows and space to manage a family’s needs. The C40 Recharge has enough room for groceries and carry-on luggage, but a family of four is going to find it a challenge to load a week’s worth of luggage into the back. It’s the trade-off to having a smaller, more affordable EV.

Performance: Single Motor or Dual Motor With Big Power Differences

New this year is a single motor rear-wheel drive version of the C40 Recharge. It’s a more affordable option with more range, but it comes with far less power as well. This is what we drove for the week, and it’s surprisingly quick. The thing with an EV is that torque doesn’t ramp up like it does in a gas vehicle. It’s there the minute you hit the accelerator. Performance-minded drivers will not be disappointed, but if that’s your priority, then getting one of the dual motor trims is a better call.

Range and Charging: Enough To Get You Through The Day

The perpetual worry with electric vehicles is that you won’t have enough range to get wherever you need to go and that you won’t be able to find a convenient charger along the way. While that may have been true at one time, it’s really not the case today. Most electric vehicles have driving ranges that can easily handle daily tasks so they only need to be charged overnight at home. If you do go for a road trip, access to public chargers is getting easier every day.

The single motor C40 Recharge has an 82-kW battery with a range of up to 297 miles per charge while the dual motor has a 78-kWh battery providing 257 miles of range. Charging time from 10 to 80 percent at a DC fast charger is 28 minutes and 34 minutes, respectively. Those are strong numbers. The drawback is that other automakers do better with longer ranges and faster charging, which is a weak point of the C40 Recharge.

Drive Impressions: EV Performance With Good Handling

The instant torque offered by every electric vehicle makes them all fairly strong on the performance front. Yes, there are varying 0-60 mph times, but how often do you time your acceleration to the second? For most of us, the answer is never. We don’t time it so much as we sense it in that feeling of being pressed back in your seat and in not worrying about highway merges.

The C40 Recharge has more than enough power to satisfy on those fronts. Driving through heavy traffic during rush hour, there was plenty of power to change lanes and zip around slower vehicles. It also handles well, with precise, controlled steering. It’s not sporty, but it is responsive, and we enjoyed driving this little EV.

The ride was mostly quiet without too much road or wind noise, which is something you generally notice more in an EV since there’s no engine noise for competition. We had a rainy trek to the airport in our C40 Recharge and the noise was kept to a minimum, so conversation was still easy. Only in high winds did we begin to truly notice the noise. It was also quite comfortable. The seats look rather flat up front, but they are surprisingly supportive for even longer drives. That’s not quite as true of the rear seats, but if you’re putting kids in back, they’ll be fine and even teens and adults will do well on all but the longest of drives.

Pricing And Verdict

The Volvo C40 Recharge is available in three trims with a single motor or dual motor setup available on every trim. This makes it a bit easier to find one that’s within your budget, but even in its least expensive form, it’s over $50,000. There are more affordable options, like the Hyundai Ioniq 5, Chevrolet Equinox EV, and Kia Niro EV, but all have less impressive interiors than what you’ll find in the C40 Recharge.

*Not including $1,295 destination fee

Overall, we like the C40 Recharge for those looking at a crossover EV. It does that job beautifully with a roomy and attractive interior, smooth ride, and responsive engine. It also offers a good driving range and solid charging times. The drawbacks are that its range and charging times aren’t as good as the competition, nor is its price. It is, however, a solid option for Volvo fans who want to make the move to an electric vehicle or those who want a more premium EV experience.