Volvo refreshed the XC40, but it’s sadly doing away with the all-electric EX40 in the US.
Volvo is a brand traditionally known for its safety-minded station wagons and the Labrador Retrievers contained within, but lately it has well and truly embraced the SUV wave. While its midsize offering, the XC60, is its primary sales winner in the United States, the compact XC40 is the brand’s third-best-selling model here, and second-highest internaionally.
The current-generation XC40 dates back to 2017, joined by the all-electric XC40 Recharge in 2019, which was rechristened in 2024 to become the EX40 to keep up with the company’s evolving all-electric nomenclature. That branding includes the EX30, EX60, and the EX90.
For the 2028 model year, both the EX40 and XC40 are getting a major visual refresh plus an injection of extra tech into the software interface and active safety systems. That’s the good news. The bad news? Starting in 2028, we’ll only get half of that pairing.
A new look
The current-generation XC40 got a slight refresh in 2022, but looking back, you’d be forgiven for having a hard time telling the two versions apart, with a slightly reshaped nose and revised headlights.
For 2028, the revisions are a bit more significant, even if the overall shape of the car again remains largely the same. The front, though, is significantly revised. Where the front bumper formerly presented a face with numerous cut-outs and scalloped sections, now everything is far simpler.
It’s a distinctly more modern look highlighted by the revised headlights. Yes, Volvo’s trademark Thor’s hammer design remains, but the various other lighting elements are now largely hidden, creating a stark effect.
Simpler designs
The hood and fenders have likewise been resculpted, and things out back have changed to match the revised front end, again all resulting in a cleaner design throughout. Cast a shadow over the new XC40, and you won’t spot the differences, but in the daylight the net result is a distinctly more modern-looking SUV.
Over on the electric EX40, that machine gets all the same revisions. That means these two SUVs are nigh indistinguishable when sitting next to each other. Yes, the badging on the back is different, of course, but the bigger tell is the grille on the revised nose. The EX40’s grille is a flat, body-colored panel, while the XC40’s now contains an array of diagonal slashes meant to accentuate the Volvo logo and the arrow it’s forever firing up and to the right.
New tech
Volvo retooled the interiors of the EX40 and XC40 as well, but the changes are even more subtle. The most notable is a new, larger screen that’s been somewhat crudely grafted atop the center of the dashboard. Where the old display was nicely recessed between the tall central vents, fitting nicely in a recess in the dash, the new one stands outward, taller than the dash.
It’s not a bad look, and the result is 11.2 inches of display real estate, up from the 9 inches the XC40 had before. The software running behind that screen has been updated as well, the latest flavor of Android Automotive that brings Google‘s Gemini to the party.
Gemini can handle changes to vehicle settings, control the infotainment experience and do everything else you’d expect your friendly local agentic instance to do — for better or worse. That means not only finding nearby restaurants but also getting summaries of their gluten-free offerings or vegetarian fare. Or, you can get route suggestions when you have a little extra time to kill and want to see some scenery on the way.
None of that, though, is exactly new. Indeed, Volvo added Gemini to most of its models earlier this year. Thankfully, the XC40’s interior was already among the better-looking and feeling spaces in this segment, and that’s still the case, now just with a bigger screen and some updated ambient lighting as well.
Enhanced safety
The biggest changes on the new EX40 and XC40 might be under the skin — or in some cases embedded within it. Volvo has outfitted these SUVs with an improved sensing package, including high-res cameras looking in every direction, ultrasonic sensors in the bumpers and updated radar.
This has a few immediate benefits, including the availability of a detailed, 3D view of the car that was previously restricted to Volvo’s bigger, more expensive models. This also enables an automated lane-change feature in the Pilot Assist active safety system, which still includes an advanced, hands-on lane-keep system and adaptive cruise.
Those features are also said to be improved, with everything controlled by an updated central safety controller that has more processing power than before and is over-the-air updatable, meaning more advanced driver assistance features could be added down the road.
No details on which features might be coming and when, but don’t hold your breath on hands-off driver systems like BMW’s Highway Assistant or Tesla’s Full Self-Driving. Volvo CEO Håkan Samuelsson has made it very clear that the company is in no rush to let drivers take their hands off the wheel.
Adios EX40
The final update is probably the saddest: While Volvo is updating both the EX40 and XC40 internationally, the United States will not be getting the updated battery-electric version. We’ll only get the XC40 in B5 trim.
That means a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine that outputs 247 horsepower and 266 pound-feet of torque. It has an eight-speed automatic transmission and a small electric motor to help deliver a combined 27 mpg fuel efficiency.
The all-electric EX40 will live on internationally. Why not domestically? You can surely blame some combination of tepid sales and its foreign manufacture. That’s a shame, especially since the smaller EX30 has also left American shores, but at least Volvo hasn’t suffered Polestar’s fate.
Wrap-up
So the EX40’s days are numbered, with that model turning into a pumpkin after the current inventory is depleted. But the XC40 lives on with its updated face and refreshed sensor package. As a 2028 model, though, you’ll have to wait a bit to get one. Volvo says it won’t start hitting dealerships until sometime early next year, with pricing to be revealed sometime closer to arrival.
