12 months in my 2023 FWD C40 Plus

[percymon]

Just thought i'd post some thoughts after 12 months and 11.5k miles.

2023 C40 Plus

Pros..
> Quiet drive (as you'd expect from a full EV)
> Ride quality, even on the optional 20" alloys with Pirelli PZero is decent enough
> Handling - OK at moderate speeds, which is what a lot of Volvo drivers want. It gets wallowy with plenty of lean in the corners at higher speeds, well before what i would describe as 'driving enthusiastically'. The grip is good, but the body control doesnt inspire much confidence.
> Interior - quality is fine, its not the most plush materials in places but its functional and shows no signs of any wear. sufficient space for a family of four, at least until the kids hit their mid teens
> Range - might seem strange to have this in the pros section, but 220 miles in winter and 260+ in summer is pretty good, and a far cry from the 110/135miles i used to have in a 2017 Nissan Leaf i owned for a few years
> Charging - i have a 7kW home charger, 2017 vintage so no telematics but it works as expected and i can set the charge timer in the car system if i want to. On road charging works well, the number of chargers have improved immensely in the last 5 years, not really had an issue finding an available rapid charger and 120kW chargers makes for a fairly short charge stop (coffee and toilet break)
> Exterior quality and finish - not the smoothest paint finish i've ever seen on a car, but its as it was 12 months ago, not one mark or stone chip so can't complain
> Its been 100% reliable, not had to go visit a dealership, and wont hopefully for another 7k miles when its first workshop visit is due (to check the tyres are still black and round, not much else involved)


Cons...
> No button on the steering wheel to turn one pedal drive on and off - its a pain going into the menu or asking Google to do it. I want one pedal on for town driving and approaching roundabouts/intersections, but off to allow 'coasting' on duals and motorways; as that describes my daily commute.
> AAOS - it gets plenty of airing here, its not the most stable platform. I have had to reset via the home button on ca 8 occasions in the last year - variety of symptoms, but mostly down to no sound on entertainment
> Air con - i posted elsewhere last week, but the lack of a full auto (auto control of fan speed, direction etc) is a real miss from Volvo IMHO. Why I have to change the fan speed myself is ludicrous these days

My only other comment would be resale value - thankfully mine is a company lease, but the car listed at almost £55k when new. 12 months on i see similar spec/age/mileage cars at Volvo dealers for £30k; given they probably have £5-6 mark up, the car has basically lost over 50% of its value in a year. Some of that of course is down to the general decline in EV values as the market is still wary of them (i think these days more due to technology improving every 6 months than a reliability issue), but its a massive chunk of money lost for private owner. Of course for those looking for a nearly new, lightly used example it could be seen as a good thing - when a new Vauxhall Mokka EV is well over £40k new and has less quality, space and power , a used C40 might be worth a look.

[eugen61]

Very helpful feedback. MY25 EX40 / EC40 higher trims are now equipped with adaptive damping addressing wallowing cornering. Regarding Air Con fan, this was a known C40 issue last year, supposedly already solved with a software update.

[Stovo]

Great feedback Percymon. You are right about pricing, you would be really peed off if you paid some £50k+ for new, only to find some 6 months later you have lost in the region of £15 -£20k. Great if you are looking for a nearly new model though.

[eugen61]

i have a 7kW home charger, 2017 vintage so no telematics but it works as expected and i can set the charge timer in the car system if i want to.

You can also set charging percentage limit directly from the Volvo Cars app. App version 5.43.0 and AAOS 3.0.3 or later needed.

[percymon]

i have a 7kW home charger, 2017 vintage so no telematics but it works as expected and i can set the charge timer in the car system if i want to.

You can also set charging percentage limit directly from the Volvo Cars app. App version 5.43.0 and AAOS 3.0.3 or later needed.

indeed - normally set to 90%, but occasionally i charge to 100% ahead of 200+mile trips

[Stovo]

After nearly a year of deciding what to change to, have taken the plunge and bought a C40 single motor plus in Onyx Black. It is 6 months old ex head office vehicle with less than 500 miles on the clock. 3 year service pack ( all EV ‘s seem to get that as standard), plus got the Autoglyn treatment thrown in. Need to get mudflaps fitted and sunshade for fixed pano, for the two hot sunny days we have a year, also need to sort home charger. Excited but slightly apprehensive it being first EV. XC40 has been brilliant for the 4.5 years I have had it, that plus the saving I made is why I went for it. Here’s hoping…

[Andy40]

After nearly a year of deciding what to change to, have taken the plunge and bought a C40 single motor plus in Onyx Black. It is 6 months old ex head office vehicle with less than 500 miles on the clock. 3 year service pack ( all EV ‘s seem to get that as standard), plus got the Autoglyn treatment thrown in. Need to get mudflaps fitted and sunshade for fixed pano, for the two hot sunny days we have a year, also need to sort home charger. Excited but slightly apprehensive it being first EV. XC40 has been brilliant for the 4.5 years I have had it, that plus the saving I made is why I went for it. Here’s hoping…

Nice - enjoy your new motor

[Stovo]

After nearly a year of deciding what to change to, have taken the plunge and bought a C40 single motor plus in Onyx Black. It is 6 months old ex head office vehicle with less than 500 miles on the clock. 3 year service pack ( all EV ‘s seem to get that as standard), plus got the Autoglyn treatment thrown in. Need to get mudflaps fitted and sunshade for fixed pano, for the two hot sunny days we have a year, also need to sort home charger. Excited but slightly apprehensive it being first EV. XC40 has been brilliant for the 4.5 years I have had it, that plus the saving I made is why I went for it. Here’s hoping…

Nice - enjoy your new motor

Thanks. Will post some pictures when I get it.

[Stovo]

Pick up ‘new to me’ C40 single rwd plus tomorrow. Slightly apprehensive being my first EV, but looking forward to getting it. Home charger fitted today, just about to switch energy tariff to Octopus, so pretty much set to go. I know there are a few ‘anti’ EV on here, but think the car looks great, and have read /watched countless reviews, all in general very positive. That and the fact I only do 2-3 long journeys a year, made me decide to go for it! Let you all know how I get on.