Compare the2025 Volvo EX40VS 2025 Audi Q6 e-tron

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 Audi Q6 e-tron doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

The Volvo EX40 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 Q6 e-tron doesn’t offer knee airbags.

The EX40 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 Q6 e-tron doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The EX40 has a 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 Q6 e-tron doesn’t offer automatic braking for stationary objects directly to the rear.

When descending a steep, off-road slope, the EX40’s standard Hill Descent Control allows you to creep down safely. The Q6 e-tron doesn’t offer Hill Descent Control.

Both the EX40 and the Q6 e-tron 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, 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 3 years and 30,000 miles. Volvo will pay for cabin filter replacement, brake fluid replacement, inspections, and any other required maintenance. Audi only pays for the first scheduled maintenance visit on the Q6 e-tron.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2025 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Volvo vehicles are better in initial quality than Audi vehicles. With 11 fewer problems per 100 vehicles, JD Power ranks Volvo higher than Audi.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2025 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 31 fewer problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, J.D. Power ranks Volvo higher than Audi.

As tested in Motor Trend the EX40 Twin Motor electric motors is faster than the Q6 e-tron Premium Quattro electric motors:

On the EPA test cycle the EX40 gets better mileage than the Q6 e-tron:

The EX40 stops shorter than the Q6 e-tron:

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 Q6 e-tron Ultra’s standard 65 series front and 60 series rear tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the EX40 has standard 19-inch wheels. Smaller 18-inch wheels are standard on the Q6 e-tron Ultra.

The EX40 Ultra handles at .87 G’s, while the Q6 e-tron Prestige Quattro 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 Q6 e-tron’s (37.4 feet vs. 39.7 feet).

The Volvo EX40 may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 550 to 750 pounds less than the Audi Q6 e-tron.

The EX40 is 1 foot, 1 inches shorter than the Q6 e-tron, making the EX40 easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The design of the Volvo EX40 amounts to more than styling. The EX40 has an aerodynamic coefficient of drag of .329 Cd. That is lower than the Q6 e-tron (.32 to .33) and many sports cars. A more efficient exterior helps keep the interior quieter and helps the EX40 get better fuel mileage.

A control in the cargo area automatically lowers the EX40’s optional rear seats, to make changing between passengers and cargo easier. The Q6 e-tron doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

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 Q6 e-tron doesn’t offer electronic trailer sway control.

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 Q6 e-tron only has an intermittent setting, so in a hard rain visibility isn’t as good.

The Volvo EX40/XC40 outsold the Audi Q6 by over 14 to one during 2024.