Compare the2025 Volvo EX40VS 2025 BMW iX

For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Volvo EX40 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 iX doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Volvo EX40 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 iX doesn’t offer height-adjustable seat belts.

Both the EX40 and the iX 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.

Volvo pays for scheduled maintenance on the EX40 for 1 year and 4000 miles longer than BMW pays for maintenance for the iX (4/40,000 vs. 3/36,000).

The EX40 stops shorter than the iX:

For better traction and acceleration, the EX40 has larger rear tires than the iX (255/45R19 vs. 235/60R20).

The EX40’s standard 235/50R19 front and 255/45R19 rear tires provide better handling because they have a lower 50 series front and 45 series rear profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the iX xDrive50’s standard 60 series tires.

The EX40 AWD handles at .84 G’s, while the iX xDrive50 pulls only .83 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

For better maneuverability, the EX40’s turning circle is 2.3 feet tighter than the iX xDrive50’s (37.4 feet vs. 39.7 feet).

The Volvo EX40 may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 1150 to 1200 pounds less than the BMW iX.

The EX40 is 1 foot, 8.2 inches shorter than the iX, making the EX40 easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

A standard locking glovebox (which can’t be accessed with the valet key) keeps your small valuables safer in the EX40. The iX doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

Optional Trailer Stability Assist (TSA) on the EX40 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 iX doesn’t offer electronic trailer sway control.

Heated windshield washer nozzles are optional on the EX40 to prevent washer fluid and nozzles from freezing and help continue to keep the windshield clear in sub-freezing temperatures. The iX doesn’t offer heated windshield washer nozzles.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the EX40 has a standard rear fixed intermittent wiper with a full on position. The rear wiper standard on the iX only has an intermittent setting, so in a hard rain visibility isn’t as good.

In poor weather, headlights can lose their effectiveness as grime builds up on their lenses. This can reduce visibility without the driver realizing. The EX40 offers available headlight washers to keep headlight output high. The iX doesn’t offer headlight washers.

The EX40 is available in both front-wheel drive and four-wheel drive configurations. The iX doesn’t offer a two-wheel drive configuration.

The Volvo XC40 outsold the BMW iX by 63% during 2023.