Covid or not, summer holidays meant keeping my kids entertained, meaning more day trips and staycation holidays this year. As a result, the Volvo’s second month with me has been a busy one.

Ride is impressively compliant on our XC40

P11d (BiK): £42,230 (12%) MPG/CO2 (WLTP): 128.4mpg/49g/km Test MPG: 37mpg

MPG is still hovering around 40mpg, which is disappointing after almost 2,500 miles. I can only blame myself, sadly. As I mentioned in my last report, I don’t have a proper home charging point and it’s not always possible to get the XC40’s battery charged – which is annoying.

However, I’m pleased to say on the two long weekends I did get to call a holiday with my family this year, the battery was fully charged, and consumption benefits seen. This is where the hybrid system excels, staying in electric mode until motorways speeds – a full battery charge seeming to last 100 miles in ‘Hybrid’ mode. It is just a shame there were no available charging facilities at either of the places we visited to recharge for the journey home.

On the road, although the Volvo doesn’t feel that quick from startoff, at speed it must be one of the most refined and relaxing, with only the faint three-cylinder thrum of the 1.5-litre turbo petrol when accelerating to break this quiet. The wheels might be big (20-inch), but the ride has so far proved impressively compliant – although it does tend to jiggle a bit over unmade surfaces.

Concerns over the snatchy brakes remain, with bumps and inclines seeming to trigger the ABS system. There are question marks over our XC40’s quality, as the centre console has developed an annoying squeak. As I write, KJ69LXT is just back from a two-week stay with Volvo to fix the brakes and look at the console. The jury is out as to whether either fix has been successful.