Compare the2024 Volvo C40 RechargeVS 2023 Toyota bZ4X

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 bZ4X doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.

Both the C40 Recharge and bZ4X have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The C40 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 bZ4X’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 bZ4X 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 bZ4X doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

Both the C40 Recharge and the bZ4X have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, front wheel drive, 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 bZ4X has not been fully tested, yet.

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 bZ4X’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 bZ4X’s (12 vs. 5 years).

Volvo pays for scheduled maintenance on the C40 Recharge for 1 year and 11000 miles longer than Toyota pays for maintenance for the bZ4X (3/36,000 vs. 2/25000).

The C40 Recharge’s standard electric motor produces 47 more horsepower (248 vs. 201) than the bZ4X’s standard electric motor. The C40 Recharge’s electric motor produces 34 more horsepower (248 vs. 214) than the bZ4X’s optional electric motors. The C40 Recharge’s optional electric motors produces 188 more horsepower (402 vs. 214) and 239 lbs.-ft. more torque (487 vs. 248) than the bZ4X’s optional electric motors.

As tested in Car and Driver the Volvo C40 Recharge electric motors is faster than the Toyota bZ4X electric motors:

The C40 Recharge can travel longer on a full charge than the bZ4X on a full charge:

For better stopping power the C40 Recharge’s brake rotors are larger than those on the bZ4X:

The C40 Recharge stops shorter than the bZ4X:

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 bZ4X XLE’s standard 60 series tires. The C40 Recharge’s optional tires have a lower 45 series profile than the bZ4X Limited’s 50 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 bZ4X XLE.

The C40 Recharge Ultimate handles at .82 G’s, while the bZ4X Limited AWD pulls only .80 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

For better maneuverability, the C40 Recharge’s turning circle is 2.6 feet tighter than the bZ4X’s (37.4 feet vs. 40 feet).

The C40 Recharge is 9.8 inches shorter than the bZ4X, making the C40 Recharge easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The C40 Recharge has .8 inches more front headroom, .3 inches more front hip room, .8 inches more rear legroom, 9.8 inches more rear hip room and .3 inches more rear shoulder room than the bZ4X.

A low lift-over cargo hatch design makes loading and unloading the C40 Recharge easier. The C40 Recharge’s cargo hatch lift-over height is 24.8 inches, while the bZ4X’s liftover is 27.9 inches.

Pulling a handle automatically lowers the C40 Recharge’s rear seats, to make changing between passengers and cargo easier. The bZ4X doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

The C40 Recharge has a 2000 lbs. towing capacity. The bZ4X has no towing capacity.

The C40 Recharge uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The bZ4X 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.

When two different drivers share the C40 Recharge, the memory system makes it convenient for both. Each setting activates different, customized memories for the driver and front passenger’s seat positions, outside mirror angle, climate settings and radio stations. The bZ4X doesn’t offer a memory system.

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 bZ4X 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 bZ4X 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 bZ4X 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 bZ4X 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 bZ4X’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 bZ4X has an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the C40 Recharge second among small premium suvs in owner reported satisfaction. This includes how well the vehicle performs and satisfies its owner’s expectations. The bZ4X isn’t in the top three.

The Volvo C40 Recharge outsold the Toyota bZ4X by over three to one during 2022.