Used Volvo C40 (Mk1, 2021-date) buyer’s guide: a second-hand bargain that's cheap for a reason

Verdict

When we ran a Volvo EC40 on our fleet for eight months, we liked most things, including its exterior design, efficiency and usability, the last one helped by a 240-mile real-world range. But we weren’t so taken by the cabin quality, including the outdated infotainment, or the rear visibility. The latter isn’t helped by the coupé silhouette, and on paper the EX40 makes more sense than its C40 sibling. Our road testers also reckon that many of the Volvo’s rivals are a better buy, things not helped by the C40’s high cost when new. As a second-hand buy the Swedish model makes more sense, but we’d still check out some of those alternatives before opting for the Volvo.

Next year Volvo will celebrate its centenary, and it’s fair to say that this enigmatic brand has been through a fair few changes during its lifetime. Once famed for its capacious estates, the Chinese-owned Swedish brand now makes pretty much nothing but SUVs and crossovers.

Always environmentally aware, Volvo has also heavily embraced electrification, although it wasn’t until 2021 that it sold an electric-only model, the C40 Recharge, later renamed EC40. Spun off from its XC40, which came in petrol, diesel, hybrid and plug-in hybrid forms as well as electric, the more coupé-styled C40 was only an EV.

With no ICE options, the C40 hasn’t been as popular as it might have been with a wider choice of powertrain options (like the XC40/EX40), but that doesn’t make the car a dud. Far from it in fact...

History

Volvo unveiled the C40 Recharge in March 2021 and three months later the order books opened, but the first cars weren’t delivered until early 2022. Available only to buy online, the C40 Recharge was fitted with a 78kWh battery, which gave a range of up to 261 miles. With two motors (one on the front axle and one on the rear), the C40 Recharge came with 402bhp and four-wheel drive as standard.

By March 2022 there was also a 228bhp single-motor C40 Recharge available, with a 69kWh battery, front-wheel drive and a range of up to 269 miles. This was superseded in January 2023 by a rear-wheel-drive single-motor car with either a 69kWh or 82kWh battery; from this point on, the twin-motor AWD C40 Recharge also featured the 82kWh battery.

The next change came in April 2024 when the C40 Recharge was renamed the EC40, then from February 2025 an all-new (and much more responsive) infotainment system was fitted.

On the road

All C40s are restricted to 112mph, but even the single-motor C40 has plenty of acceleration; 0-62mph takes 7.3 seconds compared with less than five seconds for the twin-motor models, so passing dawdling traffic is easy.

Throw in well weighted steering and body control that’s very good for such a high-riding car, and the C40 acquits itself well dynamically, even if it isn’t all that rewarding to drive as such. The icing on the cake is impressive refinement, which ensures motorway journeys are very relaxing and further helped by the raised driving position that you’d expect in an SUV.

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Which one should I buy?

Long-range models are the most usable in terms of range, and are therefore the easiest to sell on, and bearing in mind the premiums aren’t necessarily that high for one of these, it’s the model we’d aim for. The key is to shop around, because prices vary significantly.

All C40s are well equipped, with even the entry-level Core having LED headlights, a powered tailgate, front and rear parking sensors and a rear camera, auto-folding door mirrors, heated front seats, a panoramic glass roof, dual-zone climate control, an eight-speaker hi-fi and a nine-inch touchscreen.

Plus spec adds heating for the rear seats and steering wheel, electric adjustment for the front seats, and a heat pump. Ultimate comes with an opening glass roof, adaptive headlights, a 12-speaker hi-fi and 360-degree cameras.

Prices

Find a C40 Recharge with 60,000 miles on the clock and you’ll pay less than you might imagine, but many of the cars for sale have done less than half this mileage. You can get your hands on a used Volvo C40 for as little as £18,000 through our Buy a Car service.

Check the price of a Volvo C40 with our free car valuation tool...

Alternatives to the Volvo C40

The C40’s obvious and closest rival is the Volvo EX40, which shares most of the C40’s traits but offers more cabin and boot space. If you must have an electric coupé-SUV then we’d suggest that you take a look at the Polestar 2, which is better to drive than the C40. Better still is the BMW iX1, which is superior in most respects, although the German model doesn’t ride as comfortably.

The Cupra Born is another really good all-rounder, while the Mercedes EQA has a lovely cabin and is refined. You should also consider the Tesla Model Y, Kia EV6 and Audi Q4 e-tron as well as the Volkswagen ID.3, MINI Countryman, BMW iX2, Hyundai Kona and Ioniq 5, Renault Megane E-Tech and Ford Mustang Mach-E.

What to look for

Common problems

Some owners have had problems with infotainment glitches, including Apple CarPlay; other issues include suspension rattles and steering wheel vibrations because of faulty electric motors.

On the pull

Many EVs aren’t homologated to tow, but in twin-motor form the C40 can haul up to 1,800kg, although this will take a significant toll on the car’s range. Single-motor versions are able to pull up to 1,500kg.

Charge!

At the outset, the C40 Recharge could charge at up to 150kW, which was increased for dual-motor models to a rapid 200kW for the 2023 model year. But single-motor versions can only charge at 130kW.

Peace of mind

As standard, the C40 has a three- year/60,000-mile warranty; this can be extended to four years or 80,000 miles. The Volvo’s battery is covered for eight years or 100,000 miles.

Interior

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The design is appealing, but some materials feel a bit cheap. However, Volvo has been sensible with the provision of buttons and the portrait-format infotainment is easy to use. There’s room for three adults in the back, although space is a bit tight; boot space is competitive, at 404 litres, or 1,196 litres with the back seats down.

Running costs

Buy a C40 registered before 1 April 2025 and you’ll pay £195 per year for VED; after this the cost jumps to £620 until the car’s sixth birthday, because by this point the entry-level purchase price was more than the £50k threshold (£52,555). Some entry-level single-motor C40s are in insurance group 34, but most sit in group 36 or 38, while twin-motor models are in groups 41-43.

Maintenance requirements aren’t huge; a service is due only every two years or 18,000 miles. Expect to pay around £210 for this, which includes fresh brake fluid and a new pollen filter. These are the only items scheduled to be replaced at a specific time; everything else, such as the tyres, brakes and suspension are checked at each service and replaced only when needed, which can be very rarely, depending on the driving style.

Recalls

There have been no recalls for the EC40 yet, and just two for the C40. The first was in January 2023 and involved more than 10,000 Volvo cars, including the V60, XC60, V90, XC90, S60 and S90.

All of the C40s included in the first campaign were manufactured between September and December 2022. The problem centred on the brake-control module, which operated by faulty software; an update was all that was needed to fix things.

The second recall, which came in June 2025, was also because of software glitches, which once again affected multiple models and could lead to braking problems, this time during one-pedal driving downhill. All of the vehicles affected were made between October 2021 and June 2025.

Driver Power owner satisfaction

The C40 hasn’t appeared in any Driver Power surveys, but the XC40 that sired it has appeared each year since 2020, when it came 14th out of 75. The following year it climbed to eighth, before dropping to 23rd in 2022. By 2023 it was down to 61st, while in 2025 it came 37th out of 50.

Its safety features are the biggest draw, while ride quality and most interior aspects get the thumbs up. Driving pleasure, the infotainment and running costs get the thumbs down, though.

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