The EX40 is quick, subtle, and practical—a proper Volvo
Never mind how fast – how far can the Volvo EX40 go?
- The 2025 Volvo EX40 gets up to 431 km of electric driving range
Range is of course, a more important metric than speed to most people shopping in the EV segment, although at this point most options offer plenty. The EX40 comes with an 82 kWh battery – 3 kWh are held in reserve, so there’s effectively 79 kWh of capacity – which is rated at 431 km of available range.
What’s it like to live with the EX40?
Weather for the week spent with the EX40 was typical of a West Coast winter, which is to say, damper than a salmon’s underpants. It wasn’t frosty, just that sort of penetrating cold and rain that’ll have you eating oatmeal for breakfast on purpose.
Happily, the Swedish know about such things, and the EX40 is thus cozier than a reindeer’s long johns (this is the last of the underwear based similes, promise). It’s the little things that make the difference, like heated seats and steering wheel that don’t need to be individually switched on every time – just jump in and go. The latter is powerful enough to put nearly every other manufacturer to shame, heating up quickly and to a high level.
The cabin is sensible and restrained, and the front seats are very comfortable. The back seats offer plenty of space for a family of four, with legroom and shoulder room that’s bigger than you might expect from a vehicle this size. The cargo area is perfectly adequate too, at 452L with the seats up.
What really makes the EX40 likeable, however, is how clever all the little touches are. For instance, the glovebox contains something Volvo calls a “curry hook.” Basically, this is a fold-out hook that you can use to hang your takeout bag from, and anyone who has ever arrived home to have to wipe spilled soy sauce from a sushi order off the passenger seat will spot how handy that is.
The central cup holders are a bit on the small side, but there’s large door pockets and even a tiny removable garbage can between the seats with a spring-loaded door. In back, there are little pockets in which you can tuck grocery bags to keep things from spilling, and likewise the small frunk up front has a divider to keep objects stored there from rolling around. The EX40 feels designed as well as engineered.
402 Vikings: What powers the Volvo EX40?
- Dual AC electric motors front and rear making 402 hp and 495 lb-ft of torque
As an optional extra, the 2025 Volvo EX40 can be optioned with a Performance Package that bumps power by 34. It’s just a software upgrade, not a mechanical one, and I’m not entirely convinced it’s much needed.
With dual AC electric motors front and rear, the EX40 Ultra Twin boasts 402 hp and a meaty 495 lb-ft of torque. This latter is really what gives the vehicle a character not unlike the surge of older turbocharged Volvos, albeit without the lag. Acceleration is just a seamless, relentless shove forward.
Yet even with optional 20” wheels, this is not a vehicle that is hamstrung by the rough ride you often get with sport-oriented vehicles. It’s plenty quick and handles nicely, nimble on its relatively short wheelbase, but it also rides comfortably. The EX40 driving experience is very much a “power in reserve” one, where you’ve got enough shove to dispatch any onramp, but ease of use when just cruising along.
Safety first in the Volvo EX40
A Volvo engineer rather famously invented the three-point seatbelt and then didn’t patent it, reasoning that safer cars were better for everyone. Whatever this cost the company has been paid back tenfold, as Volvo gets to point to stuff like this as an early example of why the brand is synonymous with safety.
In modern standards, that means front and rear collision mitigation, adaptive cruise control, and the ability to rear road signs. This example also had parking assist features and a 360-degree camera. From a convenience standpoint, given the square, sensibly-sized footprint of the EX40, this was nice to have for dealing with crowded underground parking.
The onboard infotainment is good, the central 9.1 inch portrait touchscreen operating much like an Android phone. However, you’ll need a USB-C cable to connect to phone-mirroring functions like Apple CarPlay, and this clutters up the otherwise tidy cabin.
Final thoughts
As the product of a premium brand, the EX40’s is priced much as you’d expect. The single-motor Core model starts things off at $63,548, and this week’s Ultra Twin trim rang the register at $75,580. Apart from the aforementioned 20” wheels, you don’t really see the cost here in terms of curbside bling. But that’s the point of a Volvo: understated luxury.
The fact that this EV is so quick, without any crackling exhaust tune nonsense, just adds to the appeal. It’s not a wagon that might appeal to niche market enthusiasts, but it does perform the same mission by being the pragmatic type of vehicle that most families currently buy today, just quicker and with more thoughtful touches throughout. The EX40 is the kind of vehicle that’ll keep Volvo fans coming back, and possibly win over a few new ones.
Pros
✔ Plenty quick and handles nicely
✔ Infotainment screen operates much like an Android phone
✔ It’s designed as well as it’s engineered
Cons
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