Volvo EC40 review

The EC40 starts at £50,410 for the Single Motor in Plus spec, with the other two trim levels being Plus Pro and Ultra.The latter loses the option for the Single Motor powertrain; it’s just the Extended Range and Twin Motor here.

In base form the Extended Range starts from £52,160 and the Twin Motor is five grand more at £55,660. The Black Edition can be paired with everything, meaning the most you can spend before options is £60,660. Strewth.

What are the trims like? 

Plus comes very well equipped, with heated front and rear seats and steering wheel, a panoramic glass sunroof, wireless phone charging, heat pump, adaptive cruise control, LED headlights, park assist, powered tailgate and 19in alloys.

Plus Pro adds a 360-degree parking camera and pixel LED headlights, as well as keyless entry. Yours for £52,410 and up.

Ultra costs from £55,910 and adds matrix LEDs, an upgraded Harman Kardon sound system, dual zone climate, more sophisticated cruise control, 20in alloys and a fancier interior trim.

Then there’s the Black Edition, which you can think of as a pack in its own right. It adds an Onyx Black finish to the body and badging, plus a glossy black hue to the grille and alloys. Worth the money if you’re after that unmistakable ‘stay out of my way’ look.

It can’t be twinned with the Single Motor, and embellishes the Twin Motor with the Performance upgrade if you do end up going there. Saves doing it on the app, we guess.

Which one should I go for? 

The ‘entry’ trim is so generous we’d be likely to go for the Single Motor Extended Range car in Plus guise. That model leans into the EC40’s strengths a bit better than the others, while its 346 miles of official range make it very usable for longer journeys.

There are a variety of ways to get into a Volvo, many of which can be arranged entirely online. If we were to order this car we could get it on Volvo’s PCP package over three years and £843 a month with a £5k deposit.