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Volvo XC40 Recharge battery size, warranty, recalls and health check (UK)

Published 2026-11-04 · Last updated 2026-11-04 · based on 19 sourced XC40 Recharge data points and 26 sources

The electric XC40 Recharge has been sold in the UK since 2020, with three different battery packs, and from 2024 it is called the EX40. This guide covers which pack a car has, the battery recalls in DVSA's file, what Volvo's 8-year warranty covers, how far to trust the car's own battery figure, and how a test result compares with the 9 UK dealer test certificates we found.

All figures with method and date: used Volvo XC40 Recharge battery data. Going to a viewing? Make a printable list of questions for the seller.

1. Battery size: 69, 78 or 82 kWh

EV Database UK listings, checked 2026-11-04. Test certificates usually print the gross (nominal) figure, e.g. "69 kWh" or "82 kWh".

• The EX40 is the same car renamed. EV Database's pages for the MY24 XC40 Recharge Single Motor and Twin Motor say the new model is the "Volvo EX40 Single Motor (MY25)" and "Volvo EX40 Twin Motor (MY25)" (EV Database, EV Database).
• Check the car is fully electric. Volvo also used the "XC40 Recharge" badge on the plug-in hybrid (T4 and T5 Recharge) (CarExpert, The Straits Times). This guide and our data are for the electric car only.
• Our UK certificates cover all three XC40 packs: 6 × 69 kWh, 2 × 78 kWh and 1 × 82 kWh. Compare a result with cars that have the same pack where you can (table in section 5).

2. Check for recalls

We re-downloaded DVSA's recall file on 2026-11-04 (DVSA). Under "XC40 Recharge" and "XC40" it lists these high-voltage battery recalls:

• The last two rows say only "XC40", which also covers petrol and plug-in hybrid cars, so the numbers are not electric-only. R/2026/272 starts in March 2019, before the first electric XC40 on EV Database's UK listing (February 2020), and Volvo's notices for the 2026 cell-module recall in Australia and Singapore describe it as a plug-in hybrid recall (CarExpert, The Straits Times). It most likely doesn't apply to the electric car, but only a VIN check can confirm that.
• Not a battery recall, but worth checking: R/2025/211 (R10329, 23/06/2025) is a software fix for a temporary loss of braking when coasting downhill in "B" mode or using One Pedal Drive, for 791 XC40s built 27/10/2020 – 11/06/2025, done over the air.
• The file had no rows under the EX40 name. Run the free GOV.UK recall check on the registration (GOV.UK), and use the VIN look-up on Volvo UK's recall page (Volvo Cars UK) or ask a Volvo retailer. Ask the seller for proof that recall work and software updates were done.

3. Check the battery warranty

• Volvo UK covers the high-voltage battery for 8 years or 100,000 miles from delivery to the first owner, whichever comes first. If the battery's state of health drops below 70% because of a manufacturing or material defect, an authorised Volvo retailer repairs or replaces it free of charge, to bring capacity back to at least 70% (Volvo Cars UK).
• Gradual loss above 70% isn't covered, and a repaired battery is only guaranteed to be back above 70%, not "as new".
• The warranty transfers to later owners. The general new-car warranty is shorter: 36 months or 60,000 miles (Volvo Cars UK).
• Count the 8 years from the first delivery date, which is usually the first registration date on the V5C. Even the first UK cars from 2020 are covered until about 2028, unless they have passed 100,000 miles. Our battery warranty checker works out the time and mileage left.

Volvo UK's warranty and recall pages blocked our automated download (HTTP 403) on 2026-11-04; we read them with a web fetch the same day.

4. Get a battery reading you can trust

• On the 9 UK AVILOO certificates that also print the car's own figure (from its battery management system, BMS), the two were within 1.8 points on every car. The car's own figure was lower on 7, the same on 1 and higher on 1 (96.0% vs AVILOO 95.9%). On the XC40 the car's own figure has been a fair, slightly cautious guide.
• Owner readings from OBD apps vary more. On the OrBit owner forum, one owner logged the same car at 94.6%, then 90.7%, then 87.5% between 25,000 and 48,000 km (OrBit Forums – forums.spaycetech.com). Ask for a recent reading taken the same way, or an independent test.
• AVILOO lists the XC40 Recharge in its test coverage (AVILOO GmbH). An independent test (AVILOO GmbH) gives a figure you can compare with the table below. UK options and prices: UK battery test comparison. To read the result: certificate guide.

5. Compare the result with other XC40s

• AVILOO median (7,903 XC40 Recharge tests, all packs grouped): 95.2% at 50,000 km, 93.7% at 100,000 km and 92.8% at 150,000 km (AVILOO GmbH).
• The 9 UK dealer certificates (≈17,453–42,229 miles) read 94.5%–97.0%, in line with that median. The lowest, 94.5%, was at 25,775 miles; the highest-mileage car (42,229 miles) had 94.8%.
• Owner OBD readings on the OrBit forum ranged from 87.5%–94.6% (n=1 each, 15,000–86,600 km) (OrBit Forums – forums.spaycetech.com). In Bjørn Nyland's measured drive test, a 2022 C40 Recharge (the coupé sister with the 78 kWh pack, not an XC40) had 97.1% at 41,000 km (Bjørn Nyland / TB Test Results).
• A UK result clearly below about 94.5% at similar mileage is worth questioning. Get the car tested again or ask a Volvo retailer to check it.
• As a rule of thumb for all EVs, ADAC expects at least 92% at 50,000 km, 88% at 100,000 km, 84% at 150,000 km, 80% at 200,000 km (ADAC).
• Compare the XC40 Recharge with similar SUVs on the battery degradation chart, or get a quick estimate with the battery health estimator.

Every XC40 Recharge result we have (n=1 each)

9 UK dealer AVILOO certificates, 6 owner-reported OBD readings and 1 measured test of the sister C40. Single cars show the spread, not an average. Every row is also on the XC40 Recharge data page.

6. Battery replacement cost (UK)

We have not found a verifiable, dated UK price for a new XC40 Recharge battery from Volvo, so we don't quote one. Within 8 years and 100,000 miles, a battery that falls below 70% because of a defect is covered by Volvo (Volvo Cars UK). For a car near the end of its cover, get a written quote from a Volvo retailer before you buy. General UK figures are in our EV battery replacement cost guide.

Also see: Polestar 2 battery at 100,000 miles · Mercedes EQA battery check · VW ID.3 & ID.4 battery check · general used-EV battery checklist · battery problem after buying: your rights (UK) · all models compared.

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