Compare the2023 Toyota Rav4VS 2023 Volvo XC40

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Environmental Friendliness
Brakes and Stopping
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Payload and Towing
Ergonomics
Recommendations

Safety

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Both the Rav4 and the XC40 have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, front wheel drive, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, post-collision automatic braking systems, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras, driver alert monitors, available all wheel drive, blind spot warning systems, around view monitors and rear cross-path warning.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Toyota Rav4 is safer than the Volvo XC40:

	Rav4	XC40
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	284	343
Chest Compression	.4 inches	.5 inches
Leg Forces (l/r)	340/190 lbs.	397/411 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH, results indicate that the Toyota Rav4 is safer than the Volvo XC40:

	Rav4	XC40
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Chest Movement	.5 inches	.9 inches
Abdominal Force	138 lbs.	156 lbs.
Hip Force	246 lbs.	320 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Hip Force	508 lbs.	755 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

Side impacts caused 23% of all road fatalities in 2018, down from 29% in 2003, when the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety introduced its side barrier test. In order to continue improving vehicle safety, the IIHS has started using a more severe side impact test: 37 MPH (up from 31 MPH), with a 4180-pound barrier (up from 3300 pounds). The results of this newly developed test demonstrates that the Toyota Rav4 is safer than the XC40:

	Rav4	XC40
Overall Evaluation	ACCEPTABLE	ACCEPTABLE
Structure	GOOD	MARGINAL
	Driver Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Head Injury Criterion	120	129
Neck Tension	134 lbs.	312 lbs.
Torso	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Shoulder Deflection	.47 in	1.46 in
Shoulder Force	178 lbs.	290 lbs.
Torso Max Deflection	1.34 in	1.65 in
Torso Deflection Rate	7 MPH	9 MPH
Pelvis	ACCEPTABLE	MARGINAL
Pelvis Force	1093 lbs.	1182 lbs.
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD
	Passenger Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Torso	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Shoulder Deflection	.94 in	1.1 in
Torso Max Deflection	.83 in	1.5 in
Torso Deflection Rate	8 MPH	10 MPH
Pelvis	GOOD	GOOD

For its performance in IIHS driver-side and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, updated side impact, headlight, and daytime pedestrian crash prevention testing, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Rav4 the rating of “Top Safety Pick” for 2023, a rating granted to only 53 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The XC40 has not been fully tested, yet.

Warranty

Toyota’s powertrain warranty covers the Rav4 1 year and 10,000 miles longer than Volvo covers the XC40. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 5 years or 60,000 miles. Coverage on the XC40 ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

There are over 4 times as many Toyota dealers as there are Volvo dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Rav4’s warranty.

Reliability

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Toyota vehicles are better in initial quality than Volvo vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Toyota above average in initial quality. With 84 more problems per 100 vehicles, Volvo is rated below average.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Toyota vehicles are more reliable than Volvo vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Toyota above average in long-term dependability. With 34 more problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, Volvo is rated below average.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2023 Auto Issue reports that Toyota vehicles are more reliable than Volvo vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Toyota first in overall reliability. Volvo is ranked 14th.

Engine

The Rav4’s 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder produces 9 more horsepower (203 vs. 194) than the XC40 B4’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid.

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Rav4 gets better mileage than the XC40:

			MPG
Rav4
	FWD	XLE 2.5 DOHC 4-cyl.	27 city/34 hwy
		LE/Limited 2.5 DOHC 4-cyl.	27 city/35 hwy
	AWD	LE 2.5 DOHC 4-cyl.	27 city/34 hwy
		XLE 2.5 DOHC 4-cyl.	27 city/33 hwy
		Adventure/Limited 2.5 DOHC 4-cyl.	25 city/33 hwy
		TRD Off-Road 2.5 DOHC 4-cyl.	25 city/32 hwy
XC40
	FWD	2.0 turbo 4-cyl. Hybrid	24 city/32 hwy
	AWD	2.0 turbo 4-cyl. Hybrid	23 city/30 hwy

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Toyota Rav4 uses regular unleaded gasoline. The XC40 requires premium, which can cost 20 to 55 cents more per gallon.

Environmental Friendliness

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Toyota Rav4 higher (6 out of 10) than the Volvo XC40 (5). This means the Rav4 produces up to 6.9 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the XC40 every 15,000 miles.

Brakes and Stopping

The Rav4 stops much shorter than the XC40:

	Rav4	XC40
70 to 0 MPH	161 feet	185 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	120 feet	125 feet	Motor Trend

Suspension and Handling

The Rav4 Adventure handles at .81 G’s, while the XC40 B5 Plus AWD pulls only .79 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Rav4 Adventure executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the XC40 B5 Plus AWD (27.5 seconds @ .62 average G’s vs. 28.1 seconds @ .61 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the Rav4 LE/XLE’s turning circle is 1.3 feet tighter than the XC40’s (36.1 feet vs. 37.4 feet).

For greater off-road capability the Rav4 LE/XLE has a greater minimum ground clearance than the XC40 (8.4 vs. 8.1 inches), allowing the Rav4 to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged. The Rav4 XLE Premium/Limited/Adventure/TRD Off-Road’s minimum ground clearance is .5 inch higher than on the XC40 (8.6 vs. 8.1 inches).

Chassis

The Toyota Rav4 may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 300 to 350 pounds less than the Volvo XC40.

The front grille of the Rav4 Adventure/Limited/TRD Off-Road uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The XC40 doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

Passenger Space

The Rav4 has .5 inches more front headroom, .1 inches more front legroom, 1.1 inches more front shoulder room, .4 inches more rear headroom, 1.7 inches more rear legroom and .1 inches more rear shoulder room than the XC40.

For enhanced passenger comfort on long trips the Rav4’s rear seats recline. The XC40’s rear seats don’t recline.

Cargo Capacity

The Rav4 has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the XC40 with its rear seat up (37.6 vs. 20.4 cubic feet). The Rav4 has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the XC40 with its rear seat folded (69.8 vs. 57.5 cubic feet).

A low lift-over cargo hatch design makes loading and unloading the Rav4 easier. The Rav4’s cargo hatch lift-over height is 27.8 inches, while the XC40’s liftover is 29.6 inches.

The Rav4’s cargo area is larger than the XC40’s in almost every dimension:

	Rav4	XC40
Length to seat (2nd/1st)	40”/73.4”	34.9”/65.7”
Max Width	59”	41.7”
Min Width	39.4”	39.5”
Height	36.6”	29.4”

Payload and Towing

A Trailer Sway Control is standard on the Rav4, using the Vehicle Stability Control sensors to detect trailer sway, then uses individual brakes to counteract any swaying and help keep the tow vehicle and trailer steady. A trailer sway program costs extra on the XC40.

The Rav4 has a higher standard payload capacity than the XC40 (1100 vs. 925 lbs.).

The Rav4 has a much higher maximum payload capacity than the XC40 (1230 vs. 925 lbs.).

Ergonomics

To shield the driver and front passenger’s vision over a larger portion of the windshield and side windows, the Rav4 XLE/Adventure/Limited/TRD Off-Road has standard extendable sun visors. The XC40 doesn’t offer extendable visors.

Optional air-conditioned seats in the Rav4 (except LE/XLE/Adventure) keep the driver and front passenger comfortable and take the sting out of hot seats in Summer. The XC40 doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats.

The Rav4 Adventure/TRD Off-Road has a 115-volt a/c outlet in the cargo area, allowing you to recharge a laptop or run small household appliances without special adapters that can break or get misplaced. The XC40 doesn’t offer a house-current electrical outlet.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Toyota Rav4 and the Volvo XC40, based on reliability, safety and performance.

The Toyota Rav4 outsold the Volvo XC40 by almost 22 to one during 2022.