carandbike Awards 2023: Compact Electric Car Of The Year – Volvo XC40 Recharge

This award criteria saw fierce competition from the BYD Atto 3, Tata Tiago EV and the Volvo XC40 Recharge. After spending an entire day evaluating all three of these vehicles at BIC, the Volvo XC40 Recharge won over the jury. The XC40 Recharge easily swept over the jury with its clean design and blitzing performance. That being said, the BYD Atto 3 wasn’t far off, and the points difference between both vehicles was very minute. The Tata Tiago EV, on the other hand, did please our jury members, but not enough to score winning points. 

Powering the Volvo XC40 Recharge is a single motor drivetrain relying on a 79-kWh battery to develop a combined output, from both the axles, of 405 bhp and 660 Nm of peak torque, transferring power to all wheels via a single-speed transmission. Volvo states that the electric SUV can go from 0 to 100km/h in just 4.9 seconds. Now visually, the XC40 Recharge retains its subtle appearance. The Thor’s Hammer DRL is tweaked along with the front bumpers. It also features a blanked-out grille and new dual-tone 19-inch alloy wheels, and the boot space is now 452 litres, with an additional 31-litre boot under the bonnet.
The XC40 Recharge gets a 78kW battery pack which offers a claimed range of 418kms, and Volvo states that the battery is capable of a 150kW DC fast charger that can take this electric SUV from 10 per cent to 80 per cent in just 33 minutes. Whereas, using a 50kW fast charger, the XC40 Recharge can get to 100 per cent from empty in just 2.5 hours.