Compare the2023 Volvo XC40 RechargeVS 2023 Nissan Ariya

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 Ariya doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.

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

The XC40 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 XC40 Recharge. But it costs extra on the Ariya.

Both the XC40 Recharge and the Ariya 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.

For its top level performance in all IIHS frontal, side, rear impact and roof-crush tests, and its standard front crash prevention system, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the XC40 Recharge the rating of “Top Safety Pick” for 2017, a rating granted to only 234 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Ariya has not been tested, yet.

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 Ariya’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 Ariya’s (12 vs. 5 years).

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2023 Auto Issue reports that Volvo vehicles are more reliable than Nissan vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Volvo 1 place higher in reliability than Nissan.

The XC40 Recharge’s electric motors produces 188 more horsepower (402 vs. 214) and 265 lbs.-ft. more torque (486 vs. 221) than the Ariya’s standard electric motor. The XC40 Recharge’s electric motors produces 164 more horsepower (402 vs. 238) and 265 lbs.-ft. more torque (486 vs. 221) than the Ariya +’s standard electric motor. The XC40 Recharge’s electric motors produces 67 more horsepower (402 vs. 335) and 73 lbs.-ft. more torque (486 vs. 413) than the Ariya’s optional electric motors. The XC40 Recharge’s electric motors produces 13 more horsepower (402 vs. 389) and 44 lbs.-ft. more torque (486 vs. 442) than the Ariya Engage+/Evolve+/Platinum+’s standard electric motors.

As tested in Car and Driver the Volvo XC40 Recharge is faster than the Ariya + electric motor:

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

For better traction and acceleration, the XC40 Recharge has larger rear tires than the Ariya (255/45R19 vs. 235/55R19).

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 Ariya’s standard 55 series tires. The XC40 Recharge’s optional 255/40R20 rear tires have a lower 40 series profile than the Ariya Platinum+’s optional 45 series tires.

For greater off-road capability the XC40 Recharge has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Ariya Engage+/Evolve+/Empower+/Platinum+ (6.9 vs. 6.7 inches), allowing the XC40 Recharge to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

The XC40 Recharge is 8.1 inches shorter than the Ariya, making the XC40 Recharge easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The XC40 Recharge has 2.1 inches more rear hip room and .4 inches more rear shoulder room than the Ariya.

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

The XC40 Recharge’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Ariya’s (2000 vs. 0 pounds).

Optional Trailer Stability Assist (TSA) on the XC40 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 XC40 Recharge uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The Ariya 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.

If the windows are left open on the XC40 Recharge the driver can close them all at the outside door handle or from a distance using the remote. On a hot day the driver can also lower the windows the same way. The driver of the Ariya can only close the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

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

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

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

The Volvo XC40 outsold the Nissan Ariya by over 92 to one during 2022.