Compare the2025 Volvo EC40VS 2024 Audi Q4 e-tron

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 EC40 are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The Q4 e-tron doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Volvo EC40 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 Q4 e-tron doesn’t offer knee airbags.

The EC40 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 Q4 e-tron doesn’t offer front seat center airbags.

The EC40 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 Q4 e-tron doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The EC40 has standard CTA Auto Brake that uses rear sensors to monitor for objects to the rear and automatically applies the brakes to prevent a collision. The Q4 e-tron doesn’t offer automatic braking for stationary objects directly to the rear.

The EC40’s driver alert monitor detects an inattentive driver then sounds a warning and suggests a break. According to the NHTSA, drivers who fall asleep cause about 100,000 crashes and 1500 deaths a year. The Q4 e-tron doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the EC40 and the Q4 e-tron have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, 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 and available around view monitors.

Volvo pays for scheduled maintenance on the EC40 for 3 years and 30,000 miles. Volvo will pay for tire rotations, cabin filter replacement, brake fluid replacement, inspections, and any other required maintenance. Audi only pays for the first scheduled maintenance visit on the Q4 e-tron.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2024 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Volvo vehicles are more reliable than Audi With 30 fewer problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, J.D. Power ranks Volvo higher than Audi.

The EC40 has more powerful engines than the Q4 e-tron:

As tested in Car and Driver the Volvo EC40 electric motors is faster than the Q4 50 e-tron electric motors:

On the EPA test cycle the EC40 gets better mileage than the Q4 e-tron:

The EC40 can travel longer on a full charge than the Q4 e-tron on a full charge:

For better stopping power the EC40’s standard brake rotors are larger than those on the Q4 e-tron:

The Volvo EC40 has standard four-wheel disc brakes for better stopping power and improved directional control in poor weather. Only rear drums come on the Q4 e-tron. Drums can heat up and make stops longer, especially with antilock brakes that work much harder than conventional brakes.

The EC40 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 Q4 e-tron’s standard 55 series front tires.

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the EC40 is .6 inches wider in the front and 1.6 inches wider in the rear than on the Q4 e-tron.

For greater off-road capability the EC40 has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Q4 e-tron (6.7 vs. 5.8 inches), allowing the EC40 to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

The EC40 is 5.8 inches shorter than the Q4 e-tron 40 e-tron, making the EC40 easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The EC40 has .9 inches more front headroom and 1.2 inches more rear shoulder room than the Q4 e-tron.

Standard Trailer Stability Assist on the EC40 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 Q4 e-tron doesn’t offer electronic trailer sway control.

The EC40 uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The Q4 e-tron 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.

Unlike the driver-only memory seat and mirrors optional at extra cost in the Q4 e-tron, the EC40 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 EC40’s standard Keyless Entry & Drive allow you to unlock the doors from any outside door handle, open the cargo door, and start the vehicle, all without removing the key from the pocket or purse. Keyless Start standard on the Q4 e-tron only offers hands-free access for the ignition, none to unlock the vehicle.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the EC40 has a standard rear fixed intermittent wiper with a full on position. The rear wiper standard on the Q4 e-tron only has an intermittent setting, so in a hard rain visibility isn’t as good.

To help drivers avoid possible obstacles, the EC40 offers optional cornering lights to illuminate around corners when the turn signals are activated. The Q4 e-tron doesn’t offer cornering lights. The EC40 also offers optional adaptive headlights to illuminate around corners automatically by reading vehicle speed and steering wheel angle.

The Volvo EC40 has power folding mirrors that offer unparalleled convenience while maneuvering in tight places or parked. With the mirrors folded it’s easier to walk past and help prevent parking damage. The mirrors can be quickly unfolded when the driver is ready to leave. Power folding mirrors costs extra on the Q4 e-tron.

Both the EC40 and the Q4 e-tron have standard heated front seats. The EC40 also offers optional heated rear seats to keep those passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Heated rear seats aren’t available in the Q4 e-tron.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Volvo EC40 has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. Wireless charging costs extra on the Q4 e-tron.