My conversion from EV lover -> hater -> back in love again (2023 Volvo C40 long-term review)
I’ve had a complicated relationship with EVs. Ever since trying my brother’s VW ID.4 back in 2022 and getting that instant torque, the G-force in my gut, I told myself “I have to get one of these.”
I did some shopping and the Volvo c40 advertising really got ahold of me. Thank you consumerism and Google ads.
Initially my Volvo dealer quoted me in the $700s for a lease deal. As 2023 dragged on and they had trouble getting rid of them, I got them down to the low $600s for a 2023 c40 Ultimate in Silver Dawn. Crystal shifter. Wool seats. Pixel LED headlights.
That thing was a speed demon. I was out there street racing Charger Hellcats and Camaro SS’s in a Volvo SUV. And that’s not an exaggeration.
As time went on, I got a little bored with it. EVs are appliances. I became frustrated with the charging infrastructure on road trips.
The first time I missed an appointment because the charger on my route was broken, I was furious. I went on a diatribe on this sub about how much money we’ve wasted on subsidizing EVs, and how horrible the experience actually is. How hybrids are the solution, not EVs. I was partially right, but more speaking from temporary frustration and emotion.
The way that new prices have come down this year on EVs, without the subsidies, just goes to show that subsidies only profit whoever is selling the subsidized product (*cough* looking at you, universities *cough*). It’s a racket.
But the thing about EVs—they’re extremely good at just blending into your life, sitting in the background, especially a minimalist Scandinavian SUV. I didn’t realize how much I missed my C40 until a few days after I turned in my lease.
Driving my ‘97 Toyota T100, and my girlfriend’s 2018 Honda Civic…I thought well, this feels archaic. I went and test drove a Lexus LC 500. Lexus RC 350. Toyota 4Runner. Ranger Raptor. Same feeling. Each was fun in their own way, but I had gotten so used to the instant torque, the quietness, no gas station or oil change trips. An easy life.
Each time I thought to myself, “well, this is nice, but my C40 was better. Faster. Smoother. Higher seating position. Safer. More practical.”
It was *so* good that I took it for granted. That’s what good transportation should do: it blends into your life, so you can focus on things that actually matter. The only issue I ever had was the occasional infotainment glitch where it had to be restarted. Everything else was flawless.
But my gripes still remain—sometimes chargers are broken, and that can range from a minor inconvenience to a day-ruining one, but the Tesla network addition gotten rid of most of the road trip anxiety. And the political stigma from people on the right towards EVs I still find funny and a little childish. Luckily, that’s helping keep prices down.
So I just ordered a used ‘23 C40, 8k miles, for $26k USD. There’s some crazy deals out there rn. I will be running it into the ground, and I will love every minute of it.
I actually brought my previous C40 to Scotty Kilmer—the famous YouTuber that is a notorious EV skeptic and Toyota enthusiast. Even he said it himself, “the only time I’ve felt that much torque at once was on my motorcycle.”
I told Scotty about how I was shooting it with the sales guys at the Volvo dealership, when one asked the other, “would you ever get a C40?”
The guy laughed and replied “maybe for my girlfriend.”
Scotty laughed and replied “I bet this thing will dust whatever that guy is driving.”
And that about sums up the EV experience. Car guys can grumble about how their cars have soul, grit, whatever. But really ICE cars are just louder, dirtier, slower, with more maintenance. They’ll eventually be replaced completely, but it will probably take longer than many on this sub anticipated.