2024 Volvo XC40, C40 Recharge electric SUVs updated, in Australia this year

Updates to the 2024 Volvo XC40 and C40 Recharge – due in Australia by October this year – give the electric cars more driving range for the new year, and make them the first rear-wheel-drive Volvos in 25 years.

The Model Year 2024 updates – which appeared on Volvo's websites in Europe late last year, but have now been detailed by the car maker – come months after a facelifted XC40, and the brand-new C40 went on sale in Australia.

A Volvo Australia spokesperson told Drive recently the updated C40 Recharge and XC40 Recharge Pure Electric are due in local showrooms in the third quarter of 2023 (July to September).

For the electric XC40, it represents the second annual update in a row – as it launched in Australia for Model Year 2022, and received a facelift, new features and a cheaper single-motor variant for MY23.

Leading the upgrades is a switch from front-wheel drive to rear-wheel drive for the single-motor, entry-level versions – representing the first rear-drive Volvos in 25 years, since the S90 and V90 (formerly the 960) large cars were discontinued in 1998.

The now rear-mounted electric motor now develops 175kW (up from 170kW), and is connected to a tweaked 69kWh battery with a carry-over capacity, but improved "cooling efficiency".

Volvo says claimed driving range in European WLTP testing has increased from 425km to up to 460km for the XC40, or 438km to 476km for the C40.

The single-motor cars are claimed to be capable of 10 to 80 per cent fast charges in 34 minutes on a 130kW DC socket.

For the first time, the single-motor options can be specified with the twin-motor version's larger 82kWh battery pack (up 4kWh from the 2023 twin motor's battery), which also includes a more powerful electric motor developing 185kW.

WLTP-rated driving range in the extended-range single-motor variant is claimed as up to 515km for the XC40, or 533km for the C40.

Meanwhile, the twin-motor models switch from two 150kW electric motors – one on each axle – to a 183kW permanent-magnet electric motor at the rear, and a 117kW asynchronous electric motor at the front.

Volvo claims this – in conjunction with "overall efficiency improvements in battery cooling" – increases WLTP lab-tested driving range from 438km to 500km in the twin-motor XC40, or 451km to 507km for the twin-motor C40.

Charging power for all models with the 82kWh battery – including the existing dual-motor models – has increased from 150kW to 200kW, claimed to reduce the 10 to 80 per cent fast charging time to "approximately" 28 minutes.

Other tweaks for Model Year 2024 are limited to a new 19-inch wheel design for entry-level XC40 and C40 Recharge models, which is claimed to reduce drag.

The 2024 Volvo XC40 Recharge Pure Electric and 2024 Volvo C40 Recharge electric vehicles are due in Australian showrooms between July and September 2023.

Price rises are likely in order to account for the mechanical upgrades. The current 2023 models launched from $72,990 plus on-road costs for the single-motor XC40, or $74,990 plus on-road costs for the C40.