Volvo XC40 Recharge P8 2021 Review

The first thing that strikes you about Volvo’s first fully electric vehicle, is that it looks exactly like a regular Volvo XC40. Apart from the radiator grill, which has been replaced with body work panelling in the same colour, you’d be hard pressed to spot the Recharge P8 in a Volvo line up.

Under the hood however, it’s a completely different animal. A single charge of the 78kWh battery will get you an impressive 260 miles. Add to this the ability to recharge the battery to 80% in just 40 minutes and you start to see why Volvo has such high hopes for their all electric newcomer.

The Recharge P8 feels very familiar inside too, even with the addition of the space age digital dashboard. Volvo’s decision to mirror the regular XC40 from a design point of view, both inside and out, is both a plus and a minus. On the one hand, the level of familiarity is safe and comforting. A more critical appraisal would be that it feels a little lazy, especially when taking the eye-watering cost into account, which brings us to the main downer...

The First Edition of the XC40 Recharge P8 is expected to come in at just under £60,000, and for that amount of money, you might be forgiven for wanting something with a little more design edge. Saying that, if you’re looking for a familiar friend with solid eco-credentials, and you don’t mind paying for it, the XC40 Recharge P8 is for you.