Compare the2023 Volvo XC40 RechargeVS 2023 Toyota Rav4 Prime

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 Rav4 Prime doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.

Both the XC40 Recharge and Rav4 Prime 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 Rav4 Prime’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 Rav4 Prime doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

When descending a steep, off-road slope, the XC40 Recharge’s standard Hill Descent Control allows you to creep down safely. The Rav4 Prime doesn’t offer Hill Descent Control.

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 Rav4 Prime doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the XC40 Recharge and the Rav4 Prime 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, all wheel drive, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, post-collision automatic braking systems, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning and available around view monitors.

The Volvo XC40 Recharge weighs 441 to 506 pounds more than the Toyota Rav4 Prime. The NHTSA advises that heavier vehicles are much safer in collisions than their significantly lighter counterparts.

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 Rav4 Prime’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 Rav4 Prime’s (12 vs. 5 years).

Volvo pays for scheduled maintenance on the XC40 Recharge for 1 year and 11000 miles longer than Toyota pays for maintenance for the Rav4 Prime (3/36,000 vs. 2/25000).

The XC40 Recharge’s standard electric motors produces 100 more horsepower (402 vs. 302) than the Rav4 Prime’s 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid.

As tested in Motor Trend the Volvo XC40 Recharge is faster than the Toyota Rav4 Prime:

The XC40 Recharge can travel with zero emissions on a full charge for 223 miles. The Rav4 Prime has to start its internal combustion engine after only 42 miles.

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Volvo XC40 Recharge higher (10 out of 10) than the Toyota Rav4 Prime (7). This means the XC40 Recharge produces up to 11.8 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Rav4 Prime every 15,000 miles.

For better stopping power the XC40 Recharge’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Rav4 Prime:

The XC40 Recharge stops much shorter than the Rav4 Prime:

For better traction, the XC40 Recharge has larger tires than the Rav4 Prime (F:235/50R19 & R:255/45R19 vs. 225/60R18).

The XC40 Recharge’s standard 235/50R19 front and 255/45R19 rear tires provide better handling because they have a lower 50 series front and 45 series rear profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Rav4 Prime SE’s standard 60 series tires. The XC40 Recharge’s optional 235/45R20 front and 255/40R20 rear tires have a lower 45 series front and 40 series rear profile than the Rav4 Prime XSE’s 55 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the XC40 Recharge has standard 19-inch wheels. Smaller 18-inch wheels are standard on the Rav4 Prime SE. The XC40 Recharge’s optional 20-inch wheels are larger than the 19-inch wheels on the Rav4 Prime XSE.

The XC40 Recharge has standard front and rear gas-charged shocks for better control over choppy roads. The Rav4 Prime’s suspension doesn’t offer gas-charged shocks.

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 Rav4 Prime doesn’t offer variable-assist power steering.

The XC40 Recharge handles at .84 G’s, while the Rav4 Prime XSE pulls only .75 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The XC40 Recharge executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the Rav4 Prime XSE (26.3 seconds @ .7 average G’s vs. 27 seconds @ .65 average G’s).

The XC40 Recharge is 6.1 inches shorter than the Rav4 Prime, making the XC40 Recharge easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The XC40 Recharge has .4 inches more front hip room and 6.9 inches more rear hip room than the Rav4 Prime.

A control in the cargo area automatically lowers the XC40 Recharge’s optional rear seats, to make changing between passengers and cargo easier. The Rav4 Prime doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

The XC40 Recharge uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The Rav4 Prime 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.

The XC40 Recharge’s power window, power lock, power mirror and cruise control switches are lit from behind, making them plainly visible and easier to operate at night. The Rav4 Prime’s power window (except driver window), power lock and power mirror switches are unlit, making them difficult to find at night and operate safely.

The XC40 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 Rav4 Prime’s standard manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

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 Rav4 Prime 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 XC40 Recharge offers available headlight washers to keep headlight output high. The Rav4 Prime doesn’t offer headlight washers.

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 Rav4 Prime’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 Rav4 Prime offers an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the XC40 Recharge second among small premium suvs in owner reported satisfaction. This includes how well the vehicle performs and satisfies its owner’s expectations. The Rav4 Prime isn’t in the top three in its category.