Volvo XC40 review

Is the Volvo XC40 a good car?

There are plenty of contenders in the small premium SUV sector, and the Volvo XC40 is a decent choice. It’s not sensational to drive, but it strikes a decent blend of comfort and cruising refinement, all while offering lots of kerb appeal in a small-car package.

Add in a funky cabin design, a capable (albeit small-screened) infotainment system, plus Volvo's traditional focus on safety, and it's hard not to see the attraction of the XC40 as one of the most accomplished compact SUVs in the premium sector. The range has been whittled down in recent years, with plug-in hybrid power no longer offered and the all-electric XC40 now a standalone model rebadged as the EX40.

How much does the Volvo XC40 cost?

While the Volvo XC40 line-up has been slimmed down (now exclusively powered by petrol engines), prices are still at the premium end of the compact SUV scale. The base Core model starts from around £36,000, and is only offered with the less powerful 161bhp B3 petrol engine, while moving up to mid-spec Plus trim adds nearly £4,000 to the price. That’s with the B3 engine, while adding the 194bhp B4 powertrain (which is the same engine tuned to offer a higher power output) adds around £1,200 to the list price.

At the top of the range is Ultra trim, which is a walk up of around £4,500 over Plus spec, but is arguably not worth the extra, because the larger wheels that come with it spoil the XC40’s ride.

In addition to these standard trims, Volvo offers Black Edition upgrades to Plus and Ultra models. This package adds black metallic paint and gloss-black exterior trim in place of the chrome finishes found on other models in the range. The Black Edition package adds around £1,000 to the price of Plus trim models, but only £250 to Ultra variants.

The XC40 is the smallest combustion-engined Volvo SUV, although the company now offers the even smaller electric Volvo EX30, too. The EX40 is the electric version of the XC40, after Volvo rebranded the XC40 Recharge to bring it into line with the EX30 and large Volvo EX90 electric SUV. For now, the XC40 continues alongside the larger Volvo XC60 and seven-seat Volvo XC90.

All versions of the XC40 are front-wheel drive – if you want four-wheel drive, you’ll have to pick the all-electric (and expensive) EX40 Twin Motor model. As well as only driving the front wheels, the XC40 is also sold exclusively with a seven-speed automatic gearbox.

The Volvo XC40 was the first model to use the firm’s Compact Modular Architecture (CMA) underpinnings. This features MacPherson strut front suspension and a multi-link rear axle, which is similar to what you will find under its German rivals. However, if you’re looking for dynamic sparkle from a compact SUV, you’ll be better off elsewhere.

What is the Volvo XC40 like to drive?

In town

The XC40 strikes a nice balance between composure and comfort that’ll appeal to most buyers of small SUVs. It can get caught out on pockmarked and potholed city streets, particularly at low speeds and on larger wheels. We expect a Core model on 18-inch wheels to demonstrate a bit more compliance in this regard, because Ultra models fitted with 20-inch alloy wheels feel firm on typically bumpy UK roads.

On A- and B-roads

It wouldn’t be unreasonable to expect such a generally wafty small SUV to be boat-like in corners, but the XC40 stays composed, even when required to perform a sudden, rapid change of direction. It’s not as involving as the sharper X1, but it performs admirably well for a tall SUV with a relatively short wheelbase.

Volvo offers manual control of the automatic gearbox, but in practice it’s a very fiddly system to use. There aren’t any shift paddles behind the steering wheel, which leaves you with the stubby drive selector. Rather than moving it back and forth to change gear, it moves from side to side - away from you to change up, towards you to change down - and isn’t very intuitive.

On the motorway

The XC40 does a good job of soaking up road imperfections at high speeds, where the chassis deals with more flowing undulations well, but sharper bumps can still be jarring, whereas a BMW X1 smothers imperfections a little more adeptly. You’ll occasionally notice a slight floating effect, but it never strays to the point of making you seasick.

0-62mph acceleration and top speed

The XC40 is offered with two mild-hybrid petrol engines, both of which power the front wheels via a seven-speed automatic gearbox. The B3 four-cylinder produces 161bhp and 265Nm of torque, and manages to cover the 0-62mph dash in 8.6 seconds. 

The B4 model is based on the same 1,969cc in-line four as the B3, but power is increased to 194bhp, and there’s 300Nm of torque. This trims a full second off the sprint time at 7.6 seconds. All engines are electronically limited to a top speed of 112mph, in line with the rest of the Volvo line-up.

The Volvo XC40 engine line-up is made up of two petrol units that come with a modest level of mild-hybrid assistance to help boost fuel efficiency. It does this by adding a little bit of electric power to the engine when accelerating to reduce overall consumption, but it can’t drive the car using electric power alone like a traditional hybrid car, so it doesn’t have the fuel efficiency or low CO2 emissions of full hybrid or plug-in hybrid rivals. Stop-start is included to help boost efficiency in town, too.

There are matching fuel economy figures for both the B3 and B4 petrol units in the XC40 with a combined fuel economy figure of 42.1mpg, while the best that you can achieve will be affected by which trim level you choose, wheel size and, of course, how you drive.

Tax

The entry-level XC40 Core and the Plus model powered by the B3 engine both dip below the £40,000 threshold for the luxury car road tax supplement that’s payable in years two to six, so they offer decent savings over the rest of the range while still being generously equipped. Since the B3 and B4 petrol engines have hybrid assistance, this means there’s a £10 saving on annual road tax, too.

Company car taxation is high because of the petrol CO2 emissions the XC40’s powerplants make. The range starts in the 34 per cent bracket for the 2024/25 tax year and increases from there. If you’re a company car user who’s tempted by the XC40, then the all-electric EX40 is the obvious alternative to choose.

Insurance groups

Insurance groups for the XC40 range from 23 to 30, depending on trim level and engine power, with the B4 sitting two groups higher than the same car with the B3 unit.

Depreciation

Volvo is currently on the crest of a wave in terms of customer demand. When you also factor in the strong desirability within the premium SUV market, it's no surprise that the XC40 has strong residual values: between 52 and 54 per cent for mild-hybrid petrol models. The best is the B3 Core, while the worst is the B4 Ultra. 

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The Volvo XC40 was revealed in 2017, but even today it still stands out as a smart-looking compact SUV when compared with its rivals. Volvo deliberately penned it to have a different look when compared with the larger Volvo XC60 and Volvo XC90 models, too, and there are some impressive design touches inside and out.

According to the car’s designer, Ian Kettle, small robots from science-fiction movies inspired the XC40’s styling, and there are lots of simple, clean lines – and as a result it looks chunky and cute at the same time. As with other models in the line-up, there’s a variation on the familiar ‘Thor’s Hammer’ daytime running light signature up front, while the tail lights are positioned vertically on either side of the tailgate. 

A subtle update in 2022 added a new front bumper, slightly slimmer LED headlights and a rear bumper that lacks the exhaust cut-outs you'll find on earlier examples of XC40, but otherwise left the overall design untouched.

What is the Volvo XC40 like inside?

Inside, there’s not a great deal in the way of opulence, and yet the XC40 still manages to deliver a dose of Swedish cool, much in the same way as a well-resolved Ikea living room display. There’s little in the way of clutter, and although the actual amount of space isn’t any greater than the class average, a variety of neat, practical touches make the XC40 feel a lot more ‘real-world liveable’ than many of its rivals.

The XC40 gets the same nine-inch portrait-layout infotainment display as the XC60 and XC90, as well as a 12.3-inch digital instrument panel instead of conventional dials. The latter looks good and can be made to display a map, which is useful when following instructions from the built-in sat-nav, but it’s nowhere near as configurable as the Audi Virtual Cockpit system, or as easy to use.

What is the interior quality like?

There are plenty of hard plastics in the cabin, but some of them come in handy, such as the plastic panels on the front seat backs, which make them more resistant to kicks. What isn’t finished with conventional plastic has piano black trim, and while it all feels well built and gives a premium ambience, we wonder how the material will look after a few years of use, when it has succumbed to scratches and marks.

Sat-nav, stereo and infotainment

The XC40 features a nine-inch portrait-oriented central touchscreen, which these days is on the small side when compared with some rival set-ups. It runs an Android-based operating system with built-in online Google services, just like Volvo's larger XC60 and XC90 SUV siblings. The graphics are sharp, and the shortcut keys are bolder and less fiddly to use than previous Volvo setups – although they could still be made bigger.

The screen’s loading times are good, but we found that it took quite a long time from typing an address into the system before eventually getting the first navigation instruction. You can use voice activation by saying ‘Okay Google’, but you still have to wait for it to calculate. Google’s live traffic info means the route and time to the destination will be accurate. 

There is a physical home button below the touchscreen, while further down, you'll find a large volume dial and a row of buttons, including the hazard warning light and heated rear window (Plus trim adds a button for the heated windscreen). The rest of the climate controls and air-con settings are adjusted through the touchscreen. For a first-time user, the set-up takes a little getting used to. 

While there is smartphone connectivity, you’re encouraged to log into your Google account, along with any of the pre-installed apps you might use, such as Spotify. It takes a long time to set up, but once you’re logged in the system is hard to fault. Wireless phone charging is provided as standard, and the 250-watt, eight-speaker system provides decent sound quality. The top-of-the-range Ultra comes with an upgraded 600-watt, 12-speaker Harman Kardon set-up, which is excellent.

The Volvo XC40 has been created for a class where style and image traditionally take priority over outright space. So while the Volvo doesn’t have a vast cabin, it manages to do enough to stand out from the crowd.

The interior is neat, functional, and very Swedish in its design philosophy. If you place value in having soft-touch fabrics and squishy plastic on the dashboard, then it’ll probably be a disappointment, but really the interior is a decent place to spend time. 

The dashboard features only a few switches, so it has a clean and uncluttered look. The capacity of the door bins is huge, which is helped by Volvo’s decision to arrange the speakers on the dashboard instead of the doors.

There are plenty of clever touches, too. There’s a folding hook in the glovebox for hanging bags from, while the flimsy-looking lidded compartment between the front seats is removable and can be washed. There’s also a wireless phone charging pad and USB port at the base of the centre console.

Dimensions and size

The Volvo XC40 is 4,440mm long, 1,938mm wide (excluding side mirrors) and 1,652mm tall. That makes it a little shorter than the latest BMW X1 and Audi Q3, but it’s wider and taller than both of those rivals, which boosts space in the cabin.

How practical is the Volvo XC40?

Seats & space in the front

You'll be disappointed if you expect the XC40 to provide a cavernous cabin. However, there’s plenty of space for two adults up front, and the tall driving position for a good view of your surroundings, and the relatively high roof adds to the sense of space inside.

You’ll be able to fit a couple of grown-ups in the back seats easily. The XC40 has a pretty long wheelbase, so they should be fine for legroom, and there’s plenty of headroom, even with the optional panoramic sunroof fitted. 

Seats & space in the back

You can fit three across the back at a push, but there’s a transmission tunnel running down the middle of the floor - a remnant of the time when Volvo offered four-wheel drive in the XC40 - so middle-seat occupants might complain about having to place their feet on either side of it. Two Isofix child seat mounting points are provided on the outer positions of the rear seats.

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Boot Space

The XC40's 443-litre boot isn't the largest load bay in its class, but it’s easy to use the space available. That’s because the mild-hybrid version's boot has an impressively flat floor, with no lip at the front edge, making it easy to slide heavier items in there. Even more importantly, the rear seats fold down completely flat, so you get a level load bay and 1,319 litres of space at your disposal. This is more space than you’ll get in the electric EX40 that uses the same platform, because of that car’s different packaging to make room for the drive battery.

The Convenience Pack includes a folding boot floor that divides the space, and provides a way to stop items rolling around. The hinges even stand proud of the top edge of the resulting divider, giving you a few extra points from which to hang shopping bags.

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Towing

Towing capacities for the XC40 vary depending on which engine you choose. The mild-hybrid B3 has a 1,600kg maximum braked trailer weight, but buyers prioritising towing ability will be better served by the more powerful B4, which is not only torquier but has a 2,000kg braked limit. A retractable towbar is priced at around £1,400.

The Volvo XC40 finished 32nd out of 50 cars in the 2024 Driver Power owner satisfaction survey, while the Volvo brand came 16th out of 32 in the manufacturers poll. The former is a little disappointing, given that the XC40 featured much higher in a previous survey, placing 23rd out of 75 cars in 2021.

Volvo is a byword for safety, and the XC40’s credentials don't disappoint. It scored five stars out of five when tested by Euro NCAP in 2018, and its score was updated in 2021 with the arrival of the electric version (now EX40). The XC40 scored an impressive 97 per cent for adult occupant protection and 87 per cent for child occupant protection. You get automatic emergency braking across the range, and it’s capable of spotting cars, pedestrians, and large animals. Every XC40 gets a lane departure system, which will intervene and pull the car back into the lane if it senses you’re going to steer into the path of oncoming traffic.

Volvo’s Pilot Assist semi-autonomous driving tech is standard on Ultra models and an option on other trims in the range. Simply engage cruise control in stop-start traffic, and the car’s software will manage driving inputs, such as steering to stay in lane and accelerating and braking to keep pace with surrounding traffic. The system can even bring the car to a complete halt if necessary.

Warranty

The XC40 comes with a three-year/60,000-mile warranty, which is par for the course in this class, but the likes of the Alfa Romeo Tonale and BMW X1 have unlimited mileage cover for the same time period. As with most rival brands, Volvo offers extended warranties at extra cost. For the XC40, you can cover the car for another 12 months with the same mileage limit, or you can increase it to 80,000 miles for a bit more.

Servicing

Volvo offers fixed-price service plans for its cars, and these can be paid for either up front or on a monthly basis. They last from two to five years and cover annual mileages up to 50,000 miles, although you can tailor a service package to suit your needs when arranging it.

What do owners think?

Below is what owners thought of the Volvo XC40 in the 2024 Driver Power customer satisfaction survey.