Compare the2026 Volvo XC40VS 2025 MINI Countryman

For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Volvo XC40 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 doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

The XC40’s pre-crash front seatbelts will tighten automatically in the event the vehicle detects an impending crash, improving protection against injury significantly. The Countryman doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.

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

Both the XC40 and Countryman have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The XC40 Ultra 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’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 XC40 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 doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

Both the XC40 and the Countryman have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, plastic fuel tanks, 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 XC40’s warranty.

The XC40 B5’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid produces 6 more horsepower (247 vs. 241) than the Countryman S’ standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder.

The XC40 has a standard cap-less fueling system. The fuel filler is automatically opened when the fuel nozzle is inserted and automatically closed when it’s removed. This eliminates the need to unscrew and replace the cap and it reduces fuel evaporation, which causes pollution. The Countryman doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

An eight-speed automatic is standard on the Volvo XC40, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only a seven-speed automatic is available for the Countryman.

For better traction, the XC40 has larger standard tires than the Countryman (235/55R18 vs. 225/55R18).

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the XC40 B5 Ultra offers optional 21-inch wheels. The Countryman’s largest wheels are only 20-inches.

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the XC40 is .8 inches wider in the front and 1.8 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the Countryman.

For better maneuverability, the XC40’s turning circle is .7 feet tighter than the Countryman S’ (37.4 feet vs. 38.1 feet). The XC40’s turning circle is 1.3 feet tighter than the JCW Countryman’s (37.4 feet vs. 38.7 feet).

For greater off-road capability the XC40 has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Countryman (8.1 vs. 8 inches), allowing the XC40 to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

The XC40 has .5 inches more front legroom, 1 inch more front shoulder room and 1.5 inches more rear shoulder room than the Countryman.

The XC40 has a larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Countryman with its rear seat folded (57.5 vs. 56.2 cubic feet).

While the Countryman JCW is not recommended to tow, any XC40 can tow a minimum of 3500 pounds.

The XC40 has a higher standard payload capacity than the Countryman (1200 vs. 1089 lbs.).

The XC40 has a higher maximum payload capacity than the Countryman (1219 vs. 1100 lbs.).

The XC40’s standard Keyless Entry & Drive allow you to unlock the doors from any outside door handle, open the cargo door, and start the engine, all without removing the key from the pocket or purse. Comfort Access standard on the Countryman doesn’t offer a sensor on the rear doors, so you’ll have to reach a front handle to unlock the rear door.

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

The Countryman’s cornering lamps activate a lamp on the front corner when the turn signal is activated. The XC40’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 XC40 and the Countryman have standard heated front seats. The XC40 also offers optional heated rear seats to keep those passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Heated rear seats aren’t available in the Countryman.

Compared to the MINI Countryman, the Volvo XC40 eliminates the need for separate garage door openers and associated risks of losing, breaking, or having dead batteries with its optional integrated Homelink® universal remote controlled from the rear view mirror.

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

The Volvo EX40/XC40 outsold the MINI Countryman by over two to one during 2024.