• Decent passenger space 
• Boot space is okay 
• Lots of safety kit 

How much space is there?

Interior room is decent in the EX40, but those in search of truly luxurious accommodation where heads and legs are concerned should size up to the EX90. Our second test car was a Black Edition model, featuring an all-black interior. Stylish, yes, but it did little to inspire any sense of airiness inside, creating instead more of a confined feel. Our six-foot-plus road tester had just about enough room for his head up front, but the margins were close. Shoulder room is pretty good in the front and rear leg room is decent. 

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Our aforementioned road tester was able to fit behind his own driving position comfortably with room for his knees behind the back of the seat in front. A huge boon for longer journeys. The back row felt commodious enough for two adults but three would likely be a real squeeze.

Head room is okay in the rear thanks to the EX40’s relatively straight roof line, but it’s not available in abundance. A trio of kids in the back should be able to fit fine. 

Boot space and storage 

The EX40 has a 410-litre boot with a 31-litre ‘frunk’. That’s pretty mediocre for the class, as the BMW iX1’s boot can hold up to 490 litres with the seats up, though still considerably more than the 340 litres you get in the Mercedes EQA. Cheaper options like the Skoda Enyaq and Hyundai Ionic 5 have boot capacities in excess of 520 litres, so you may want to check them out if luggage room is king.  

Fold the EX40’s rear seats down and the boot capacity swells to 1,286 litres. The Volvo’s boot has a flat floor with a low loading lip, which assisted in packing and retrieving larger items. The bed of the boot is also foldable, as lockable underfloor storage can be found below. Worth noting that without the big battery pack, the EX40’s ICE counterpart, the XC40, has a larger boot of up to 452 litres with the seats up. The price we pay for green motoring.

The EX40 has several large-capacity storage areas around the cabin, including two big front door pockets. In our Black Edition test car they were lined with soft fabric which was a nice touch. The two outer rear seats are also granted a couple of their own keys/spare change receptacles, positioned inconspicuously below bolstering.

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The rear seats themselves fold in a 60:40 split, though a small ski hatch can be found in the middle. When lowered, the entire luggage area is almost flat which again helped with the stowage of larger items. The backs of the rear seats are also lined with the same soft but hard-wearing felt as the rest of the boot for a little consistency. Nice. 

Is it easy to park?

The EX40 comes with front and rear parking sensors as standard, along with an automatic braking system that can intervene in the event of a potential collision. Plus Pro cars and up come with a 360 degree camera for a birds-eye view of the car through the infotainment display.

The feed is crisp and clear to aid your awareness of potential hazards around you. Using just the sensors alone, the EX40 isn’t a difficult car to park as its footprint isn’t especially big, but the 360 degree camera is worth going for if you value that extra peace of mind. 

Safety 

The EX40 comes with plenty of generic safety kit as standard, but with a reputation to uphold Volvo has gone above and beyond with a few additional extras to keep you secure. Base-spec cars include side impact protection, inflatable curtains to protect your head in the event of a side collision and whiplash protection too. No sore necks in this electric SUV. 

Here’s a list of some of the safety tech:

• Inflatable curtains
• Side impact protection 
• Whiplash protection 
• Knee airbag, driver’s side
• Park assist camera, rear
• Rear collision warning

The Volvo EX40 was tested by the car safety standards organisation Euro NCAP in 2021, under the old XC40 Recharge moniker. True to Volvo tradition and style, the EX40 performed exceptionally well. It achieved a five-star rating, with an astonishing 97% rating in the adult occupant test and a highly commendable 87% in the child occupant examination.