Volvo XC40 review
The Volvo XC40 is a comfortable and stylish small SUV with some pleasing practical touches
Is the Volvo XC40 a good car?
There are plenty of contenders in the small premium SUV sector, and the Volvo XC40 is a decent choice. It’s not sensational to drive, but it strikes a decent blend of comfort and cruising refinement, all while offering lots of kerb appeal in a small-car package.
Add in a funky cabin design, a capable (albeit small-screened) infotainment system, plus Volvo's traditional focus on safety, and it's hard not to see the attraction of the XC40 as one of the most accomplished compact SUVs in the premium sector. The range has been whittled down in recent years, with plug-in hybrid power no longer offered and the all-electric XC40 now a standalone model rebadged as the EX40.
About the Volvo XC40
The XC40 is the smallest combustion-engined Volvo SUV, although the company now offers the even smaller electric Volvo EX30, too. The Volvo EX40 is the electric version of the XC40, after Volvo rebranded the XC40 Recharge to bring it into line with the EX30 and large Volvo EX90 electric SUV. For now, the XC40 continues alongside the larger Volvo XC60 and seven-seat Volvo XC90.
All versions of the XC40 are front-wheel drive – if you want four-wheel drive, you’ll have to pick the all-electric (and, sadly, more expensive) EX40 Twin Motor model. As well as only driving the front wheels, the XC40 is also sold exclusively with a seven-speed automatic gearbox.
Used - available now
We’ve driven various versions of the XC40 over the years, with our most recent test being the petrol B3 Volvo XC40 in a twin test against the MINI Countryman. The MINI edged out the Volvo thanks to its practicality and personalisation options.
Volvo XC40 prices and latest deals
How much does the Volvo XC40 cost? Well, official ‘on the road’ prices range from £36,560 to £46,620 but you can currently save an average of £1,166 through the Auto Express Find A Car service, where prices start at £36,360. You can lease a Volvo XC40 from £442 per month or buy a used model at prices starting from £8,777.
Check out our latest new car deals, leasing deals and used car deals for the top offers available now on Auto Express. And don't forget we can help you sell your car, too.
Engines, performance & drive
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The Volvo XC40 was the first model to use the firm’s Compact Modular Architecture (CMA) underpinnings. This features MacPherson strut front suspension and a multi-link rear axle, which is similar to what you will find under its German rivals. However, if you’re after dynamic sparkle from a compact SUV, you’ll be better off looking elsewhere.
Performance, 0-60mph acceleration and top speed
The XC40 is offered with two mild-hybrid petrol engines, both of which power the front wheels via a seven-speed automatic gearbox. The B3 four-cylinder produces 161bhp and 265Nm of torque, and manages to cover the 0-62mph dash in 8.6 seconds.
The B4 model is based on the same 1,969cc in-line four as the B3, but power is increased to 194bhp, and there’s 300Nm of torque. This trims a full second off the sprint time at 7.6 seconds. All engines are electronically limited to a top speed of 112mph, in line with the rest of the Volvo line-up.
| Model | Power | 0-62mph | Top speed |
| XC40 B3 | 161bhp | 8.6 seconds | 112mph |
| XC40 B4 | 194bhp | 7.6 seconds | 112mph |
Town driving, visibility and parking
The XC40 strikes a nice balance between composure and comfort that’ll appeal to most buyers of small SUVs. It can get caught out on pockmarked and potholed city streets, particularly at low speeds and on larger wheels. We expect a Core model on 18-inch wheels to demonstrate a bit more compliance in this regard, because Ultra models fitted with 20-inch alloy wheels feel firm on typically bumpy UK roads.
Light steering means that the XC40 is easy to steer around a tight car park, while a high driving position with good visibility, standard front and rear parking sensors, and a reversing camera all help you to identify obstacles. A 360-degree camera system is available for £545, or as standard on Plus Pro trim and above.
Country road driving and handling
It wouldn’t be unreasonable to expect such a generally wafty small SUV to be boat-like in corners, but the XC40 stays composed, even when required to perform a sudden, rapid change of direction. It’s not as involving as the sharper BMW X1, but it performs admirably well for a tall SUV with a relatively short wheelbase.
Volvo offers manual control of the automatic gearbox, but in practice, it’s a very fiddly system to use. There aren’t any shift paddles behind the steering wheel, which leaves you with the stubby drive selector. Rather than moving it back and forth to change gear, it moves from side to side - away from you to change up, towards you to change down - and isn’t very intuitive.
Motorway driving and long-distance comfort
The XC40 does a good job of soaking up road imperfections at high speeds, where the chassis deals with more flowing undulations well, but sharper bumps can still be jarring, whereas a BMW X1 smothers imperfections a little more adeptly. You’ll occasionally notice a slight floating effect, but it never strays to the point of making you seasick. Refinement is good, with wind and road noise well suppressed.
“The XC40 offers manual control of the gearbox, but there are no steering wheel paddles, so you have to use the drive selector. You push to the left to shift up and to the right to change down, which isn’t very intuitive.” - Dean Gibson, senior test editor.
MPG, emissions & running costs
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The Volvo XC40 engine line-up is made up of two petrol units that come with a modest level of mild-hybrid assistance to help boost fuel efficiency. It does this by adding a little bit of electric power to the engine when accelerating to reduce overall consumption, but it can’t drive the car using electric power alone like a traditional hybrid car, so it doesn’t have the fuel efficiency or low CO2 emissions of full hybrid or plug-in hybrid rivals. Stop-start is included to help boost efficiency in town, too.
Both the B3 and B4 petrol units in the XC40 have matching combined fuel economy figures of 42.1mpg – although that may be affected by which trim level you choose, wheel size and, of course, how you drive. During our testing of a B3 petrol, we got close to that number because we saw a test economy figure of 41.5mpg, so at least that combined result is somewhat achievable in the real world.
| Model | MPG | CO2 | Insurance group |
| XC40 B3 Core | 42.1mpg | 150g/km | 23 |
| XC40 B4 Core | 42.1mpg | 149g/km | 26 |
Electric range, battery life and charge time
The Volvo XC40 is available in all-electric form under the name Volvo EX40, sitting above the smaller Volvo EX30 and below the bigger Volvo EX90. It can be had in two- or four-wheel-drive forms and has a range of 296 miles for the least expensive single-motor version with the smallest-capacity battery, to 355 miles for the single-motor extended-range version with the largest-capacity battery and most efficient drivetrain. You can read more about this version in our dedicated Volvo EX40 review by following the link provided.
Insurance groups
Insurance groups for the XC40 range from 23 to 30, depending on trim level and engine power, with the B4 sitting two groups higher than the same car with the B3 unit. That compares favourably with the BMW X1, which starts in group 25 for the 20i version, before going up to group 31 for the 23i model.
Tax
The entry-level XC40 Core and the Plus model powered by the B3 engine both dip below the £40,000 threshold for the combustion-powered luxury car tax supplement that’s payable in years two to six, so they offer decent savings over the rest of the range while still being generously equipped. However, opting for the fancier trim levels, Black Edition, or one-too-many options will bring this additional charge into play.
Company car tax is high because of the petrol CO2 emissions the XC40’s powerplants make. If you’re a business user who’s tempted by the XC40, the all-electric Volvo EX40 is the obvious alternative as it attracts the very lowest applicable Benefit-in-Kind (BiK) tax rates.
Depreciation
Our market data indicates that the XC40 boasts pretty strong residual values: between 49 and 54 per cent after a period of three years or 36,000 miles. This is a much stronger outcome than the electric Volvo EX40, which only holds on to 37 to 41 per cent after the same period.
The XC40 performs ever so slightly better than the BMW X1, as this is expected to maintain between 46 to 52 per cent of its original value.
To get an accurate valuation on a specific Volvo XC40 model, check out our free car valuation tool...
Interior, design & technology
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The Volvo XC40 was revealed in 2017, but even today it still stands out as a smart-looking compact SUV when compared with its rivals. Volvo deliberately penned it to have a different look when compared with its larger Volvo XC60 and Volvo XC90 siblings.
A subtle update in 2022 added a new front bumper, slightly slimmer LED headlights and a rear bumper that lacks the exhaust cut-outs you'll find on earlier examples of XC40, but otherwise left the overall design untouched.
Interior and dashboard design
Inside, there’s not a great deal in the way of opulence, and yet the XC40 still manages to deliver a dose of Swedish cool. There’s little in the way of clutter, and although the actual amount of space isn’t any greater than the class average, a variety of neat, practical touches make the XC40 feel a lot more ‘real-world liveable’ than many of its rivals.
The XC40 gets a nine-inch portrait-layout infotainment display, as well as a 12.3-inch digital instrument panel instead of conventional dials. The latter looks good and can be made to display a map, which is useful when following instructions from the built-in sat-nav, but it’s nowhere near as configurable as the Audi Virtual Cockpit system, or as easy to use.
The central infotainment display is less impressive, especially compared with the crisp-looking OLED display found in the MINI Countryman. The Countryman also has a wider variety of bright interior colours, with the XC40 looking a bit sombre in comparison. Plus and Plus Pro trims have charcoal upholstery, so you’ll have to choose the entry-level Core and select the light-grey seat fabric, or spring for the top-of-the-range Ultra and pick the cream-coloured synthetic leather option to get something a little brighter.
Materials and build quality
There are plenty of hard plastics in the cabin, but some of them come in handy, such as the plastic panels on the front seat backs, which make them more resistant to kicks. What isn’t finished with conventional plastic has piano black trim, and while it all feels well built and gives a premium ambience, we wonder how the material will look after a few years of use, when it has succumbed to scratches and marks.
Infotainment, sat-nav and stereo
As part of our infotainment group test, we tested Volvo’s Google Android Automotive based infotainment system in the closely related Volvo EC40 – the coupe electric SUV version of the XC40. Both share the same relatively small nine-inch portrait-oriented screen, making comparisons possible.
We liked the positioning of the screen within easy reach of the driver and having the climate control settings on permanent display along the bottom of the screen. However, they take up valuable space on a rather small display, so some of the app ‘buttons’ have been shrunk in order to fit, which isn’t ideal for ease of use while driving.
We do like the clarity of the layout, which is typical Swedish minimalism, and resulted in the least distracted lap time. The software running the display seems to be on the ball when it comes to accessing the swipe down menu at the top of the screen, and the Google-based navigation and voice recognition work well when plotting your destination. Our creative director, Darren Wilson, ran an EC40 as part of a long-term test and often used the car’s in-built sat nav because of its ease of use and ability to use live traffic data to plot better routes and find available charging stations along his route.
Smartphone connectivity is a little behind rivals in that it is wired rather than wireless, but it all worked well on the day. Despite not having wireless connectivity, you do get wireless phone charging as standard.
The standard 250-watt, eight-speaker system provides decent sound quality, while the top-of-the-range Ultra comes with an upgraded 600-watt, 12-speaker Harman Kardon set-up, which is excellent.
“When the XC40 was launched, its minimalist, style-driven cabin was seen as a breath of fresh air, but compared with the latest MINI Countryman, it looks pretty ordinary.” - Dean Gibson, senior test editor.
Boot space, comfort & practicality
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The Volvo XC40 has been created for a class where style and image traditionally take priority over outright space. The interior is neat, functional, and very Swedish in its design philosophy.
There are plenty of clever touches, too. There’s a folding hook in the glovebox for hanging bags from, while the flimsy-looking lidded compartment between the front seats is removable and can be washed. The capacity of the door bins is huge, which is helped by Volvo’s decision to arrange the speakers on the dashboard instead of in the doors.
Dimensions and size
The Volvo XC40 is a little shorter than the BMW X1 and Audi Q3, but it’s wider and taller than both of these rivals, which helps to boost space in the cabin.
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| Model | Volvo XC40 | Audi Q3 | BMW X1 |
| Length | 4,440mm | 4,531mm | 4,500mm |
| Width | 1,938mm (2,034mm inc mirrors) | 2,087mm (inc mirrors) | 1,845mm (2,104mm inc mirrors) |
| Height | 1,657mm | 1,588mm | 1,642mm |
| Wheelbase | 2,702mm | 2,681mm | 2,692mm |
| Boot space | 443-1,432 litres | 488-1,386 litres (375-1,293 litres PHEV) | 500-1,545 litres |
Seats & passenger space
You'll be disappointed if you expect the XC40 to provide a cavernous cabin. However, there’s plenty of space for two adults up front, and the tall driving position for a good view of your surroundings, and the relatively high roof adds to the sense of space inside. All versions come with very comfortable front seats with four-way electrically adjustable lumbar support and adjustable under thigh support. Plus trim upgrades the driver’s seat with electric adjustment with memory settings.
You’ll be able to fit a couple of grown-ups in the back seats easily. The XC40 has a pretty long wheelbase, so they should be fine for legroom, and there’s plenty of headroom, even with the optional panoramic sunroof fitted.
You can fit three across the back at a push, but there’s a transmission tunnel running down the middle of the floor - a remnant of the time when Volvo offered four-wheel drive in the XC40 - so middle-seat occupants might complain about having to place their feet on either side of it. Two Isofix child seat mounting points are provided on the outer positions of the rear seats.
Boot space
The XC40's 443-litre boot isn't the largest load bay in its class, but it’s easy to use the space available. That’s because the mild-hybrid version's boot has an impressively flat floor, with no lip at the front edge, making it easy to slide heavier items in there. Even more importantly, the rear seats fold down completely flat, so you get a level load bay and 1,319 litres of space at your disposal, although we would prefer it if, like the Audi Q3 and BMW X1, it came with a more versatile 40/20/40 split folding rear bench. The electric EX40, which uses the same platform as the XC40, has a slightly smaller boot to make room for the drive battery.
The Convenience Pack includes a folding boot floor that divides the space, and provides a way to stop items rolling around. The hinges even stand proud of the top edge of the resulting divider, giving you a few extra points from which to hang shopping bags.
Towing
Towing capacities for the XC40 vary depending on which engine you choose. The mild-hybrid B3 has a 1,600kg maximum braked trailer weight, but buyers prioritising towing ability will be better served by the more powerful B4, which is not only torquier but has a 2,000kg braked limit. A retractable towbar is priced at around £1,500.
“The boot is a good shape – I squeezed a tumble dryer in there – and there’s room under the floor for things like wellies and wet clothes.” - Richard Ingram, deputy editor
Reliability & safety
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The Volvo XC40 finished 20th out of 50 cars in the 2026 Driver Power owner satisfaction survey. Owners praised the quality and number of safety features that this car offers, but weren’t so complimentary about its running costs.
Volvo is regarded as a byword for safety, and every model gets automatic emergency braking, and it’s capable of spotting cars, pedestrians, and large animals. The XC40 also gets a lane departure system, which will intervene and pull the car back into the lane if it senses you’re going to steer into the path of oncoming traffic.
Volvo’s Pilot Assist semi-autonomous driving tech is standard on Ultra models and an option on other trims in the range. Simply engage cruise control in stop-start traffic, and the car’s software will manage driving inputs, such as steering to stay in lane and accelerating and braking to keep pace with surrounding traffic. The system can even bring the car to a complete halt if necessary.
Buying and owning
- Best buy: Volvo XC40 B3 Core
Considering that the dreaded luxury car tax is lurking, we recommend sticking with the least expensive Volvo XC40 B3 Core to get the best bang for your buck.
The B3 petrol engine is quick enough for most needs, while entry-level Core comes with luxuries and safety equipment you’d need in a family car, whilst also keeping the list price well under the £40,000 luxury car tax surcharge limit.
Volvo XC40 alternatives
The XC40 remains a popular choice with small SUV buyers looking for something a little more premium, but it has been usurped in our rankings by the likes of newer rivals such as the MINI Countryman and BMW X1.
The BMW X1 has a wider choice of engines than the XC40, including diesel and a plug-in hybrid options that might suit some company car and long distance drivers more than the XC40. It also has the edge on the XC40 in terms of driving dynamics.
The MINI Countryman has a fresher design and a more colourful interior with a bit more character. Being based on the BMW X1, it too is fun to drive, and we’re impressed with the amount of interior space it has.
Deals on the Volvo XC40 and alternatives
Frequently Asked Questions
The XC40 comes with a three-year/60,000-mile warranty, which is par for the course in this class, but the likes of the Alfa Romeo Tonale and BMW X1 offer unlimited-mileage coverage for the same period. As with most rival brands, Volvo offers extended warranties at extra cost. For the XC40, you can extend the coverage for another 12 months with the same mileage limit, or increase it to 80,000 miles for a bit more.
