2026 Volvo EX40 Review: Growing Up Green

Should the 2026 Volvo EX40 still exist?

That’s the question that kicked off my week with this pint-sized electric Volvo. While the name is relatively new, the vehicle itself isn’t: this is the XC40 Recharge with a different badge to align with Volvo’s fresh EV models like the EX30.

And there’s the challenge: while the EX30 is slightly smaller, it’s newer, quicker, and—crucially, in this day and age—more affordable. Does the aging EX40 still justify its spot in the lineup? Amongst Volvos yes, but against the broader electric landscape I’m not so sure.

Not a whole lot, which has been the story basically since the XC40 Recharge launched. There was that time the single-motor switched from front- to rear-drive ( cool!) and a subtle facelift brought the front-end looks of the C40 (now EC40). Otherwise, the EX40 has hummed along with the same badge since last year. An 82.0-kilowatt-hour battery pack is standard, delivering up to 296 miles of range with the single-motor setup. Switch to dual-motor all-wheel drive, optional in the US but the only way the EX40 comes in Canada now, and range dips to 260 mi (418 kilometers).

The EX40 is a design that’s going on a decade at this point, yet it remains a handsome and distinct little cute-ute. The angular headlights that came in the last facelift add a bit of aggression, but the EX40’s overall shape, with its clamshell hood and smoothly rounded liftgate, balance that out with a calming feel. There’s an architectural feel to the little Volvo’s look that its trend-chasing competition lacks. Meanwhile the chunky, five-spoke, 20-inch alloy wheel design gives it a strong stance.

Volvo’s twin-motor electric setup is almost comically quick for something this small. The EX40 surges forward in near-silence, and will happily chirp its tires as it does so. This being one of the brand’s original electric models, the EX40’s accelerator pedal can be too sensitive for the uninitiated: the 402 horsepower and 494 pound-feet of torque come on quick, so subtlety needs to come from the human side of the equation.

Regenerative braking is also strong, though this can be adjusted, as well as the ability for the vehicle to creep. Switch that off and the EX40 will quite happily roll to a complete stop, and one-pedal driving quickly becomes natural. If you spend a lot of time in the city you may want to reactivate creep status, mind you: it can be hard to inch forward in stop-and-go traffic, and the EX40 still stops with a light jerk without it. Thankfully, Volvo’s regen settings persist across uses, so you won’t be setting it back every drive.

Official range is 260 miles (418 km) for the dual-motor setup, which is on the low end in the segment. The EX40 looked on target to hit that for half our time together, until a nasty snow storm dinged it down to around 220 miles (354 km). A complete recharge via Level 2 setup can be done in 8 hours; DC fast charging via CCS port can do the 10–80 percent challenge in as little as 28 minutes.

While the EX40 is a lil’ chunker at 4,623 pounds (2,097 kilograms), it maintains most of that mass within its tidy wheelbase—and low down around the axles, too. The result is a tidy and adept little handler that feels at least as agile as the gas model.

That’s not to say the EX40 is particularly sporty—and that’s fine. The heavier steering setting is still too light, and there’s little feedback from the helm either. The default stance into, through, and out of a corner is safe understeer, with a surprising amount of body roll. The latter is something of a safety feature: it’s the EX40’s way of telling the driver in no uncertain terms where the limits lie. Overall the EX40 is accurate but never feels like it wants to dig into the nearest bit of twisting tarmac, much preferring gentle sweepers.

The lack of sportiness would be easier to accept if the EX40 rode better. Chalk it up to pesky things like physics: this is a heavy car needing stiff suspension to keep its movements in check, riding on large wheels because dang it, those look cooler. A short wheelbase doesn’t help, either. The EX40 is quiet and comfortable, but broken tarmac reveals a busy ride, while long-frequency instances like speed bumps highlight a setup that takes too long to settle. On smoother surfaces the EX40 is naturally a much better companion, with a calm ride and very little in the way of road or wind noise.

Volvo’s seats are renowned for their comfort, and the EX40’s are no exception. The front seats offer a wide range of power adjustments in addition to a manual thigh support extension for taller folks. The driver’s seat also has a memory function. This tester swaps out the suede and faux-leather standard on the Ultra trim for faux-leather framed by a grippy textile. It’s good, but obviously when the wool blend seats are available as an option, that’s the correct choice. The steering wheel might seem like real leather, but it too is playing pretend.

Against its younger EX30 sibling, the EX40 actually offers up less head- and legroom: 37.6 and 40.9 inches, respectively. (Canadian figures are 955 and 1,040 millimeters). There is more width in the cabin in both rows however, and it’s the rear seats where the EX40 scores a four-inch advantage in legroom with a useful 36.1 in (917 mm). Cargo space is also where the larger EX40 shines: seats up we’re talking 16.0 cubic feet (410 liters), and that more than triples to 57.5 cu ft (1,400 L) with the seats down. There is a tiny amount of storage up in the frunk.

I’ll admit it: the EX40’s aged interior design can’t match the newer EX30’s in wow factor. I genuinely enjoy the smaller car’s inspired material choices and pared-back air-con vents. By comparison, the EX40’s cabin majors on bland-looking black plastic. The protrusion for the handful of physical controls below the touchscreen is more economy than premium. There are welcome contrasts from that, including the light wood inlays in the dashboard and doors, not to mention the fuzzy charcoal trim that wraps right around the door armrests. Don’t forget the Orrefors crystal shifter either, which is a joy to hold.

But boy is this the more practical cabin, and not only because the EX40 driver actually has access to four window switches—a novel concept, that. There’s storage everywhere, including the clever removable garbage receptacle in the center console and the bag holder in the glovebox. Being able to power-fold the second-row headrests for better visibility is another great example of Scandi cleverness, too.

I may not love the plastic-fantastic dashboard design, but the EX40 cabin is rock-solid, with narry a peep from any trim bits.

This is an older Volvo, and that means contesting with the previous-generation infotainment system. It’s fine, with a simple menu structure ensuring no getting lost, but it’s not the quickest nor the prettiest, and the comparatively small (9.0-inch) screen is susceptible to glare. There’s also the problem of the laughably low-resolution rearview camera. That said, it functions in a straight-forward manner that can be a breath of fresh air after the confounding systems in newer models. The digital instrument cluster is barely adjustable, but its map view continues to be hella useful.

The rest of Volvo’s safety system suite doesn’t break new ground but remains well-judged and easy to access, be it lane-keep, blind-spot monitoring, and the natural-acting adaptive cruise control. The EX40 also includes a feature that will blink its hazard lights if a following vehicle is getting too close and the system senses a possible collision.

Pricing for the EX40 is very different between America and Canada.

In the former, $56,545 is the price (including destination) to even set foot in a single-motor EX40 Plus, a full $16,000 more than where the EX30 starts. A dual-motor setup is great value at $1,750 more; the 20-inch alloys are an $800 option, and the cold climate package’s heated steering wheel and rear seats plus heat pump ($900) is a must-have for those in colder climates. The only way to get the Ultra trim is to go for the Black Edition ($62,245), which as the name suggests coats everything outside and inside black.

Canadian pricing kicks off at $66,370 CAD, with the dual-motor powertrain but the Core trim. The Plus trim adds the glass roof, ambient lighting, and air purifier for a reasonable $1,390 CAD; this Ultra trim is a pricey $11,350 CAD upgrade, but packs in everything like the excellent HK sound system and Volvo’s Pilot Assist. For reference the EX30 starts under $50k in Canada

A friend recently posited that buying a Volvo is a bit like buying mid-century furniture; you’re not concerned with what’s most recent, you want what endures.

The 2026 Volvo EX40 has endured, largely unchanged after five years. Dated cabin plastics aside, it is useful, practical and handsome, with an agreeable driving experience hampered by low-ish range. It justifies its extra cost over the EX30 with a more spacious cabin and better ergonomics. Framed against the rest of the premium EV space however, with incoming models like the BMW iX3 promising more of everything for what should be similar coin, the EX40 has its work cut out for it.

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