Compare the2025 Volvo EC40VS 2024 Subaru Solterra

The EC40’s pre-crash front seatbelts will tighten automatically in the event the vehicle detects an impending crash, improving protection against injury significantly. The Solterra doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.

Both the EC40 and Solterra have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The EC40 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 Solterra’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.

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 Solterra doesn’t offer front seat center airbags.

Both the EC40 and the Solterra have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear 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, driver alert monitors and available around view monitors.

The EC40 comes with a full 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The Solterra’s 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 14,000 miles sooner.

The EC40’s corrosion warranty is 7 years longer than the Solterra’s (12 vs. 5 years).

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. Subaru doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the Solterra.

The EC40’s standard electric motor produces 33 more horsepower (248 vs. 215) and 61 lbs.-ft. more torque (310 vs. 249) than the Solterra’s electric motors. The EC40’s optional electric motors produce 187 more horsepower (402 vs. 215) and 245 lbs.-ft. more torque (494 vs. 249) than the Solterra’s electric motors.

The EC40 can travel longer on a full charge than the Solterra on a full charge:

For better stopping power the EC40’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Solterra:

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 Solterra Premium’s standard 60 series tires. The EC40’s optional tires have a lower 45 series profile than the Solterra Limited/Touring’s 50 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the EC40 Core has standard 19-inch wheels. Smaller 18-inch wheels are standard on the Solterra Premium.

The EC40 is 9.8 inches shorter than the Solterra, making the EC40 easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The EC40 has .6 inches more front headroom, .3 inches more front hip room, .8 inches more rear legroom, 9.8 inches more rear hip room and .3 inches more rear shoulder room than the Solterra.

Pulling a handle automatically lowers the EC40’s rear seats, to make changing between passengers and cargo easier. The Solterra doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

To make loading groceries and cargo easier when your hands are full, the EC40’s liftgate can be opened and closed just by kicking your foot under the back bumper, leaving your hands completely free. The Solterra doesn’t offer a hands-free gesture to open its liftgate, forcing you to put cargo down if your hands are full.

The EC40 has a 2000 lbs. towing capacity. The Solterra has no towing capacity.

The EC40 uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The Solterra 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 in the Solterra Limited/Touring, 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 Access and Start standard on the Solterra doesn’t offer a sensor on the rear doors, so you’ll have to reach a front handle to unlock the rear door. Keyless Access and Start is not available on the Solterra Touring.

The EC40’s rain-sensitive wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically based on the amount of rainfall on the windshield. This allows the driver to concentrate on driving without constantly adjusting the wipers. The Solterra Premium’s standard manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

Heated windshield washer nozzles are standard on the EC40 to prevent washer fluid and nozzles from freezing and help continue to keep the windshield clear in sub-freezing temperatures. The Solterra doesn’t offer heated windshield washer nozzles.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the EC40 has a standard rear wiper. The Solterra doesn’t offer a rear wiper.

In poor weather, headlights can lose their effectiveness as grime builds up on their lenses. This can reduce visibility without the driver realizing. The EC40 offers available headlight washers to keep headlight output high. The Solterra doesn’t offer headlight washers.

The Solterra Limited/Touring’s cornering lamps activate a lamp on the front corner when the turn signal is activated. The EC40’s optional adaptive cornering lights turn the actual headlight unit up to several degrees, depending on steering wheel angle and vehicle speed. This lights a significant distance into corners at any speed.

The EC40’s standard rear and side view mirrors have an automatic dimming feature. These mirrors can be set to automatically darken quickly when headlights shine on them, keeping following vehicles from blinding or distracting the driver. The Solterra offers an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

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 are only offered on the Solterra Limited/Touring.

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 Solterra.

The EC40 is available in both front-wheel drive and four-wheel drive configurations. The Solterra doesn’t offer a two-wheel drive configuration.