It has become more challenging for automotive designers to produce design-forward cars thanks to crash safety mandates and fuel economy regulations, but it’s not impossible. Cars like the Lexus LC500, Hyundai Ioniq 5, and Porsche Taycan Sport Turismo manage to look great while still meeting regulatory requirements, but the list of truly good-looking new cars isn’t especially flush. Volvo is one humble company that has a lineup of rather handsome vehicles, but one model in particular lives rent free in my mind as one of the best-looking modern cars: the C40 Recharge.
If you’re unfamiliar with the C40, don’t feel bad. It’s not exactly a popular vehicle, or one that has received much media attention in a while. We attended the first drive event for the C40 five years ago and quite liked the car despite its nearly $60,000 price tag. We haven’t written anything else about it since then, though, and neither have many other outlets.
Volvo
The C40 is effectively a coupe-ified version of Volvo’s also-handsome XC40 Recharge/EX40 compact electric crossover, and though I’m not usually fond of slant-back crossovers, I can’t ignore the C40’s svelte design. It never was a big seller during its short three-year production run, with under 1,500 units sold during its final year in 2024.
They’re used car bargains that look like show cars
The C40 looks more like a show car than one that made it to production. The front end doesn’t differ greatly from its more upright EX40 sibling, but from the A-pillar back to its lowered roofline and pert rear-end, it makes quite a statement. I’ve always been a fan of Volvo’s tall vertical taillights, but the C40’s dramatically slanted take on the classic Volvo hallmark is more like a sleeker, modernized take on the also-gorgeous Volvo C30 of the early 2000s.
The C40’s side profile is where it sets itself apart from other cars. The simultaneously graceful yet aggressive stance is accentuated by the abbreviated front and rear overhangs, and Volvo deserves serious credit for fitting the C40 with some of the sickest wheels from any automaker ever. These wheels look like giant razor blades slicing through the air, and at a diameter of 20-inches, they serve to amplify the car’s perfect proportions.
Volvo
Unfortunately the compromised practicality compared to its EX40 stablemate, middling maximum range estimate of 225 miles, slow charge speeds of 10-to-80% in 40 minutes, and high price tag meant the C40 didn’t find a home in very many American driveways. Fortunately, these compromises mean that the C40 has become quite affordable on the used market, with prices starting in the high teens for these safe and beautiful little machines. Nobody talks about the gorgeous C40 Recharge, but I think it deserves a spot at the top of the list of best-looking modern cars.
