Compare the2023 Volvo XC40VS 2023 Kia Niro Plug-In Hybrid

For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Volvo XC40 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 Kia Niro Plug-In Hybrid doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

The XC40’s pre-crash front seatbelts will tighten automatically in the event the vehicle detects an impending crash, improving protection against injury significantly. The Niro Plug-In Hybrid doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.

Both the XC40 and Niro Plug-In Hybrid have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The XC40 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 Niro Plug-In Hybrid’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 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 Niro Plug-In Hybrid doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

The XC40 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 Niro Plug-In Hybrid 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.

The XC40 B5 has all-wheel drive to maximize traction under poor conditions, especially in ice and snow. The Niro Plug-In Hybrid doesn’t offer all-wheel drive.

The XC40 offers an optional 360-Degree Surround View Camera to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The Niro Plug-In Hybrid only offers a rear monitor and front and rear parking sensors that beep or flash a light. That doesn’t help with obstacles to the sides.

Both the XC40 and the Niro Plug-In Hybrid have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front wheel drive, 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 and driver alert 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 XC40 its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2022, a rating granted to only 101 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Niro Plug-In Hybrid has not been tested, yet.

The XC40’s corrosion warranty is 7 years and unlimited miles longer than the Niro Plug-In Hybrid’s (12/unlimited vs. 5/100,000).

Volvo pays for scheduled maintenance on the XC40 for 3 years and 36,000 miles. Volvo will pay for oil changes, lubrication and any other required maintenance. Kia doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the Niro Plug-In Hybrid.

The XC40 B4’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid produces 14 more horsepower (194 vs. 180) and 26 lbs.-ft. more torque (221 vs. 195) than the Niro Plug-In Hybrid’s 1.6 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid. The XC40 B5’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid produces 67 more horsepower (247 vs. 180) and 63 lbs.-ft. more torque (258 vs. 195) than the Niro Plug-In Hybrid’s 1.6 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid.

The XC40 has 3.1 gallons more fuel capacity than the Niro Plug-In Hybrid (14.2 vs. 11.1 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

The XC40 has a standard cap-less fueling system. The fuel filler is automatically opened when the fuel nozzle is inserted and automatically closed when it’s removed. This eliminates the need to unscrew and replace the cap and it reduces fuel evaporation, which causes pollution. The Niro Plug-In Hybrid doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

An eight-speed automatic is standard on the Volvo XC40, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only a six-speed automatic is available for the Niro Plug-In Hybrid.

For better stopping power the XC40’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Niro Plug-In Hybrid:

The XC40 stops much shorter than the Niro Plug-In Hybrid:

For better traction, the XC40 has larger standard tires than the Niro Plug-In Hybrid (235/55R18 vs. 205/60R16). The XC40’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Niro Plug-In Hybrid (245/45R20 vs. 225/45R18).

The XC40’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 55 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Niro Plug-In Hybrid EX’s standard 60 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the XC40 has standard 18-inch wheels. Smaller 16-inch wheels are standard on the Niro Plug-In Hybrid EX. The XC40’s optional 20-inch wheels are larger than the 18-inch wheels on the Niro Plug-In Hybrid SX.

The XC40 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 Niro Plug-In Hybrid; it requires you to depend on roadside assistance and your vehicle will have to be towed.

The XC40 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 Niro Plug-In Hybrid doesn’t offer variable-assist power steering.

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the XC40 is .9 inches wider in the front and 1.4 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the Niro Plug-In Hybrid.

The XC40 B5 Plus AWD handles at .86 G’s, while the Niro Plug-In Hybrid EX pulls only .80 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The XC40 B5 Plus AWD executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the Niro Plug-In Hybrid EX (27.4 seconds @ .62 average G’s vs. 27.9 seconds @ .59 average G’s).

For greater off-road capability the XC40 has a 1.8 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the Niro Plug-In Hybrid (8.1 vs. 6.3 inches), allowing the XC40 to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

The XC40 has 9.3 inches more front hip room, .5 inches more front shoulder room, 1.6 inches more rear hip room and .9 inches more rear shoulder room than the Niro Plug-In Hybrid.

The XC40 has a larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Niro Plug-In Hybrid with its rear seat up (20.4 vs. 19.4 cubic feet). The XC40 has a larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Niro Plug-In Hybrid with its rear seat folded (57.5 vs. 54.6 cubic feet).

A control in the cargo area automatically lowers the XC40’s optional rear seats, to make changing between passengers and cargo easier. The Niro Plug-In Hybrid 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. The Niro Plug-In Hybrid doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

The XC40 has a 3500 lbs. towing capacity. The Niro Plug-In Hybrid has no towing capacity.

Optional Trailer Stability Assist (TSA) on the XC40 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 Niro Plug-In Hybrid doesn’t offer electronic trailer sway control.

The XC40’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 Niro Plug-In Hybrid’s standard passenger windows don’t open or close automatically. With the Niro Plug-In Hybrid SX’s power windows, only the front windows open or close automatically.

The XC40’s LED headlights produce a whiter, brighter light (up to 3x) using five times less power than the Niro Plug-In Hybrid EX’s standard projector halogen headlights and light instantly. LED lights also last over twenty times longer than halogen.

To help drivers avoid possible obstacles, the XC40 offers optional cornering lights to illuminate around corners when the turn signals are activated. The Niro Plug-In Hybrid doesn’t offer cornering lights. The XC40 also has standard adaptive headlights to illuminate around corners automatically by reading vehicle speed and steering wheel angle.

The XC40’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 Niro Plug-In Hybrid offers an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

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

The Volvo XC40 outsold the Kia Niro by 652 units during 2021.