Used Volvo XC40 Recharge 2021-2025 review

Severe initial depreciation means that you can now pick up a stylish and refined Volvo EV for a bargain price

Smart, stylish and alarmingly quick, the XC40 Recharge is the unconventional take on a relatively conventional SUV that kick-started Volvo’s electric reinvention.The XC40 arrived in 2017 with a choice of traditional petrol and diesel engines, but Volvo had always planned to turn its fashionable mini-SUV into an EV and designed it to house a battery and an electric motor (or two) from the outset.So three years later came the Recharge, with a surprisingly punchy dual-motor powertrain that made 402bhp and 487lb ft. That’s more than a Lotus Emira V6, and sufficient for 0-62mph in 4.9sec. In a crossover. A Volvo crossover.It’s a shame that the P8 (as it was badged at launch) didn’t have the handling to match its straight-line pace, but its 2.2-tonne bulk inevitably limited the dynamics somewhat. The ride was also disappointing over anything other than butter-smooth Tarmac.Volvo h