Compare the2026 Volvo XC40 VS 2026 Toyota Rav4

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 Rav4 doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.

Both the XC40 and Rav4 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 Rav4’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 Rav4 doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the XC40 has standard Cross Traffic Alert with Braking Intervention, systems which detect vehicles approaching from the sides and can automatically apply the brakes to prevent a collision. Only the Rav4 SE/Woodland/XLE/XSE/Limited/GR Sport offers Parking Support Brake.

Both the XC40 and the Rav4 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 available around view monitors.

The XC40 comes with a full 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The Rav4’s 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 14,000 miles sooner.

The XC40’s corrosion warranty is 7 years longer than the Rav4’s (12 vs. 5 years).

The XC40 has more powerful engines than the Rav4:

	Torque
XC40 B4 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid	221 lbs.-ft.
XC40 B5 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid	258 lbs.-ft.
Rav4 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid
Rav4 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid
Rav4 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid

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 Rav4 doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

The XC40’s launch control uses engine electronics to hold engine RPM’s precisely in order to provide the most stable and rapid acceleration possible, using all of the available traction. The Rav4 doesn’t offer launch control.

For better stopping power the XC40’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Rav4:

	XC40	Rav4	Rav4 Plug-In Hybrid
Front Rotors	13.6 inches	12 inches	12.9 inches
Rear Rotors	11.9 inches	11.1 inches	12.4 inches

The XC40 stops much shorter than the Rav4:

	XC40	Rav4
60 to 0 MPH	111 feet	124 feet	Motor Trend

For better traction, the XC40’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Rav4 (245/45R20 vs. 235/65R17).

The XC40’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 55 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Rav4 LE’s standard 65 series tires. The XC40 B5 Ultra’s optional tires have a lower 40 series profile than the Rav4 XSE’s 50 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the XC40 has standard 18-inch wheels. Smaller 17-inch wheels are standard on the Rav4 LE. The XC40 B5 Ultra’s optional 21-inch wheels are larger than the 20-inch wheels on the Rav4 XSE.

The XC40 has vehicle speed sensitive variable-assist power steering, for low-effort parking, better control at highway speeds and during hard cornering, and a better feel of the road. The Rav4 doesn’t offer variable-assist power steering.

The XC40 B5 Plus AWD handles at .86 G’s, while the Rav4 Limited pulls only .79 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

For greater off-road capability the XC40 has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Rav4 GR Sport (8.1 vs. 7.5 inches), allowing the XC40 to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

The XC40 is 6.2 inches shorter than the Rav4, making the XC40 easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The XC40 has 1.1 inches more front headroom and 5 inches more rear hip room than the Rav4.

The XC40’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Rav4’s (3500 vs. 1750 pounds).

While the Rav4 GR Sport is not recommended to tow, any XC40 can tow a minimum of 3500 pounds.

The XC40 uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The Rav4 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 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 pocket or purse. Smart Key System standard on the Rav4 doesn’t offer a sensor on the cargo door or the rear doors, so you’ll have to reach a front handle to unlock the rear doors.

The XC40’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 Rav4 LE’s standard fixed intermittent wipers only have one fixed delay setting, so the driver will have to manually switch them between slow and intermittent.

To help drivers avoid possible obstacles, the XC40 offers optional cornering lights to illuminate around corners when the turn signals are activated. The Rav4 doesn’t offer cornering lights. The XC40 also offers optional adaptive headlights to illuminate around corners automatically by reading vehicle speed and steering wheel angle.

The XC40’s standard outside mirrors include heating elements to clear off the mirrors for better visibility. Toyota only offers heated mirrors on the Rav4 SE/Woodland/XLE/XSE/Limited/GR Sport.

When the XC40 is put in reverse, both rearview mirrors tilt from their original position. This gives the driver a better view of the curb during parallel parking maneuvers. Shifting out of reverse puts the mirrors into their original positions. The Rav4’s mirrors don’t automatically adjust for backing.

The XC40’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 Rav4 offers an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

Both the Volvo XC40 and Toyota Rav4 offer exterior mirrors that can be folded to provide convenience. The XC40 features standard power folding mirrors, which allow for easy, one-touch folding or unfolding at the driver’s discretion. This provides added convenience when maneuvering or parking, as well as when walking past the parked vehicle. In comparison, the Rav4’s foldable mirrors are manual, requiring the driver to get out and physically fold them once parked and unfold them before getting in.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Volvo XC40 has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. Only the Rav4 Woodland/XLE/XSE/GR Sport/Limited offers wireless charging.