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This sporty-looking new fully electric 2023 Volvo C40 Recharge has some similarities, in the interior, with the Volvo XC40 Recharge I previously tested, but looks quite different on its exterior! Let's see how it compares as a BabyDrive and put it through our family car testing…

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Well, being fully electric we found the New 2023 Volvo C40 does about 350km to a full battery range which is a great amount for modern family life. Allowing you to do a few days' commutes, Mum's taxi drop-offs and school runs before you need to recharge! There is a readout that is easily located within the media screen to tell you how many kilometres of battery range you have left too.

This sporty EV does not disappoint! Similar in size to the Volvo XC40 Recharge this modern and sporty SUV has a neat interior with a surprising detail in the dash and door panelling with embossed maps of the area of Sweden where the vehicle is designed.

Storage is good throughout the car for passengers to easily store water bottles and cups of coffee while travelling along. The door bins in the front and rear are lined with a carpet which stops things rattling in them while you are driving which is a lovely detail and especially good for families if they have kids little toys in them or if you have little kids sleeping in the back those rattling noises can really disturb them.

In the front there is a wireless phone charging pad in the central console, two cup holders and a fair size central console box and glove box that fits a wallet with the manual.

The rear passengers have a USB socket for charging devices and net map pockets on the back of both front seats.

In the boot, the new 2023 Volvo C40 Recharge holds twelve shopping bags from empty, which is the same amount as the Volvo XC40 Recharge. That is two more than the Kia Niro which can hold ten bags and three less than the Hyundai Ioniq 5 which holds fifteen shopping bags.

2023 Volvo C40 Recharge boot space for shopping with two rows of seats in use

A twin pram fits nicely in the boot of the 2023 Volvo C40 with a shopping bag beside it.

2023 Volvo C40 Recharge boot space for twin side by side stroller pram and shopping with two rows of seats in use

For those that want to carry their fur babies in the boot, you would fit a medium size dog, Labrador size, in the boot of the 2023 Volvo C40 with the parcel shelf removed.

2023 Volvo C40 Recharge boot space for dogs with two rows of seats in use

The boot floor of the 2023 Volvo C40 concertinas back to reveal an underfloor storage area for the charging cables and there are shopping bag hooks too which are really practical for school backpacks as well.

When it comes to installing child seats, there are ISOFix points in the two outer rear seats. They are within plastic guides and easy to connect to.

2023 Volvo C40 Recharge ISOFIX child seat anchorages in the second row

There are top tether anchorages in the back of all three rear seatbacks. They are within plastic guides and easy to connect to through the boot.

2023 Volvo C40 Recharge top tether child seat anchorages in the second row

I found the rear headrests difficult to pass the top tether strap and hook under when installing the rear child seats.

The rear seats are spacious and I could surprisingly fit two harnessed Infasecure child seats in the outer seats, I installed the Infasecure Attain More and Infasecure Achieve More, with the Versatile Folding Booster Seat in between them.

2023 Volvo C40 Recharge with three child seats installed in the second row

Legroom is good in the 2023 Volvo C40 and a 180cm driver can sit in front of a rear-facing Infasecure child seat.

2023 Volvo C40 Recharge legroom with forward-facing child seats installed in the second row

The shape of the 2023 Volvo C40 is sporty and low at the back which doesn't equate to a low-feeling roofline when you are in the rear seats. However, the shape does affect the rear windscreen and visibility out of the back; it is very minimal even without child seats and it's pretty much non-existent with a central child seat installed.

2023 Volvo C40 Recharge with three child seats installed in the second row

Like the Volvo XC40 Recharge EV, there is no start button or ignition in the 2023 Volvo C40! You just sit in the driver's seat and select your gear and off you go! I've found it easier to get used to as I've experienced it before but I am still worried if my daughter sat in the front she could easily knock it into gear.

The new 2023  Volvo C40 is a great car to drive. The ride is smooth and quiet which makes it a pleasure to drive with my family on board. Being fully electric there are all the benefits like: I can drive my girls to school and to sleep knowing that I charged it at home using the power of the sun, which feels pretty good!

The media screen in the New 2023 Volvo C40 Recharge is portrait orientation and it has Apple CarPlay and Google Maps available in there too.

You can also add apps and access your own Spotify account, which we love with our kids while driving.

The reversing camera image I feel is too small on the media screen, it is shark mouth shaped too, which distorts the visibility.

The 2023 Volvo C40 EV has rear air-conditioning vents which are good to keep little passengers at the right temperature in the back. There are heated rear seat buttons located below the rear vents and out of the way of little passengers who might be tempted to fiddle with them!

Overall the new 2023 Volvo C40 is a great sporty electric SUV for families. It is enjoyable to drive, practical for fitting two child seats (and a third occasionally if you need to) and a single or double pram fits comfortably in the boot.

The new 2023 Volvo C40 Recharge gets a five-star ANCAP safety rating and has eight airbags as standard; Dual frontal, side chest-protecting and side head-protecting airbags, as well as a driver knee airbag are standard. A centre airbag which provides added protection to front seat occupants in side impact crashes is also standard.

 

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Tace Clifford
About Tace Clifford
Tace Clifford founded BabyDrive in 2017 after discovering a huge information gap in mainstream car reviews that left new parents and expanding families in the dark when it came to one of the biggest purchasing decisions of their lives.

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