Compare the2023 Volvo C40 RechargeVS 2023 Nissan Ariya

The C40 Recharge’s pre-crash front seatbelts will tighten automatically in the event the vehicle detects an impending crash, improving protection against injury significantly. The Ariya doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.

Both the C40 Recharge and Ariya have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The C40 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 Ariya’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 C40 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 Ariya doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

The C40 Recharge has standard Post-impact braking, which automatically apply the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The Ariya 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.

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the C40 Recharge. But it costs extra on the Ariya.

Both the C40 Recharge and the Ariya have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, front seat center airbag, 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, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning, driver alert monitors and available around view monitors.

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 C40 Recharge its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2022, a rating granted to only 101 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Ariya has not been tested, yet.

The C40 Recharge comes with a full 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The Ariya’s 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 14,000 miles sooner.

The C40 Recharge’s corrosion warranty is 7 years longer than the Ariya’s (12 vs. 5 years).

Volvo pays for scheduled maintenance on the C40 Recharge for 3 years and 36,000 miles. Volvo will pay for oil changes, lubrication and any other required maintenance. Nissan doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the Ariya.

The C40 Recharge’s electric motors produces 188 more horsepower (402 vs. 214) and 266 lbs.-ft. more torque (487 vs. 221) than the Ariya’s standard electric motor. The C40 Recharge’s electric motors produces 164 more horsepower (402 vs. 238) and 266 lbs.-ft. more torque (487 vs. 221) than the Ariya +/Premier’s standard electric motor. The C40 Recharge’s electric motors produces 67 more horsepower (402 vs. 335) than the Ariya’s optional electric motors. The C40 Recharge’s electric motors produces 13 more horsepower (402 vs. 389) and 45 lbs.-ft. more torque (487 vs. 442) than the Ariya Platinum+’s standard electric motors.

The C40 Recharge can travel longer on a full charge than the Ariya Engage FWD (226 miles vs. 216 miles).

The C40 Recharge Core’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 50 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Ariya’s standard 55 series tires.

For greater off-road capability the C40 Recharge has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Ariya (6.7 vs. 6.3 inches), allowing the C40 Recharge to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

The C40 Recharge is 8.1 inches shorter than the Ariya, making the C40 Recharge easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The C40 Recharge has 2.1 inches more rear hip room and .4 inches more rear shoulder room than the Ariya.

Standard Trailer Stability Assist on the C40 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 Ariya doesn’t offer electronic trailer sway control.

The C40 Recharge has a standard remote vehicle starting system, so the vehicle can be started from inside the driver's house. This allows the driver to comfortably warm up the engine before going out to the vehicle. The climate system will also automatically heat or cool the interior. The Ariya doesn’t offer a remote starting system.

The C40 Recharge’s front and rear power windows all open or close fully with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside the car. The Ariya’s rear power window switches have to be held the entire time to open or close them fully.

The C40 Recharge’s rain-sensitive wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically based on the amount of rainfall on the windshield. This allows the driver to concentrate on driving without constantly adjusting the wipers. The Ariya’s standard intermittent wipers change speed with vehicle speed, but can’t turn on and off or change speed based on changing rainfall.

Heated windshield washer nozzles are standard on the C40 Recharge to prevent washer fluid and nozzles from freezing and help continue to keep the windshield clear in sub-freezing temperatures. The Ariya doesn’t offer heated windshield washer nozzles.

In poor weather, headlights can lose their effectiveness as grime builds up on their lenses. This can reduce visibility without the driver realizing. The C40 Recharge offers available headlight washers to keep headlight output high. The Ariya doesn’t offer headlight washers.

To help drivers avoid possible obstacles, the C40 Recharge offers optional cornering lights to illuminate around corners when the turn signals are activated. The Ariya doesn’t offer cornering lights. The C40 Recharge also offers optional adaptive headlights to illuminate around corners automatically by reading vehicle speed and steering wheel angle.

The C40 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 Ariya offers an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Volvo C40 Recharge has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. Only the Ariya Evolve+/Empower+/Premiere/Platinum+ offers wireless charging.