Top Safety Pick +Top Safety Pick criteria

2021 Volvo XC40 Recharge

small SUV / 4-door SUV

Fully electric
2021 Volvo XC40 Recharge 4-door SUV

Crashworthiness

Rating overview
Evaluation criteriaRating
Small overlap front: driver-side
G
Small overlap front: passenger-side
G
Moderate overlap front: original test
G
Side: original test
G
Roof strength
G
Head restraints & seats
G

Crash avoidance & mitigation

Evaluation criteriaRating
Headlights
G
Front crash prevention: vehicle-to-vehicle
Standard system
Superior
Front crash prevention: pedestrian (day)
Standard system
Advanced

Seat belts & child restraints

Evaluation criteriaRating
LATCH ease of use
A

Other available safety features

  • Standard blind spot detection
  • Standard lane departure warning & prevention
  • Standard rear automatic braking

Key

  • G
    Good
  • A
    Acceptable
  • M
    Marginal
  • P
    Poor
  • Superior
  • Advanced
  • Basic

Some ratings use a scale of Poor to Good. Others range from Basic to Superior.

Small overlap front: driver-side

Rating applies to 2021-24 models

Tested vehicle: 2021 Volvo XC40 Recharge EV 4-door 4wd

The Volvo XC40 Recharge, a new electric SUV, was introduced in the 2021 model year and the Volvo C40 Recharge was introduced in the 2022 model year.

Evaluation criteriaRating
G
Structure and safety cage
G
Driver injury measures
Head/neck
G
Chest
G
Hip/thigh
G
Lower leg/foot
G
Driver restraints and dummy kinematics
G

Action shot taken during the small overlap frontal crash test.

The dummy's position in relation to the door frame, steering wheel, and instrument panel after the crash test indicates that the driver's survival space was maintained very well.

The frontal and side curtain airbags worked well together to keep the head from coming close to any stiff structure or outside objects that could cause injury.

The driver's space was maintained well, and risk of injuries to the dummy's legs and feet was very low.

Technical measurements for this test

About the small overlap front test

Small overlap front: passenger-side

Rating applies to 2021-24 models

Tested vehicle: 2021 Volvo XC40 Recharge EV 4-door 4wd

The Volvo XC40 Recharge, a new electric SUV, was introduced in the 2021 model year and the Volvo C40 Recharge was introduced in the 2022 model year. Passenger-side small overlap frontal ratings are assigned by the Institute based on a test of a 2021 XC40 Recharge conducted by Volvo.

Evaluation criteriaRating
Overall evaluation
G
Structure and safety cage
G
Passenger injury measures
Head/neck
G
Chest
G
Hip/thigh
G
Lower leg/foot
A
Passenger restraints and dummy kinematics
G
Driver injury measures
Head/neck
G
Chest
G
Hip/thigh
G
Lower leg/foot
G
Driver restraints and dummy kinematics
G
Technical measurements for this test

About the small overlap front test

Moderate overlap front: original test

Rating applies to 2021-24 models

Tested vehicle: 2021 Volvo XC40 Recharge EV 4-door 4wd

The Volvo XC40 Recharge, a new electric SUV, was introduced in the 2021 model year and the Volvo C40 Recharge was introduced in the 2022 model year.

Evaluation criteriaRating
Overall evaluation
G
Structure and safety cage
G
Driver injury measures
Head/neck
G
Chest
G
Leg/foot, left
G
Leg/foot, right
G
Driver restraints and dummy kinematics
G

Action shot taken during the moderate overlap frontal crash test.

The dummy's position in relation to the steering wheel and instrument panel after the crash test indicates that the driver's survival space was maintained well.

Smeared greasepaint indicates where the dummy's head contacted the side curtain airbag during rebound.

Intrusion into the driver's space was minimal, and all leg and foot injury measures were low.

Technical measurements for this test

About the original moderate overlap front test

Side: original test

Rating applies to 2021-24 models

Tested vehicle: 2021 Volvo XC40 Recharge EV 4-door 4wd

The Volvo XC40 Recharge, a new electric SUV, was introduced in the 2021 model year.

Evaluation criteriaRating
Overall evaluation
G
Structure and safety cage
G
Driver injury measures
Head/neck
G
Torso
A
Pelvis/leg
G
Driver head protection
G
Rear passenger injury measures
Head/neck
G
Torso
G
Pelvis/leg
G
Rear passenger head protection
G

View of the vehicle just after the crash test.

View of the vehicle after the crash with doors removed, showing the side airbags and damage to the occupant compartment.

Smeared greasepaint shows where the driver dummy's head was protected from being hit by hard structures by the side curtain airbag.

Smeared greasepaint shows where the rear passenger dummy’s head was protected by the side airbag.

Technical measurements for this test

About the original side crash test

Roof strength

Rating applies to 2021-23 models

Tested vehicle: 2021 Volvo XC40 Recharge EV 4-door 4wd

Ratings apply to the Volvo XC40 Recharge (tested) and the structurally similar 2022 C40 Recharge.

Overall evaluation
G
Curb weight4,787 lbs
Peak force23,312 lbs
Strength-to-weight ratio4.87

About the roof strength test

Head restraints & seats

Seat type: Power leather seat

Overall evaluation
G
Dynamic rating
G
Seat/head restraint geometry
G
Technical measurements for this test

About the head restraint & seat test
Currently, IIHS tests apply only to front seats.

Headlights

Trim level(s)

  • All trims
Evaluation criteriaRating
Low-beam headlight typeLED reflector
High-beam headlight typeLED reflector
Curve-adaptive?Yes
High-beam assist?Yes
Overall rating
G
Distance at which headlights provide at least 5 lux illumination:
car-simpler car-simpler car-simpler car-simpler car-simpler 0 ft 100 ft 200 ft 300 ft 400 ft 500 ft 600 ft Low beams Optimal low-beam illumination High beams Optimal high-beam illumination High-beam assist credit Some glare

Low beams
On the straightaway, visibility was good on both sides of the road. On curves, visibility was good on both right curves and fair on both left curves.

The low beams created some glare.

High beams
On the straightaway, visibility was good on both sides of the road. On curves, visibility was good on the gradual left and both right curves and fair on the sharp left curve.

High-beam assist compensates for some limitations of this vehicle's low beams on the straightaway and on both left curves.

Technical measurements for this test

About the headlight evaluation

Front crash prevention: vehicle-to-vehicle

System details

  • Standard Collision Warning with Full Auto Brake

Overall evaluation

Applies to 2021-23 models

Superior
Superior
  • This system meets the requirements for forward collision warning.
  • In the 12 mph test, this vehicle avoided a collision.
  • In the 25 mph test, this vehicle avoided a collision.

About the original front crash prevention test

Front crash prevention: pedestrian (day)

System details

  • standard Collision Warning with Full Autobrake

Overall evaluation

This rating applies to all 2021-25 models

Advanced
Advanced

Crossing child

  • In the 12 mph test, impact speed was reduced by 8 mph.
  • In the 25 mph test, impact speed was reduced by 17 mph.

Crossing adult

  • In the 12 mph test, this vehicle avoided a collision.
  • In the 25 mph test, this vehicle avoided a collision.

Parallel adult

  • In the 25 mph test, this vehicle avoided a collision.
  • In the 37 mph test, impact speed was reduced by 26 mph. A warning was issued 1.8 seconds before impact.

About the pedestrian front crash prevention test

Child seat anchors

Rating applies to 2021-24 models

Evaluation criteriaRating
Overall evaluation
A
Vehicle trimT5 Momentum
Seat type leather

This vehicle has 2 rear seating positions with complete child seat attachment (LATCH) hardware.

It has 1 additional seating position with a tether anchor only.

Evaluation criteriaRating
Overall evaluation
A
Vehicle trimT5 Momentum
Seat type leather
1 2 3
Rating iconRating
GGood
AAcceptable
MMarginal
PPoor
Seating positions that rely on borrowed lower anchors or have only a tether anchor available are not rated.
thether anchor symbol
Tether anchor
lower anchor symbol
Lower anchors
shared lower achors symbol
Lower anchor(s) can be borrowed from adjacent positions(s)
No hardware available

Details by seating position

PositionRating
1
Tether anchor
easy-to-find location
no other hardware could be confused for anchor
Lower anchors
not too deep in seat
not too much force needed to attach
difficult to maneuver around anchors
2
Tether anchor
easy-to-find location
no other hardware could be confused for anchor
Lower anchors
none available
3
Tether anchor
easy-to-find location
no other hardware could be confused for anchor
Lower anchors
not too deep in seat
not too much force needed to attach
difficult to maneuver around anchors
Technical measurements for this test

About the child seat anchor evaluation