Electric motors

The EX40 is electric only with motor options to choose from. If it’s a hybrid or straight combustion-powered example you’re after, then you should be looking at the Volvo XC40.

The EX40’s power unit range kicks off with the single motor variant. The electric motor produces 238hp and 420 Nm of torque, delivering all its power to the back wheels. 0-62mph takes 7.3 seconds while top speed is rated at 112mph. By the standards of most SUVs it’s a brisk car, and with a claimed 296 mile-range, not one to run out of steam in a hurry either. 

The long-range variant of the single-motor EX40 gets a small power boost to 252hp – torque remains the same. All power sent to the rear wheels.

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0-62mph takes the same 7.3 seconds, but with a bigger useable battery of 82kWh – 70kWh in the regular car – the long-range can go further on a single charge. Who would’ve thought? 

The long-range has a total claimed range of up to 355 miles on a combined run. Is 60 miles worth the extra £1,750 over the regular car? We’d say probably not, but it of course depends on your necessities. 

If it’s a shove you require and not a push when you put your foot down, then you’ll want the twin-motor car. Owing to an electric motor on the front and back axle, this version is all-wheel drive with a dramatically faster 0-62mph time of 4.8 seconds. Just two-and-a-half seconds may not sound like a lot but in the world of mid-sized SUVs, it’s an eon.

Together, the two electric motors produce 408hp and 670Nm of torque. Despite featuring the same sized battery as the long-range variant, it can’t quite match its miles with 331 offered. 

How does it drive? 

• Cushy ride 
• Safe and square handling
• Not especially engaging

Volvo has long had a reputation for safety and the EX40 drives in a way that would suggest it. The EX40 has a plethora of systems to keep you on the road, but even with the tech aside, the way it rides inspires confidence. Its suspension is generally very forgiving, soaking up imperfections with a deftness. What we most enjoyed, though, was the car’s squat on the road. It felt solid and tied down, its body impervious to lateral forces with little roll. 

The steering is reasonably direct, albeit weightless. Even in a world of increasingly light steering, the EX40’s stands out as especially so. With an almost liquid feel it allowed for effortless manoeuvres around town but lacked the road connection necessary to engage us much. 

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Floor it a twin-motor car and the EX40 really takes off. Our Black Edition version had an enormous amount of torque beneath it, which was reassuring even if we rarely required the full punt. We’re yet to try a single-motor option, but with a 0-62mph of 7.3 seconds, it may well offer as much as you could need, unless you’re looking for real thrills.

The EX40 has just a single braking regeneration setting – it’s a harsh one-pedal mode or nothing. With it engaged, the lightest of touches on the brake started killing speed in a hurry. It was useful in moments when we need to slow down sharpish, but quickly became a bit of a bore with a lot of jolty stop and start. An intermediate setting would’ve been preferable, one that didn’t deploy the anchor quite as violently the moment we got off the accelerator, but no such setting exists.