Compare the2025 Hyundai Kona ElectricVS 2025 Volvo EX40

In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the Kona Electric are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The EX40 doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

Both the Kona Electric and the EX40 have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact 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, 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.

Side impacts caused 23% of all road fatalities in 2018, down from 29% in 2003, when the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety introduced its side barrier test. In order to continue improving vehicle safety, the IIHS has started using a more severe side impact test: 37 MPH (up from 31 MPH), with a 4180-pound barrier (up from 3300 pounds). The results of this newly developed test demonstrates that the Hyundai Kona Electric is safer than the EX40:

The Hyundai Kona Electric has achieved the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s (IIHS) highest rating of “Top Safety Pick Plus” for the 2024 model year. This distinction is based on its exceptional performance in IIHS’ rigorous battery of safety tests. Specifically, it earned a “Good” rating in the latest, more stringent moderate overlap front crash test, a “Good” result in the updated side impact test, and a “Good” score in the revised pedestrian crash prevention test. The EX40 is not even a standard “Top Safety Pick” for 2024.

The Kona Electric comes with a full 5-year/60,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The EX40’s 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 10,000 miles sooner.

Hyundai’s powertrain warranty covers the Kona Electric 6 years and 50,000 miles longer than Volvo covers the EX40. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the EX40 ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

There are almost 3 times as many Hyundai dealers as there are Volvo dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Kona Electric’s warranty.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2024 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Hyundai vehicles are better in initial quality than Volvo vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Hyundai third in initial quality, above the industry average. With 80 more problems per 100 vehicles, Volvo is ranked 31st, below the industry average.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2024 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Hyundai vehicles are more reliable than Volvo With 47 fewer problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, J.D. Power ranks Hyundai higher than Volvo.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2024 Auto Issue reports that Hyundai vehicles are more reliable than Volvo vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Hyundai 14 places higher in reliability than Volvo.

On the EPA test cycle the Kona Electric gets better mileage than the EX40:

The Kona Electric has a standard easy tire fill system. When inflating the tires, the vehicle’s integrated tire pressure sensors keep track of the pressure as the tires fill and tell the driver when the tires are inflated to the proper pressure. The EX40 doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

For better maneuverability, the Kona Electric’s turning circle is 2.6 feet tighter than the EX40’s (34.8 feet vs. 37.4 feet).

The Hyundai Kona Electric may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 800 to 900 pounds less than the Volvo EX40.

The Kona Electric is 3.3 inches shorter than the EX40, making the Kona Electric easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The front grille of the Kona Electric uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The EX40 doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

The Kona Electric has 2.4 inches more front headroom, .8 inches more front legroom and .3 inches more rear legroom than the EX40.

For enhanced passenger comfort on long trips the Kona Electric’s rear seats recline. The EX40’s rear seats don’t recline.

The Kona Electric has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the EX40 with its rear seat up (25.5 vs. 16 cubic feet). The Kona Electric has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the EX40 with its rear seat folded (63.7 vs. 57.5 cubic feet).

To shield the driver and front passenger’s vision over a larger portion of the windshield and side windows, the Kona Electric has standard extendable sun visors. The EX40 doesn’t offer extendable visors.

Standard air-conditioned seats in the Kona Electric Limited keep the driver and front passenger comfortable and take the sting out of hot seats in Summer. The EX40 doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats.

The Kona Electric Limited’s Smart Parking Assist can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, starting, stopping and changing direction automatically. Remote Smart Parking Assist will park and retrieve your car remotely: press a button and watch it park itself. This is ideal for tight locations. The EX40 doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

The Hyundai Kona outsold the Volvo XC40 by almost three to one during 2023.