2024 Volvo XC40 & C40 EVs: More range, faster charging... and RWD!

The Volvo XC40 and C40 Recharge electric SUVs are set to receive a major update with a larger battery, more range, faster DC charging capability, and a switch to rear-wheel drive for the entry-level model.

The 2024 model-year changes were spotted on Volvo’s UK website, which seems to have now been hidden with the ‘specifications’ page no longer in sight.

For Australia, confirmation of these changes may still be some time off.

“These appear to be running model-year changes," a Volvo Cars Australia spokesperson told Wheels today.

"As we are a longer-lead time market our final specification and timing of these changes take a little longer to finalise".

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Both Chinese-made electric vehicles gain an upgraded 200kW DC fast charging capability on the flagship twin-motor variant. That cuts its claimed 10 to 80 per cent recharging time to 27 minutes, a 10-minute improvement.

The entry-level single-motor model retains the current model’s 135kW max DC charging speed. But, it switches to rear-wheel drive, rather than being front-driven, to improve efficiency and extend range. It also gets a power bump to 177kW (up 7kW).

Dual-motor variants gain a larger 82kWh gross battery (up 4kWh), with an extended WLTP claimed driving range of 502km on the XC40 EV and 509km for the sleeker C40. That’s an improvement of around 65km.

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It’s worth noting that Volvo Cars Australia provides more conservative WLTP figures with the current model, rated at 418km and 420km respectively.

The dual-motor XC40 and C40 Recharge also have modified all-wheel-drive torque split between the front and rear axles – now 122kW and 183kW respectively – but combined outputs remain the same at 300kW of power and 660Nm of torque.

Acceleration times are unchanged for both powertrains, with the single-motor sprinting from 0-100km/h in 7.4 seconds and the dual-motor at 4.9 seconds.

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The XC40 Recharge electric SUV gained a mild facelift earlier in the year to align it with the C40 Recharge coupe SUV, with a tweaked front design, new interior dashboard trim, and the introduction of the single-motor version in Australia with a smaller 69kWh gross battery.

The current XC40 Recharge starts from $72,990 before on-road costs, while the slicker C40 Recharge is priced from $74,990 before on-roads.

The local arm has promised to offer a completely electric line-up from 2026, spearheaded by the recently unveiled EX90 flagship large electric SUV. By then, Volvo Cars CEO Jim Rowan recently predicted that EVs will reach price parity with internal combustion engine models.

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