2021 Volvo XC40 Recharge

By Alex Forrest

The XC40 Recharge plug-in hybrid we tested for this review was launched in 2020, and uses a 1.5-litre, three-cylinder petrol engine in conjunction with a 10.7kWh battery that powers an electric drive motor.

The fully electric XC40 Recharge is a different vehicle and should be landing on Australian shores in the weeks after this edition of Horizons lands in letterboxes.

At $73,110 drive away, the XC40 Recharge plug-in hybrid is expensive compared to other non-hybrid premium small SUVs, including non-hybrid iterations of the XC40. Pricing for the petrol-only XC40 starts at $54,270 drive away.

But the Recharge plug-in’s party trick is that it can be charged up with a cable, and can then run for about 40km on battery power alone. Using a regular household power socket, it’ll take four to five hours to fully charge from ‘empty’.

For most people living in urban areas with an average commuting round trip of approximately 30km, that will be enough. If you need to drive further than that between charges, the petrol engine will kick in and help.

The XC40 Recharge also has the clever ability to save the battery’s power for later by pressing the ‘Hold’ button which lets the car favour the petrol engine and conserve the battery’s energy. This is useful when driving at highway speeds, where the battery would otherwise drain quickly.

In Hybrid mode (its default on start-up), power delivered from the combination of both petrol and electric sources makes for quiet but still responsive acceleration.

An XC40 Recharge plug-in would reduce your visits to the petrol station and therefore lower your car’s exhaust emissions. You’ll also enjoy the turbine-smooth running when using the electric motor only.

Plus, you’ll be in a beautifully finished premium small SUV. But you’ll need to recharge it much more regularly than a fully electric car. And remember, when you do fill the petrol tank, it’ll need more costly 95 RON premium.

Finally, as we found with previous versions of the XC40, the large interior touch screen does take the driver’s eyes away from the road for longer than we’d like, such as when adjusting the climate control.