Volvo XC40 Recharge

FINAL REPORT Making this EV even more practical is as easy as riding a bike

- Richard Ingram

I HAVE a young daughter, so practicality is to me. While I no longer need to take a pushchair everywhere, a night away inevitably requires several changes of outfit, a basket of books and countless cuddly toys. Her car seat isn't exactly compact, either.

So when I unwittingly signed up to cycle the annual Ride London-Essex 100 at the end of May with some colleagues and friends at Ford, I knew I needed to come up with a way of transporting my bike that wouldn't impinge on our Volvo's versatile load space.

This isn't to sell the SUV short; given its size, the Volvo is surprisingly spacious. The boot is a good shape, too - I squeezed a tumble dryer in there a few months backand there's room under the floor for things like wellies and wet clothes. The handy storage spot under the bonnet has been used almost exclusively for the charging cables. But since having a tethered wallbox installed at home, I've barely opened it.

Regardless, even with the larger part of the 60:40 split-fold rear seats collapsed, it isn't possible to fit my road bike in the back without removing the wheels. So, after much deliberation, I decided I had to load up Volvo's online accessories brochure and assess my options from there.

Options indeed; the list of approved aftermarket extras is lengthy. There are snow socks, charging cables and mudflaps - even roof spoilers and side steps. But I made a beeline for the roof racks; having already installed one on my wife's SEAT Leon, I had greater confidence in this setup than a carrier strapped to the bootlid.