Compare the2024 Volvo C40 RechargeVS 2024 BMW i5

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 BMW i5 doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Volvo C40 Recharge are height-adjustable to accommodate a wide variety of driver and passenger heights. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages passengers to buckle up. The BMW i5 doesn’t offer height-adjustable seat belts.

Both the C40 Recharge and i5 have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The C40 Recharge Ultimate 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 i5’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 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 i5 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 i5 doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

When descending a steep, off-road slope, the C40 Recharge’s standard Hill Descent Control allow you to creep down safely. The i5 doesn’t offer Hill Descent Control.

Both the C40 Recharge and the i5 have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, 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 131 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The i5 has not been tested, yet.

Volvo pays for scheduled maintenance on the C40 Recharge for 1 year and 4000 miles longer than BMW pays for maintenance for the i5 (4/40,000 vs. 3/36,000).

The C40 Recharge’s standard electric motor produces 15 lbs.-ft. more torque (310 vs. 295) than the i5 eDrive40’s standard electric motor.

On the EPA test cycle the C40 Recharge gets better mileage than the i5:

The C40 Recharge can travel longer on a full charge than the i5 on a full charge:

For better maneuverability, the C40 Recharge’s turning circle is 1.6 feet tighter than the i5 M60 xDrive’s (37.4 feet vs. 39 feet). The C40 Recharge’s turning circle is 3 feet tighter than the i5 eDrive40’s (37.4 feet vs. 40.4 feet).

The C40 Recharge is 2 feet shorter than the i5, making the C40 Recharge easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

Pulling a handle automatically lowers the C40 Recharge’s rear seats, to make changing between passengers and cargo easier. The i5 doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

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 i5 doesn’t offer electronic trailer sway control.

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 i5 doesn’t offer heated windshield washer nozzles.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the C40 Recharge has a standard rear wiper. The i5 doesn’t offer a rear wiper.

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 i5 doesn’t offer headlight washers.