Compare the2026 Volvo EX40 VS 2026 Subaru Uncharted

The EX40’s pre-crash front seatbelts will tighten automatically in the event the vehicle detects an impending crash, improving protection against injury significantly. The Uncharted doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.

Both the EX40 and Uncharted have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The EX40 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 Uncharted’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.

In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the EX40 are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The Uncharted doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

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 Uncharted doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

The EX40 has standard Volvo On Call, which uses a global positioning satellite (GPS) receiver and a cellular system to remotely unlock your doors if you lock your keys in, help track down your vehicle if it’s stolen or send emergency personnel to the scene if any airbags deploy. The Uncharted doesn’t offer a GPS response system, only a navigation computer with no live response for emergencies, so if you’re involved in an accident and you’re incapacitated help may not come as quickly.

Both the EX40 and the Uncharted have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, front wheel drive, 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.

The EX40 comes with a full 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The Uncharted’s 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 14,000 miles sooner.

The EX40’s corrosion warranty is 7 years longer than the Uncharted’s (12 vs. 5 years).

Volvo pays for scheduled maintenance on the EX40 for 2 years and 20,000 miles. Volvo will pay for cabin filter replacement, brake fluid replacement, inspections, and any other required maintenance. Subaru doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the Uncharted.

The EX40 Single Motor’s standard electric motor produces 27 more horsepower (248 vs. 221) than the Uncharted’s standard electric motor. The EX40 Twin Motor’s optional electric motors produces 64 more horsepower (402 vs. 338) than the Uncharted Sport/GT’s standard electric motors.

For better stopping power the EX40’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Uncharted:

	EX40	Uncharted
Front Rotors	13.6 inches	12.9 inches
Rear Rotors	13.4 inches	12.5 inches

The EX40 stops shorter than the Uncharted:

	EX40	Uncharted
70 to 0 MPH	171 feet	175 feet	Car and Driver

For better traction and acceleration, the EX40 has larger rear tires than the Uncharted (255/45R19 vs. 235/60R18).

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 Uncharted Premium’s standard 60 series tires. The EX40’s optional 235/45R20 front and 255/40R20 rear tires have a lower 45 series front and 40 series rear profile than the Uncharted Sport/GT’s 50 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the EX40 has standard 19-inch wheels. Smaller 18-inch wheels are standard on the Uncharted Premium.

The EX40 is 3 inches shorter than the Uncharted, making the EX40 easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The EX40 has 4.4 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Uncharted (98 vs. 93.6).

The EX40 has .2 inches more front hip room, .8 inches more rear headroom, 3.9 inches more rear legroom, 9.8 inches more rear hip room and 1.6 inches more rear shoulder room than the Uncharted.

A control in the cargo area automatically lowers the EX40’s optional rear seats, to make changing between passengers and cargo easier. The Uncharted doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

A standard locking glovebox (which can’t be accessed with the valet key) keeps your small valuables safer in the EX40. The Uncharted doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

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 Uncharted doesn’t offer electronic trailer sway control.

The EX40 uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The Uncharted 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.

The EX40’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 pocket or purse. Keyless Access and Start standard on the Uncharted doesn’t offer a sensor on the rear doors, so you’ll have to reach a front handle to unlock the rear doors.

The EX40’s power window, power lock, power mirror and cruise control switches are lit from behind, making them plainly visible and easier to operate at night. The Uncharted’s power window (except driver window) and power lock switches are unlit, making them difficult to find at night and operate safely.

Heated windshield washer nozzles are optional on the EX40 to prevent washer fluid and nozzles from freezing and help continue to keep the windshield clear in sub-freezing temperatures. The Uncharted doesn’t offer heated windshield washer nozzles.

To help drivers avoid possible obstacles, the EX40 offers optional cornering lights to illuminate around corners when the turn signals are activated. The Uncharted doesn’t offer cornering lights. The EX40 also offers optional adaptive headlights to illuminate around corners automatically by reading vehicle speed and steering wheel angle.

The EX40’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 Uncharted has an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

The EX40’s standard GPS navigation system has a real-time traffic update feature that plots alternative routes to automatically bypass traffic problems. (Service not available in all areas.) The Uncharted’s navigation system doesn’t offer real-time traffic updates.

The Volvo EX40 has a standard Homelink wireless remote control system for garage door operation and device management, conveniently located on the rear view mirror. Homelink® eliminates the need for separate garage door openers and associated risks of losing, breaking, or having dead batteries. Subaru charges extra for Homelink® on the Uncharted.