Compare the2023 Nissan AriyaVS 2023 Volvo XC40 Recharge

In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the Ariya are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The XC40 Recharge doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Nissan Ariya has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags helps prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The XC40 Recharge doesn’t offer a front passenger side knee airbag.

The Ariya Platinum+ has a standard front seat center airbag, which deploys between the driver and front passenger, protecting them from injuries caused by striking each other in serious side impacts. The XC40 Recharge doesn’t offer front seat center airbags.

Both the Ariya and the XC40 Recharge have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, 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.

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 Nissan Ariya is safer than the XC40 Recharge:

For its performance in IIHS driver-side and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, updated side impact, headlight, daytime pedestrian crash prevention, and nighttime pedestrian crash prevention testing, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Ariya its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2023, a rating granted to only 67 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The XC40 Recharge has not been fully tested, yet.

Nissan’s powertrain warranty covers the Ariya 1 year and 10,000 miles longer than Volvo covers the XC40 Recharge. 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 Recharge ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

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

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2023 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Nissan vehicles are better in initial quality than Volvo vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Nissan above average in initial quality. With 70 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 Nissan vehicles are more reliable than Volvo With 51 fewer problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, J.D. Power ranks Nissan higher than Volvo.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2024 Auto Issue reports that Nissan vehicles are more reliable than Volvo vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Nissan 8 places higher in reliability than Volvo.

On the EPA test cycle the Ariya gets better mileage than the XC40 Recharge:

The Ariya can travel longer on a full charge than the XC40 Recharge on a full charge:

For better stopping power the Ariya’s front brake rotors are larger than those on the XC40 Recharge:

The Ariya’s standard front and rear disc brakes are vented to help dissipate heat for shorter stops with less fading. The rear discs on the XC40 Recharge are solid, not vented.

The Ariya stops shorter than the XC40 Recharge:

For better traction, the Ariya Platinum+’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the XC40 Recharge (255/45R20 vs. 235/50R19).

The Ariya has a standard easy tire fill system. When inflating the tires, the vehicle’s integrated tire pressure sensors keep track of the pressure as the tires fill and tell the driver when the tires are inflated to the proper pressure. The XC40 Recharge doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Ariya’s wheelbase is 2.9 inches longer than on the XC40 Recharge (109.3 inches vs. 106.4 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Ariya is 1.4 inches wider in the front and .8 inches wider in the rear than on the XC40 Recharge.

The Ariya Platinum+ handles at .86 G’s, while the XC40 Recharge pulls only .84 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

For better maneuverability, the Ariya’s turning circle is 2 feet tighter than the XC40 Recharge’s (35.4 feet vs. 37.4 feet).

The Nissan Ariya may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs up to about 400 pounds less than the Volvo XC40 Recharge.

The Ariya Platinum+ uses computer-generated active noise cancellation to help remove annoying noise and vibration from the passenger compartment, especially at low frequencies. The XC40 Recharge doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

The Ariya has 3.3 cubic feet more passenger volume than the XC40 Recharge (101.3 vs. 98).

The Ariya has 2 inches more front headroom, 1.4 inches more front legroom, 1.3 inches more front hip room, .4 inches more front shoulder room and .9 inches more rear legroom than the XC40 Recharge.

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

The Ariya has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the XC40 Recharge with its rear seat up (22.8 vs. 16 cubic feet). The Ariya has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the XC40 Recharge with its rear seat folded (59.7 vs. 46.9 cubic feet).

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

Unlike the driver-only memory seat and mirrors in the XC40 Recharge, the Ariya Platinum+ has a passenger memory, so that when drivers switch, the memory setting adjusts the driver’s seat, steering wheel position (with optional power wheel adjuster) and outside mirror angle and the front passenger seat also adjusts to the new passenger’s preset preferences.

The Ariya Engage/Evolve+/Empower+/Platinum+ has a standard heads-up display that projects speed and navigation instruction readouts in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The XC40 Recharge doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

To shield the driver and front passenger’s vision over a larger portion of the windshield and side windows, the Ariya has standard extendable sun visors. The XC40 Recharge doesn’t offer extendable visors.

Standard air-conditioned seats in the Ariya Platinum+ keep the driver and front passenger comfortable and take the sting out of hot seats in Summer. The XC40 Recharge doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats.

The Ariya Empower+/Platinum+’s ProPILOT Park can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, starting, stopping and changing direction automatically. The XC40 Recharge doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

The Ariya is available in both front-wheel drive and four-wheel drive configurations. The XC40 Recharge doesn’t offer a two-wheel drive configuration.

Consumer Reports® recommends the Nissan Ariya, based on reliability, safety and performance.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Ariya first among compact suvs in owner reported satisfaction. This includes how well the vehicle performs and satisfies its owner’s expectations. The XC40 Recharge isn’t in the top three in its category.