Volvo C40 (Electric) - Can't Really Fault It, But......!

The Volvo C40 electric is basically a Polestar 2/XC40 underneath. That's a decent start but what does it offer over the others?

#electriccars #carreview #volvoc40recharge

[steveevans]

I have one of these and I mostly love it. I compared it against the usual competition (Model Y, Mach-E, Enyaq, Polestar etc) and against the criteria that were important to me it rarely came first but when I totalled up the whole package it was a clear leader. More practical than a Polestar, but better looking and slightly better handling than the XC40. I love the way it drives, the throttle mapping and brake regeneration is brilliant, and it is extraordinarily sure footed in bad weather. Android Auto, though not perfect, is excellent for long distance navigation and the voice commands address all the complaints in the video about stuff being buried in screen menus. Battery pre-conditioning makes charging in cold and hot weather very reliable. The achilles heel is efficiency and therefore range. This is mediocre at best. Having said that, I did a two thousand mile round trip to Spain in the summer carrying both a roof box and bike carrier and, despite the additional hit to efficiency, felt that my bladder range was less than the battery range.

The downside has been the reliability - especially software and electronics. A software bug left it completely bricked, a TCAM failure broke the navigation and central locking, parking sensors have failed, the charge port flap has stuck and pieces of trim have fallen off. All fixed under warranty, but these faults have shaken my confidence in the car. 

Would I get another one? Probably, as I think Volvo is still learning how to make EVs and will improve.

[SBKPete]

I have a single battery C40 and I get 235 miles of range at the moment. I only took delivery late December 2022. The model I have, has a heat pump.
To change settings in the car, I ask the Google assistant to change them for me. Works every time

[zefrogi]

Where is the need for this actually? The XC40 is comparable in most aspects. Just seems to be wasted that it's a different XC40 than a new updated, more minor (ish) version of an XC40? Odd.

I still can not believe Volvo hasn't put a bigger screen or a new interior design.

[FlyingFun.]

47k and 200 miles on 77kwh = rich man's toy still.

[casperhansen]

Good placement of the charge port, Tesla compatible

[andrewdyson]

Range not impressive for the price, but it does have a rubbish bin. What more could you want .? You’ll be wanting an ash tray next !

[Joe-lbqn]

Im literally just back from a Polestar test drive. I suspect this is similar, Once you add the extras on to get things like heat pump pano roof, you are in Tesla MY price territory because you cant just buy, say, heat pump but have to buy a whole package that includes it. The P2 awd i drive which presume would be similar to this, drove very nicely... but at the end of the day youve paid a tesla price and don't get a decent range or full tesla SC access

[InvadedOath]

Good to see you on the right side of the A1 for a change

[alanmachin]

I have recently purchased a C40 and am very pleased with it, the only thing missing for me is a rear wash wipe. I don't like S.U.Vs and the C40 is not too high. The car will easily do more than 200 miles in winter and the driving settings do not have to be changed each time you set off.

[apierc]

Maybe it's me behind the times, but I would say £47k is extremely expensive for a car. For your normal person I would say £35-40k would have been what you would expect a premium car to cost, with more expensive "executive" cars, but not ones that joe public would usually buy. We seem to be being pushed to accept £30k is as a base price for a low end car.

[Daniel-jmhd]

Both Volvos are really easy to drive and the regen means you never need to use the brakes. I prefer them, particularly the C40, over the Polestar but the range is disappointing compared to other options.

[Brightsparks]

Volvo have a great voice command system for many basic car controls "Set temperature to 20 degrees", "Set defroster to Maximum" - so you dont need to touch the centre console for many 'on the go' functions. As I tell my wife ' Read the manual !'

[matthewtaylorwade]

Its a lovely car just not great on range in my opinion

[TassieEV]

I love the look of it but being tall I cannot sit in the back seat as my head hits the roof before hitting the headrest. Also the dark interior totally put me off plus unlike the Atto 3(BYD) that panoramic roof has no blind on the inside for hot days(Australia).

[marks--]

50k for a non dedicated EV chasis, err no thanks

[hamshackleton]

First glance, they've put the 'gearshift' in back to front again, forwards on the lever to go back, and back to go forwards - totally illogical! Shame you didn't get into the boot, to show if it could be used as an emergency sleeping bag!

[norbertmayer]

Lol missed the hook at 4:15 and “no bonus points”. A bit unfair, eh?

[davidy]

On the lack of rear wiper... this week my car got absolutely filthy, I think because there have been several sub-zero days when gritters have been out, but no serious rain to dilute or wash away all the salt and grime. Going down the motorway there was a spray of this stuff from passing tyres, but not enough moisture to wash any of it away. My front and rear screen wash were both used a lot more than usual.
Will fancy aerodynamics and a ceramic coat (interested to know what that is though?) *really* combat those kind of conditions? I am somewhat sceptical... (and I know you can still theoretically drive without seeing out the rear window, but as mirrors also get murky in the same conditions, being able to apply a wash/wipe to the back window feels a lot safer).

[grahamhorwood]

Volvo driver since 1995. I had the XC40 recharge dual motor for 16 months on lease, quick car, comfortable with good boot space for dog cage but frustrating UI until they finally got Apple Car Play. Ultimately I wouldn’t buy one outright due to the limited range for the price. Drove the C40 but the smaller boot let it down. Ultimately still drive an EV but a different make which is more efficient.

[robstacy]

The new BMW ix1 has more flare and style IMO.