Compare the2024 Volvo XC40VS 2023 Kia Niro

Safety
Warranty
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Transmission
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Towing
Ergonomics
Recommendations

Safety

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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 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 doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.

Both the XC40 and Niro 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’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 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 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 has all-wheel drive to maximize traction under poor conditions, especially in ice and snow. The Niro 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 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 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, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning and driver alert monitors.

The Volvo XC40 weighs 614 to 896 pounds more than the Kia Niro. The NHTSA advises that heavier vehicles are much safer in collisions than their significantly lighter counterparts.

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 the rating of “Top Safety Pick” for 2017, a rating granted to only 231 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Niro has not been tested, yet.

Warranty

The XC40’s corrosion warranty is 7 years and unlimited miles longer than the Niro’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, tire rotations, air filter replacements, cabin filter replacement, brake fluid replacement, inspections, and any other required maintenance. Kia doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the Niro.

Engine

The XC40’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid produces 108 more horsepower (247 vs. 139) and 63 lbs.-ft. more torque (258 vs. 195) than the Niro’s 1.6 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid.

Fuel Economy and Range

Both the XC40 and Niro have a standard automatic start/stop engine feature to stop unnecessary fuel waste and pollution at stoplights and heavy traffic. The XC40 has a standard disable switch for the system, so a driver can keep the engine from shutting off when the vehicle stops temporarily.

The XC40 has 3.1 gallons more fuel capacity than the Niro (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 doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

Transmission

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.

Brakes and Stopping

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

	XC40	Niro
Front Rotors	13.6 inches	11 inches
Rear Rotors	11.9 inches	10.3 inches

The XC40 stops much shorter than the Niro:

	XC40	Niro
60 to 0 MPH	111 feet	121 feet	Motor Trend
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	135 feet	144 feet	Consumer Reports

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the XC40 has larger standard tires than the Niro (235/55R18 vs. 205/60R16). The XC40’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Niro (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’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. The XC40’s optional 20-inch wheels are larger than the 18-inch wheels on the Niro Touring.

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; it requires you to depend on roadside assistance and your vehicle will have to be towed.

Suspension and Handling

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 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.

The XC40’s front to rear weight distribution is more even (57.9% to 42.1%) than the Niro’s (61% to 39%). This gives the XC40 more stable handling and braking.

The XC40 B5 Plus handles at .86 G’s, while the Niro SX pulls only .84 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The XC40 B5 Plus executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the Niro SX (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 (8.1 vs. 6.3 inches), allowing the XC40 to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

Passenger Space

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.

Cargo Capacity

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

Towing

The XC40 has a 3500 lbs. towing capacity. The Niro 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 doesn’t offer electronic trailer sway control.

Ergonomics

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’s standard passenger windows don’t open or close automatically. With the Niro SX’s power windows, only the front windows open or close automatically.

If the windows are left open on the XC40 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 Niro can only close the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

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

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

Consumer Reports rated the XC40’s headlight performance “Very Good,” a higher rating than the Niro’s headlights, which were rated “Good.”

To help drivers avoid possible obstacles, the XC40 offers optional cornering lights to illuminate around corners when the turn signals are activated. The Niro 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 offers an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

The XC40 has standard heated front seats. Heated front seats are only available on the Niro EX/SX/Touring. The XC40 also offers optional heated rear seats to keep those passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Heated rear seats aren’t available in the Niro.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Volvo XC40 has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. Only the Niro EX/SX/Touring offers wireless charging.

Recommendations

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