2021 Volvo XC40

Problems owners report

Complaints filed with NHTSA about the 2021 Volvo XC40, by the system named in each complaint. One complaint can name several.

• Electrical system14
• Fuel/propulsion system10
• Back over prevention8
• Unknown or other7
• Forward collision avoidance6
• Vehicle speed control5
• Visibility/wiper5
• Power train5
• Service brakes4
• Engine3

NHTSA ODI complaints (public domain) · updated 23 Oct 2026 · 2 injuries and 0 deaths reported

Compared with other years

NHTSA ODI complaints by model year

New York safety inspections

At its first New York inspection the 2021 Volvo XC40 failed the safety check 0.33% of the time — 65% less often than the average 2021 passenger car (0.95%). Median odometer at inspection: 21,417 miles.

NY DMV Vehicle Inspections (vezn-fmmk), initial inspections since Aug 2021 · how we count

Registered new in Europe in 2021

92,023 new Volvo XC40 cars were registered in the EU, Norway and Iceland in 2021; the largest markets were Germany (13,155), Sweden (12,248), Italy (10,946).

Average mass

1,780 kg

Average CO₂

99 g/km (WLTP)

Average power

123 kW

Fuel type recorded

Petrol 47% · Petrol/electric 37% · Electric 14% · Diesel 1.7%

European Environment Agency, CO₂ emissions from new passenger cars · averages weighted by registrations; CO₂ is the type-approval value; fuel type as recorded at registration, where many non-plug-in hybrids appear as petrol · re-use permitted with acknowledgement

Real-world fuel consumption

65,137 Volvo XC40 cars first registered in Europe in 2021 report their fuel use through the on-board meter. Petrol versions use 8.0 l/100 km on the road against 7.2 in the WLTP test (+11%).

Litres per 100 km from the cars' own fuel meters (OBFCM), collected in 2024; the year is the year of first registration. All years together · European Environment Agency · CC BY 4.0

Engines

The most common engines in 2021 Volvo XC40 cars on Dutch roads are the 1.5 hybrid (132 kW, 177 hp), 1.5 hybrid (95 kW, 127 hp) and 1.5 petrol (95 kW, 127 hp), out of 6 versions with at least 20 cars.

RDW Open Data (CC0): registered passenger cars and their fuel data · engine size rounded to 0.1 litre, net maximum power · versions with at least 20 cars

In the Netherlands

14,378 first registered in 2021 are on Dutch roads; 42% arrived later as imports. Median list price when new: €51,195.

Most common APK defects

• Bandenspanning niet op juiste waarde2,469
• Band onvoldoende profiel897
• Band(en) aanwezig met een profieldiepte van 1,6 t/m 2,5 mm743
• Dimlicht onjuist afgesteld702
• Richtingaanwijzers kleur wijkt af/niet toegestaan511
• Band beschadigd331
• Ruitenwisserinstallatie geeft onvoldoende zicht267
• Stofhoes aandrijfas beschadigd en dicht niet af174

Colours

RDW Open Data: registered vehicles and APK defects (CC0) · defect descriptions in the RDW's Dutch wording

In the United Kingdom

23,816 cars built in 2021 were licensed for the road at the end of 2025, and 98 more were declared off the road (SORN).

Department for Transport and DVLA, vehicle licensing statistics (table VEH0124, year of manufacture) · Open Government Licence v3.0

MOT test results in Great Britain

In 2023, 935 of these cars first registered in 2021 took their annual MOT test. 91% passed first time; among all cars first registered in 2021 the figure was 91%.

DVSA anonymised MOT tests and results, 2023 (Department for Transport) · Open Government Licence v3.0 · first tests only; a fix made at the test station within the hour still counts as a fail

In Finland

2,628 of these cars first registered in 2021 were in use in Finland on 30 Jun 2026, with an average of 70,000 km on the odometer at their last inspection.

Traficom (Finnish Transport and Communications Agency), open data on vehicles in use · CC BY 4.0

In New Zealand

350 2021 cars are on the New Zealand register; 2% arrived as used imports, 97% were sold new in New Zealand.

NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi, Motor Vehicle Register (March 2026) · CC BY 4.0

Fuel consumption

Official Canadian test results for 2 variants: combined 9.3–9.4 L/100 km (about 25 mpg US), CO₂ 217–219 g/km.

Litres per 100 km. Natural Resources Canada, Fuel consumption ratings (open.canada.ca) · Open Government Licence – Canada

Recalls in Canada

5 Transport Canada recalls for the 2021 Volvo XC40.

Transport Canada Vehicle Recalls Database · Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada

Recalls

Whether a recall was fixed on a particular car is known only to the manufacturer: check the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

NHTSA recalls · summaries in NHTSA's own words

Service bulletins

What Volvo told its dealers about the 2021 Volvo XC40: known faults, fixes and updates.

NHTSA manufacturer communications (public domain)