Compare the2025 Volvo EC40VS 2025 MINI Countryman SE

For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Volvo EC40 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 MINI Countryman SE doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

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 Countryman SE doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.

For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Volvo EC40 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 MINI Countryman SE doesn’t offer height-adjustable seat belts.

Both the EC40 and Countryman SE 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 Countryman SE’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 Countryman SE 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 Countryman SE doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

Both the EC40 and the Countryman SE 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.

There are almost 3 times as many Volvo dealers as there are MINI dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the EC40’s warranty.

The EC40’s optional electric motors produces 94 more horsepower (402 vs. 308) and 130 lbs.-ft. more torque (494 vs. 364) than the Countryman SE’s electric motors.

As tested in Car and Driver the Volvo EC40 electric motors is faster than the MINI Countryman SE:

On the EPA test cycle the EC40 gets better mileage than the Countryman SE:

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

The EC40’s standard front and rear disc brakes are vented to help dissipate heat for shorter stops with less fading. The rear discs on the Countryman SE are solid, not vented.

For better traction, the EC40 has larger tires than the Countryman SE (235/45R20 vs. 225/55R18).

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 Countryman SE’s standard 55 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 Countryman SE. The EC40’s optional 20-inch wheels are larger than the 19-inch wheels optional on the Countryman SE.

For better maneuverability, the EC40’s turning circle is 1.3 feet tighter than the Countryman SE’s (37.4 feet vs. 38.7 feet).

The EC40 has .5 inches more front legroom, 1 inch more front shoulder room, 1 inch more rear legroom and 1.5 inches more rear shoulder room than the Countryman SE.

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

A Trailer Stability Assist is standard on the EC40, using 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. A trailer sway program costs extra on the Countryman SE.

Unlike the driver-only memory seat and mirrors optional at extra cost in the Countryman SE, 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. Comfort Access standard on the Countryman SE doesn’t offer a sensor on the rear doors, so you’ll have to reach a front handle to unlock the rear door.

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 Countryman SE doesn’t offer heated windshield washer nozzles.

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 Countryman SE 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 EC40 offers available headlight washers to keep headlight output high. The Countryman SE doesn’t offer headlight washers.

The Countryman SE’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.

Both the EC40 and the Countryman SE 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 Countryman SE.

Compared to the MINI Countryman SE, the Volvo EC40 Plus/Ultimate eliminates the need for separate garage door openers and associated risks of losing, breaking, or having dead batteries with its standard integrated Homelink® universal remote controlled from the rear view mirror.

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