So, what is the Volvo C40 Recharge? It’s essentially a BEV, which is a battery electric vehicle. And it looks similar to it’s sibling the XC40, which was a finalist in Coty 2023. The SUV is pitted against the BMW X1 & THE Mercedes Benz EQA. It’s a very sporty looking SUV, with it’s sloping roof and tailgate. 

The coupe look might cramp taller guys in the rear seats. Loved the wheels as well which really compliment the styling. 

Cabin. 

The cabin has a high drive feel and you feel good looking over the traffic. Not to everyone’s taste but the seats are not leather, and are made of recycled material. The C40 is well specced and comes with panoramic sunroof, heated seats and steering wheel, and a fabulous Harmon Kardon sound system. This derivative is called Ultimate. 

Power. 

It has a 78kwh battery that offers a claimed 444km range. That is dependent on how you drive it, as it can really go. The twin-motor set up puts out 300kw/660Nm and gets from 0 to 100kmh in 4.7 secs. That rush you feel is awesome. 

However this comes a cost to the range, and we got around 230km, before we needed to charge. Speaking of charge, the easiest ways seems to be plugging in at home with a 3.5kwh plug, but it’s very slow. I went to a fast charge outlet, and 40 mins later drove away. 

Safety. 

The Volvo’s safety suite incorporates blind-spot monitoring, Pilot Assist, a lane-tracking system, City Safety and rear cross-traffic alert, to name but a few of its features. To find your way the Volvo C40 uses Google Automotive. Which means simply that the C40 Recharge can receive over-the-air updates and utilize most of the Google services, including Maps and Google Assistant, plus it supports Spotify, Waze, YouTube music and more. So, finding a fast charger is not difficult. 

Driving it. 

So simple that I almost thought the car was broken. You just get in, select reverse or drive, and prepare to lose your breath as your Adams apple hits your spine. It really is one foot driving, and regenerative braking, which takes a little getting used to, slows you down when needed. 

Things we enjoyed were the sporty looks, the performance, and the attention to build detail. 

Things to get used to, are the range and how to manage driving style to enjoy, but also not drain the battery too quickly. 

It’s priced at R1285 000. 

The Volvo C40 Recharge comes with a 5-year/100 000 km maintenance plan and warranty, with the battery pack covered for 8 years/160 000 km. A Volvo wall box charger is included with the purchase of the vehicle, along with a 7-metre auxiliary charging cable.