Compare the2024 Volvo C40 RechargeVS 2024 Hyundai Tucson Plug-In Hybrid

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 Hyundai Tucson Plug-In Hybrid 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 Tucson Plug-In Hybrid doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.

Both the C40 Recharge and Tucson Plug-In Hybrid 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 Tucson Plug-In Hybrid’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 Volvo C40 Recharge has a standard driver’s side knee airbag mounted low on the dashboard. The knee airbag helps prevent the driver from sliding under the seatbelts or the main frontal airbag; this keeps the driver better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. A knee airbag also helps keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Tucson Plug-In Hybrid doesn’t offer knee airbags.

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 Tucson Plug-In Hybrid 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 Tucson Plug-In Hybrid doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

The C40 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 Tucson Plug-In Hybrid 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.

Both the C40 Recharge and the Tucson Plug-In Hybrid have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact 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, driver alert monitors and available around view monitors.

The Volvo C40 Recharge weighs 553 to 655 pounds more than the Hyundai Tucson Plug-In Hybrid. The NHTSA advises that heavier vehicles are much safer in collisions than their significantly lighter counterparts.

The C40 Recharge’s corrosion warranty is 5 years longer than the Tucson Plug-In Hybrid’s (12 vs. 7 years).

Volvo pays for scheduled maintenance on the C40 Recharge for 1 year and 4000 miles longer than Hyundai pays for maintenance for the Tucson Plug-In Hybrid (4/40,000 vs. 3/36,000).

The C40 Recharge’s standard electric motor produces 52 lbs.-ft. more torque (310 vs. 258) than the Tucson Plug-In Hybrid’s 1.6 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid. The C40 Recharge’s optional electric motors produces 141 more horsepower (402 vs. 261) and 236 lbs.-ft. more torque (494 vs. 258) than the Tucson Plug-In Hybrid’s 1.6 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid.

On the EPA test cycle the C40 Recharge gets better mileage than the Tucson Plug-In Hybrid running on electricity:

On the EPA test cycle the C40 Recharge gets better mileage than the Tucson Plug-In Hybrid running its gasoline engine:

The C40 Recharge can travel with zero emissions on a full charge for 257 to 297 miles. The Tucson Plug-In Hybrid has to start its internal combustion engine after only 33 miles.

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Volvo C40 Recharge higher (10 out of 10) than the Hyundai Tucson Plug-In Hybrid (7). This means the C40 Recharge produces up to 11.8 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Tucson Plug-In Hybrid every 15,000 miles.

For better stopping power the C40 Recharge’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Tucson Plug-In Hybrid:

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 Tucson Plug-In Hybrid are solid, not vented.

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 Tucson Plug-In Hybrid’s standard 55 series tires. The C40 Recharge’s optional tires have a lower 45 series profile than the Tucson Plug-In Hybrid’s 55 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the C40 Recharge offers optional 20-inch wheels. The Tucson Plug-In Hybrid’s largest wheels are only 19-inches.

The C40 Recharge 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 Tucson Plug-In Hybrid doesn’t offer variable-assist power steering.

For better maneuverability, the C40 Recharge’s turning circle is 1.2 feet tighter than the Tucson Plug-In Hybrid’s (37.4 feet vs. 38.6 feet).

The C40 Recharge is 7.5 inches shorter than the Tucson Plug-In Hybrid, making the C40 Recharge easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The C40 Recharge has .2 inches more front hip room, .7 inches more rear hip room and .3 inches more rear shoulder room than the Tucson Plug-In Hybrid.

The C40 Recharge uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The Tucson Plug-In Hybrid 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.

The C40 Recharge has a standard remote vehicle starting system, so the vehicle can be started from inside the driver's house. This allows the driver to comfortably warm up the engine before going out to the vehicle. The climate system will also automatically heat or cool the interior. The Tucson Plug-In Hybrid doesn’t offer a remote starting system.

Unlike the driver-only memory seat in the Tucson Plug-In Hybrid Limited, 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.

The C40 Recharge’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 Tucson Plug-In Hybrid’s rear power window switches have to be held the entire time to open or close them fully.

If the windows are left open on the C40 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 lower the windows from a distance using the keyless remote. The driver of the Tucson Plug-In Hybrid can only operate the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The C40 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 Tucson Plug-In Hybrid’s standard manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

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 Tucson Plug-In Hybrid 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 Tucson Plug-In Hybrid 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 Tucson Plug-In Hybrid 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 Tucson Plug-In Hybrid’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 Tucson Plug-In Hybrid offers an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

The C40 Recharge is available in both front-wheel drive and four-wheel drive configurations. The Tucson Plug-In Hybrid doesn’t offer a two-wheel drive configuration.

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 Tucson Plug-In Hybrid isn’t in the top three in its category.