Volvo EC40 long-term test

The car Volvo EC40 Plus, single motor extended range Run by Mark Pearson, used cars editor

Why it’s here To see if this suave and upmarket coupé SUV can cut it against several similar electric car rivals in this highly competitive class 

Needs to It’ll need to dispatch commuting, work and family life without any range anxiety issues and cope with a wide variety of everyday duties

Miles covered 1426 Price £54,305 Target price £52,167 Price as tested £55,055 Official range 345 miles Test range 260 miles 

14 December 2024 – Master and Commander

My Volvo EC40 has what is known as a commanding driving position, in that its relatively high elevation and upright stance provide a better view for a more confident drive. There is also plenty of fore and aft adjustment in the driver’s seat, but being picky I would actually prefer it if the seat went a little lower and the steering wheel came out a fraction more.

As it stands (or as one sits), I feel a little too high and a little too close to the dashboard, although this is only really a problem when I’m getting in or out of the car, when I can occasionally brush my head against the top of the door opening. 

However, even though you sit high, it’s sometimes difficult to place exactly where the wheels are when you’re parking or negotiating small gaps. Therefore in order to avoid kerbing one of the EC40's alloy wheels, I tend to park at least half a mile out from any kerb. 

Dive into one of the menus on the infotainment system and you can dip the mirrors down when you’re reversing, which helps, although this is a bit of a faff to hunt down and turn off again when you’re reversing and don’t want the mirrors to dip. You can also adjust the door mirrors manually, but if you’re reversing into a space with traffic waiting behind you the time it takes is just a fraction too long. 

Aside from parking, though, I like driving the EC40. Its steering is nicely accurate. And while you can add extra weight to it if you desire, via a menu in the infotainment system, I wouldn’t bother. Press on and while it may not excite like a sports car, it grips well and handles neatly and safely.

You also have the option to set up regenerative or one-pedal braking, again via the touchscreen, although it’s not an option I’m keen on if only because I’ve never been quite sure how much extra juice doing this wins you in terms of miles going back into the battery. 

On that subject, my EC40 can officially travel for up to 345 miles on a full charge. The best range I‘ve seen so far on the car’s digital dash readout is 300 miles at 100% charge, a guesstimate made up of several factors including the outside temperature and my driving style on previous journeys. 

However, this figure doesn’t fall at the same rate as the battery indicator, so it’ll often still show 260 miles of estimated range when the battery level is reading 80%, and 160 miles at 50%. This makes working out the EC40's potential range rather difficult, but its efficiency has over the first 1000 miles come in at 3.5 miles per kWh. 

This suggests a real-world range of around 263 miles, which is a little low and not what I feel it could achieve given a reasonably open road. Either way, the EC40 still feels pretty commanding and it hasn’t caused me any range anxiety yet. 

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