Compare the2023 Volvo C40 RechargeVS 2023 Ford Mustang Mach-E

For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Volvo C40 Recharge 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 Ford Mustang Mach-E doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

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 Mustang Mach-E doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.

The C40 Recharge 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 Mustang Mach-E doesn’t offer front seat center airbags.

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 Mustang Mach-E doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

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

When descending a steep, off-road slope, the C40 Recharge’s standard Off-Road Mode allow you to creep down safely. The Mustang Mach-E doesn’t offer Off-Road Mode.

Both the C40 Recharge and the Mustang Mach-E have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, 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, 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 128 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Mustang Mach-E is only a standard “Top Safety Pick” for 2022.

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 Mustang Mach-E’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 Mustang Mach-E’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. Ford doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the Mustang Mach-E.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2023 Auto Issue reports that Volvo vehicles are more reliable than Ford vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Volvo 4 places higher in reliability than Ford.

The C40 Recharge’s electric motors produces 136 more horsepower (402 vs. 266) and 170 lbs.-ft. more torque (487 vs. 317) than the Mustang Mach-E’s standard electric motor. The C40 Recharge’s electric motors produces 136 more horsepower (402 vs. 266) and 59 lbs.-ft. more torque (487 vs. 428) than the Mustang Mach-E eAWD’s standard electric motors. The C40 Recharge’s electric motors produces 112 more horsepower (402 vs. 290) and 170 lbs.-ft. more torque (487 vs. 317) than the Mustang Mach-E ER’s standard electric motor.

As tested in Car and Driver the Volvo C40 Recharge is faster than the Mustang Mach-E ER eAWD electric motors:

On the EPA test cycle the C40 Recharge gets better mileage than the Mustang Mach-E:

The C40 Recharge can travel longer on a full charge than the Mustang Mach-E eAWD (226 miles vs. 224 miles).

The C40 Recharge’s standard front and rear disc brakes are vented to help dissipate heat for shorter stops with less fading. The rear discs on the Mustang Mach-E are solid, not vented.

For better traction, the C40 Recharge has larger tires than the Mustang Mach-E (235/45R20 vs. 225/60R18).

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 Mustang Mach-E’s standard 60 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the C40 Recharge Core has standard 19-inch wheels. Smaller 18-inch wheels are standard on the Mustang Mach-E.

For better maneuverability, the C40 Recharge’s turning circle is .7 feet tighter than the Mustang Mach-E’s (37.4 feet vs. 38.1 feet).

For greater off-road capability the C40 Recharge has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Mustang Mach-E (6.7 vs. 5.8 inches), allowing the C40 Recharge to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

The C40 Recharge is 10.8 inches shorter than the Mustang Mach-E, making the C40 Recharge easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The C40 Recharge has .5 inches more front headroom, 1.4 inches more rear hip room and .4 inches more rear shoulder room than the Mustang Mach-E.

Pulling a handle automatically lowers the C40 Recharge’s rear seats, to make changing between passengers and cargo easier. The Mustang Mach-E doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

The C40 Recharge has a 2000 lbs. towing capacity. The Mustang Mach-E has no towing capacity.

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 Mustang Mach-E doesn’t offer electronic trailer sway control.

Unlike the driver-only memory system in the Mustang Mach-E Premium/CA RT 1/GT, the C40 Recharge has standard driver and passenger memory, so that when drivers switch, the memory setting adjusts the driver’s seat, outside mirror angle, climate settings and radio stations and the front passenger seat also adjusts to the new passenger’s preset preferences.

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 Mustang Mach-E 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 Mustang Mach-E 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 Mustang Mach-E 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.

When the C40 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 Mustang Mach-E’s mirrors don’t automatically adjust for backing.

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 Mustang Mach-E has an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

The C40 Recharge has standard heated front seats. Heated front seats are only available on the Mustang Mach-E Premium/CA RT 1/GT. The C40 Recharge also offers optional heated rear seats to keep those passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Heated rear seats aren’t available in the Mustang Mach-E.