Compare the2024 Volvo XC40 RechargeVS 2024 BMW XM

For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Volvo XC40 Recharge 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 XM doesn’t offer height-adjustable seat belts.

Both the XC40 Recharge and XM have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The XC40 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 XM’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.

Both the XC40 Recharge and the XM have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, 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.

For its top level performance in all IIHS frontal, side, rear impact and roof-crush tests, and its standard front crash prevention system, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the XC40 Recharge the rating of “Top Safety Pick” for 2017, a rating granted to only 207 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The XM has not been tested, yet.

Volvo pays for scheduled maintenance on the XC40 Recharge for 1 year and 4000 miles longer than BMW pays for maintenance for the XM (4/40,000 vs. 3/36,000).

On the EPA test cycle the XC40 Recharge gets better mileage than the XM running on electricity:

On the EPA test cycle the XC40 Recharge gets better mileage than the XM running its gasoline engine:

The XC40 Recharge can travel with zero emissions on a full charge for 254 to 293 miles. The XM has to start its internal combustion engine after only 31 miles.

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Volvo XC40 Recharge higher (10 out of 10) than the BMW XM (7). This means the XC40 Recharge produces up to 11.8 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the XM every 15,000 miles.

For better maneuverability, the XC40 Recharge’s turning circle is 3.6 feet tighter than the XM’s (37.4 feet vs. 41 feet).

The Volvo XC40 Recharge may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 1400 to 1650 pounds less than the BMW XM.

The XC40 Recharge is 2 feet, 3 inches shorter than the XM, making the XC40 Recharge easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

A low lift-over cargo hatch design makes loading and unloading the XC40 Recharge easier. The XC40 Recharge’s cargo hatch lift-over height is 29.7 inches, while the XM’s liftover is 32.8 inches.

The XC40 Recharge’s standard folding rear seats are split to accommodate bulky cargo. The XM’s standard single piece folding rear seat is not as flexible; long cargo and a passenger can’t share the rear seat.

To make loading groceries and cargo easier when your hands are full, the XC40 Recharge’s liftgate can be opened and closed just by kicking your foot under the back bumper, leaving your hands completely free. The XM doesn’t offer a hands-free gesture to open its liftgate, forcing you to put cargo down if your hands are full.

Heated windshield washer nozzles are optional on the XC40 Recharge to prevent washer fluid and nozzles from freezing and help continue to keep the windshield clear in sub-freezing temperatures. The XM doesn’t offer heated windshield washer nozzles.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the XC40 Recharge has a standard rear fixed intermittent wiper with a full on position. The rear wiper standard on the XM only has an intermittent setting, so in a hard rain visibility isn’t as good.

The XC40 Recharge is available in both front-wheel drive and four-wheel drive configurations. The XM doesn’t offer a two-wheel drive configuration.

The Volvo XC40 outsold the BMW XM by over 12 to one during 2023.