Compare the2026 Volvo EX40 VS 2027 Audi Q6 e-tron Sportback

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 Sportback 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 Sportback 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 Sportback 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 Sportback 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 Sportback doesn’t offer Hill Descent Control.

Both the EX40 and the Q6 e-tron Sportback 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 and driver alert monitors.

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.

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

			MPGe
EX40
	FWD	Single Electric Motor	118 city/94 hwy
	AWD	Twin Electric Motors	103 city/85 hwy
Q6 e-tron Sportback
	AWD	SQ6 e-tron Electric Motors	97 city/87 hwy

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 Sportback’s standard 60 series front and 55 series rear tires.

For better maneuverability, the EX40’s turning circle is 2.3 feet tighter than the Q6 e-tron Sportback’s (37.4 feet vs. 39.7 feet).

The Volvo EX40 may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 800 to 900 pounds less than the Audi Q6 e-tron Sportback.

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

The EX40 has 1 inch more front legroom and 1.3 inches more rear headroom than the Q6 e-tron Sportback.

The EX40 has a larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Q6 e-tron Sportback with its rear seat folded (57.5 vs. 52.9 cubic feet).

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 Sportback 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 Sportback 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 Sportback only has an intermittent setting, so in a hard rain visibility isn’t as good.

The EX40 is available in both front-wheel drive and four-wheel drive configurations. The Q6 e-tron Sportback doesn’t offer a two-wheel drive configuration.

The Volvo EX40/XC40 outsold the Audi Q6 e-tron Sportback by 37% during 2025.