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 3299 Price £54,305 Target price £52,167 Price as tested £55,055 Official range 345 miles Test range 268 miles 

11 March 2025 – A mistake under braking 

I’m still enjoying the upmarket ambience of my Volvo EC40’s interior and I’m not the only one: a couple of passengers I carried recently both commented, separately and unprompted, how premium it all felt, even after I’d told them how much my car cost. 

That my car is so clearly based on the Volvo XC40 makes this even more impressive. You see, although the XC40 is a car we love, it does not sell for anything like the £55k asking price of my EC40. That my car doesn’t feel like a cheaper car masquerading as a more expensive one is further proof of Volvo’s expertise in making its interiors feel desirable right across the range, and one that here in my car doesn’t just rely on using the traditional materials such as wood and leather to achieve this. 

One area often overlooked in interior detailing is that of air quality inside the car. My EC40 is particularly impressive in this area too. Volvo has taken great strides to reduce airborne allergens and fine particulates among other irritants, so that the air you breathe inside is much more pleasant than what’s coming in from the outside. You can even see what the current pollen level is at any time. Certainly, I find I suffer fewer headaches after long journeys in the EC40 than in some of its rivals, although whether that’s entirely down to the cleaner air I cannot rightly tell. 

Finally, in my last report I mentioned that my EC40 doesn’t have an auto-hold facility, but I have subsequently had it pointed out to me that it does. You have to press down quite heavily on the brake pedal when you come to a halt, but do so and the car will remain stationary until you press the accelerator pedal to move off.

My mistake, of course. I’d assumed it didn’t have one because you’d more usually find the auto-hold as a separate button on the centre console, or maybe these days as an icon buried deep within a submenu on the infotainment screen. My initial detective work had failed to find either of those and a recourse to Google had failed to shed any additional light on it so I made a hasty presumption. I’m not sure if Sherlock would have been impressed by that.  

For all the latest reviews, advice and new car deals, sign up to the What Car? newsletter here

Read more about our long-term Volvo EC40 >>

Read about more long-term test cars >>

Buy a new car with What Car?

Like the sound of the Volvo EC40?

If so, check out our New Car Deals pages to see how much you could save on a Volvo EC40.

We’ve got the biggest selection of discounted new cars available in the UK.