Compare the2022 Volvo XC40 RechargeVS 2021 Honda Clarity Fuel Cell

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Cargo Capacity
Towing
Servicing Ease
Ergonomics
Recommendations

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Volvo XC40 Recharge have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The Honda Clarity Fuel Cell doesn’t offer pretensioners for the rear seat belts.

The XC40 Recharge’s pre-crash front seatbelts will tighten automatically in the event the vehicle detects an impending crash, improving protection against injury significantly. The Clarity Fuel Cell doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.

Both the XC40 Recharge and Clarity Fuel Cell have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The XC40 Recharge has power child safety locks, allowing the driver to activate and deactivate them from the driver's seat and to know when they're engaged. The Clarity Fuel Cell’s child locks have to be individually engaged at each rear door with a manual switch. The driver can’t know the status of the locks without opening the doors and checking them.

The XC40 Recharge has a standard Whiplash Protection System (WHIPS), which use a specially designed seat to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the WHIPS allows the backrest to travel backwards to cushion the occupants and the headrests move forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. At the same time the pretensioning seatbelts fire, removing slack from the belts. The Clarity Fuel Cell doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

The XC40 Recharge has standard Automatic Braking After Collision, which automatically apply the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The Clarity Fuel Cell doesn’t offer a post collision braking system: in the event of a collision that triggers the airbags, more collisions are possible without the protection of airbags that may have already deployed.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The XC40 Recharge offers an optional CTA Auto Brake that use rear sensors to monitor and automatically apply the brakes to prevent a rear collision. The Clarity Fuel Cell doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

The XC40 Recharge has all-wheel drive to maximize traction under poor conditions, especially in ice and snow. The Clarity Fuel Cell doesn’t offer all-wheel drive.

The XC40 Recharge offers an optional 360-Degree Surround View Camera to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The Clarity Fuel Cell only offers a rear monitor.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the XC40 Recharge’s standard rear cross-path warning system uses sensors in the rear bumper to alert the driver to vehicles approaching from the side, helping the driver avoid collisions. The Clarity Fuel Cell doesn’t offer a cross-path warning system.

The XC40 Recharge’s driver alert monitor detects an inattentive driver then sounds a warning and suggests a break. According to the NHTSA, drivers who fall asleep cause about 100,000 crashes and 1500 deaths a year. The Clarity Fuel Cell doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the XC40 Recharge and the Clarity Fuel Cell have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems and rearview cameras.

The Volvo XC40 Recharge weighs 607 pounds more than the Honda Clarity Fuel Cell. The NHTSA advises that heavier vehicles are much safer in collisions than their significantly lighter counterparts.

For its top level performance in IIHS driver and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, side impact, roof strength and head restraint tests, its standard vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention system, its standard vehicle-to-pedestrian front crash prevention system, and its standard headlight’s “Good” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the XC40 Recharge its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2022, a rating granted to only 77 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Clarity Fuel Cell has not been tested, yet.

Warranty

The XC40 Recharge comes with a full 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The Clarity Fuel Cell’s 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 14,000 miles sooner.

The XC40 Recharge’s corrosion warranty is 7 years longer than the Clarity Fuel Cell’s (12 vs. 5 years).

Volvo pays for scheduled maintenance on the XC40 Recharge for 3 years and 36,000 miles. Volvo will pay for oil changes, lubrication and any other required maintenance. Honda doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the Clarity Fuel Cell.

Reliability

J.D. Power and Associates rated the XC40 Recharge third among small premium suvs in their 2021 Initial Quality Study. The Clarity Fuel Cell isn’t in the top three in its category.

Engine

The XC40 Recharge’s electric motors produce 228 more horsepower (402 vs. 174) and 265 lbs.-ft. more torque (486 vs. 221) than the Clarity Fuel Cell’s electric motor.

As tested in Car and Driver the Volvo XC40 Recharge is faster than the Honda Clarity Fuel Cell:

	XC40 Recharge	Clarity Fuel Cell
Zero to 60 MPH	4.3 sec	8.1 sec
Zero to 100 MPH	10.9 sec	26.7 sec
5 to 60 MPH Rolling Start	4.4 sec	8.3 sec
Passing 30 to 50 MPH	1.6 sec	3.8 sec
Passing 50 to 70 MPH	2.2 sec	5.7 sec
Quarter Mile	12.9 sec	16.4 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	108 MPH	85 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the XC40 Recharge gets better mileage than the Clarity Fuel Cell (92 city/79 hwy vs. 68 city/67 hwy MPGe).

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the XC40 Recharge’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Clarity Fuel Cell:

	XC40 Recharge	Clarity Fuel Cell
Front Rotors	13.6 inches	12.3 inches
Rear Rotors	13.4 inches	12.2 inches

The XC40 Recharge stops much shorter than the Clarity Fuel Cell:

	XC40 Recharge	Clarity Fuel Cell
70 to 0 MPH	171 feet	195 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	118 feet	132 feet	Motor Trend

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the XC40 Recharge’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Clarity Fuel Cell (245/45R20 vs. 235/45R18).

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the XC40 Recharge has standard 19-inch wheels. Only 18-inch wheels are available on the Clarity Fuel Cell. The XC40 Recharge offers optional 20-inch wheels.

The XC40 Recharge has a standard space-saver spare tire so you can replace a flat tire and drive to have the flat repaired or replaced. A spare tire isn’t available on the Clarity Fuel Cell; it requires you to depend on roadside assistance and your vehicle will have to be towed.

Suspension and Handling

The XC40 Recharge has vehicle speed sensitive variable-assist power steering, for low-effort parking, better control at highway speeds and during hard cornering, and a better feel of the road. The Clarity Fuel Cell doesn’t offer variable-assist power steering.

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the XC40 Recharge is .8 inches wider in the front and 1.5 inches wider in the rear than on the Clarity Fuel Cell.

The XC40 Recharge handles at .84 G’s, while the Clarity Fuel Cell pulls only .79 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

For better maneuverability, the XC40 Recharge’s turning circle is 1 foot tighter than the Clarity Fuel Cell’s (37.4 feet vs. 38.4 feet).

Chassis

The XC40 Recharge is 1 foot, 6.5 inches shorter than the Clarity Fuel Cell, making the XC40 Recharge easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

Cargo Capacity

To allow full utilization of available cargo room, the XC40 Recharge’s cargo door uses gas strut supported hinges that don’t intrude into the cargo area. Its intrusive beam hinge reduces the Clarity Fuel Cell’s useful trunk space.

The XC40 Recharge’s standard rear seats fold to accommodate long and bulky cargo. The Clarity Fuel Cell doesn’t offer folding rear seats.

A control in the cargo area automatically lowers the XC40 Recharge’s optional rear seats, to make changing between passengers and cargo easier. The Clarity Fuel Cell doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

A standard locking glovebox (which can’t be accessed with the valet key) keeps your small valuables safer in the XC40 Recharge. The Clarity Fuel Cell doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

To make loading and unloading groceries and cargo easier when your hands are full, the XC40 Recharge’s power liftgate can be opened or closed just by kicking your foot under the back bumper, leaving your hands completely free. The Clarity Fuel Cell doesn’t offer a power or hands-free opening trunk.

Towing

The XC40 Recharge has a 2000 lbs. towing capacity. The Clarity Fuel Cell has no towing capacity.

Optional Trailer Stability Assist (TSA) on the XC40 Recharge uses the Dynamic Stability and Traction Control sensors to detect trailer sway, then uses individual brakes to counteract any swaying and help keep the tow vehicle and trailer steady. The Clarity Fuel Cell doesn’t offer electronic trailer sway control.

Servicing Ease

The XC40 Recharge uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The Clarity Fuel Cell uses a prop rod to support its heavy hood. It takes two hands to open the hood and set the prop rod, the prop rod gets in the way during maintenance and service, and the prop rod could be knocked out, causing the heavy hood to fall on the person maintaining or servicing the car.

Ergonomics

The power windows standard on both the XC40 Recharge and the Clarity Fuel Cell have locks to prevent small children from operating them. When the lock on the XC40 Recharge is engaged the driver can still operate all of the windows, for instance to close one opened by a child. The Clarity Fuel Cell prevents the driver from operating the other windows just as it does the other passengers.

Heated windshield washer nozzles are optional on the XC40 Recharge to prevent washer fluid and nozzles from freezing and help continue to keep the windshield clear in sub-freezing temperatures. The Clarity Fuel Cell doesn’t offer heated windshield washer nozzles.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the XC40 Recharge has a standard rear wiper. The Clarity Fuel Cell doesn’t offer a rear wiper.

In poor weather, headlights can lose their effectiveness as grime builds up on their lenses. This can reduce visibility without the driver realizing. The XC40 Recharge offers available headlight washers to keep headlight output high. The Clarity Fuel Cell doesn’t offer headlight washers.

While driving with high beams on, sensitive light sensors standard on the XC40 Recharge detect other vehicles which could be blinded and automatically switch to low beams. The Clarity Fuel Cell doesn’t offer automatic dimming high beams.

To help drivers avoid possible obstacles, the XC40 Recharge has standard cornering lights to illuminate around corners when the turn signals are activated. The Clarity Fuel Cell doesn’t offer cornering lights. The XC40 Recharge also has standard adaptive headlights to illuminate around corners automatically by reading vehicle speed and steering wheel angle.

When the XC40 Recharge is put in reverse, both rearview mirrors tilt from their original position. This gives the driver a better view of the curb during parallel parking maneuvers. Shifting out of reverse puts the mirrors into their original positions. The Clarity Fuel Cell’s mirrors don’t automatically adjust for backing.

The XC40 Recharge’s standard rear and side view mirrors have an automatic dimming feature. These mirrors can be set to automatically darken quickly when headlights shine on them, keeping following vehicles from blinding or distracting the driver. The Clarity Fuel Cell has an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

On extremely cold winter days, the XC40 Recharge’s optional heated steering wheel provides comfort, allowing the driver to steer safely and comfortably before the vehicle heater warms up. The Clarity Fuel Cell doesn’t offer a heated steering wheel.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Volvo XC40 Recharge offers an optional wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. The Clarity Fuel Cell doesn’t offer wireless personal charging.

The XC40 Recharge’s optional Park Assist Pilot can parallel park by itself, with the driver only controlling speed with the brake pedal. The Clarity Fuel Cell doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

Recommendations

The Volvo XC40 outsold the Honda Clarity by over seven to one during the 2021 model year.

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