2025 Volvo EX40 Twin Motor First Test: Keeping Things Current

Meet the 2025 Volvo EX40, a thoroughly rebadged XC40 Recharge that also has a few other upgrades up its sleeve. (Note that its swoopy-roofline C40 sibling will get its own rechristening as EC40 after sitting out the 2025 model year.) Have the changes targeted our primary complaints with the XC40 Recharge—primarily range, charging speed, and price? Well, the short answer is, kinda. The popular Twin Motor variant gets the bigger 82-kWh battery (79 usable) formerly reserved for the Single Motor Extended Range models, but that’s only a whopping 4-kWh improvement. And charging speed jumped from 150 to 200kW last year, good for a claimed 10–80 percent charging time of just 28 minutes. Our results may have differed.

Why It’s Important 

The XC40 Recharge was Volvo’s rapid response to electrification—an ICE-vehicle conversion that got an oar in the water right quick. As Volvo readies its range of dedicated EVs (EX30, EX90, and ES90), the changes made to the 40-series range for 2025 look like what they are—stopgap spiffs. In addition to the battery upgrade, there’s the new Sand Dune paint seen here with a contrasting black roof that’s newly standard on top models (now dubbed Ultra instead of Ultimate, which is a $3,700 upgrade from the midlevel Plus package). Our Dawn Fusion Microtech upholstery set off by cloth accents is also new and vaguely emulates wetsuit material. It’s a pleasing look that, along with the open-pore woodgrain inserts, manages to appear upscale despite the quaintly tiny infotainment screen. These modest changes warrant evaluation as we continually assess the nine electric luxury compact SUVs in MotorTrend’s Ultimate Car Rankings (where the EX40 ranks fifth).

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Pros: What We Like

The EX40’s driving and handling performance is great. Volvo’s new permanent-magnet rear- and AC-induction front-motor setup yielded darn near the exact same swift results as they did in our 2024 C40 Recharge Twin—4.0 seconds to 60 mph and 12.7 through the quarter mile for both, though the XC40 scored 4–5 percent better braking and handling numbers on identical tires (suggesting our Michigan test track is marginally grippier than our California one). The No. 1–ranked Genesis GV60 is a few tenths quicker in a straight line, equivalent in lateral grip, and slightly worse off for braking. The larger, lighter, better-selling Tesla Model Y Dual Motor Long Range runs about a half-second slower with equivalent handling. 

Within its class, the Volvo EX40 measures 3 to 13 inches shorter in length but stands marginally taller, delivering both spacious upright seating and competitive cargo space in an easier-to-park package. The infotainment system proved responsive, well organized, and relatively easy to master. 

Cons: What We Don’t Like

Range and charging speed have never been this model’s selling points, and this EX40 Twin Motor performed on par with its XC40 Recharge Single Motor predecessor with the same battery, falling 11 miles short in MT Road-Trip Range, for 197 total (versus EPA’s 260). Those numbers still aren’t great for road-trippers, falling short of the Audi Q4 E-Tron, Genesis GV60, and Tesla Model Y, while besting the Lexus RZ. Sadly, saddled as it still is with 400-volt electric architecture, the XC40 still took us 35 minutes to charge from 5 to 80 percent. That’s on par with most of the above competitors, but it’s 14 minutes off the pace of the 800V Genesis GV60 (our current class leader).  

Strangely, the EX40 is the only MotorTrend test car, among dozens tried, that patently refused to charge from this author’s Lectron 30A AC home charger. Evidently there was some irreconcilable communication error between the car and the charger. Fortunately, the EX40’s portable home charger offers a NEMA 14-50 plug along with the 120V standard wall plug. It worked fine in the same outlet the Lectron had been using, easily topping up the battery overnight.

We also wish the all-digital instrument cluster and infotainment screens offered EV metrics or at least something more interesting to look at than navigation, radio info, and instantaneous air quality stats for particulate matter, NO2, ozone, SO2, and CO. 

The Bottom Line

Changes made to the renamed 2025 Volvo EX40 might lure the Volvo faithful back into the showroom, but they’re unlikely to advance the model in our rankings.