Volvo, like many other car brands, focuses on SUVs of various sizes, and the new EX30 is the smallest SUV it has ever built.
The car also stands out by being the first Volvo in a long time that is not built on the brand’s own SPA platform. Instead, it is based on the owner group Geely’s electric car platform SEA, which was introduced in 2021 with the Chinese electric car Zeekr 001.
According to Volvo, a lot of focus during the development of the EX30 has been on sustainable materials and production processes.
One of three sister cars
The Volvo EX30 is most closely related to the group siblings Zeekr 001 and Smart #1, and somewhat unexpectedly, the three models have been launched around the same time.
In terms of price, the entry-level model of the EX30 with the smallest battery is just above the corresponding Smart #1. The Zeekr X is only available with a larger battery option, and is around SEK 60,000 more expensive than the Volvo in comparable specification.
The Zeekr X is also around 20 centimeters longer than the Volvo EX30, which provides better interior space.
Looks like a Volvo
Anyone familiar with Volvo’s design language from recent years quickly sees to which family the EX30 belongs, and in my eyes it is one of the most appealing wagons the brand makes today.
I also think it beats its two Geely siblings in terms of looks.
The EX30 is instantly recognizable as a Volvo
The design is clean and stylish with short overhangs, a low roofline and a wide track.
The front completely lacks a radiator grille, as it is simply not needed on an electric car, but still does not look empty thanks to a large Volvo logo.
Comfortable but circumstantial
The clean, Scandinavian-influenced design language repeats itself inside the car, where it is also said to have taken inspiration from Sweden for the materials.
For example, you can choose decorative panels made of linen, and the hard plastic on the lower half of the dashboard and the doors has a structure taken from a stone in Mariestad.
Volvo claims to have taken inspiration from Sweden for its new car. Photo: Volvo
Volvo had no answer to what made the specific Mariestad stone special, but the point is that the plastic must be easy to recycle and therefore lacks a surface coating.
They therefore chose to give the plastic more structure in order to still look attractive, but unfortunately the result is not entirely different from black styrofoam at first glance.
Despite the fact that some simpler materials have been used in the interior, it still feels like the build quality is of a good standard.
A slightly stripped-down layout
What’s worse is that the laid-back attitude also extends to the driver’s environment.
The most obvious is that there are no gauges in front of the driver. Instead, the speedometer and other critical information have been moved to the large MMI screen in the middle – just like on the Tesla Model 3.
The screen uses a Google-based MMI system, and controls most of the car from including ventilation and driver assistance systems. So there are hardly any real buttons in the cabin, and even the controls on the steering wheel are of the touch type.
The layout is not the most easily navigated, and can be very distracting to use when driving.
Countless ergonomic oddities
The interior in general is also full of ergonomic oddities, and the feeling is that they have gone a little hard with the cost savings and stripped the interior too much.
The most annoying thing is that, in the same way as in the Volkswagen ID.4, you only have two buttons for the four side windows. Whether the two buttons should control the front windows or the rear windows is controlled with a small touch button that sits half hidden from the driver’s seat.
The interior is very stripped down. Photo: Volvo
The seating position is not optimal either. You sit quite low behind the steering wheel, and if you are a little taller you therefore sit with almost completely straight legs with poor thigh support from the short cushion.
This is surprising given the reputation that Volvo has built around its comfortable seats.
Rear seat legroom is also limited and largely eliminated if the driver is tall, while the boot is of a fully usable size.
A pleasant companion through the curves
When you go out on the road, however, you become friends with the EX30 again, and this is mainly because the chassis is a sensible compromise between comfort and sportiness.
The EX30 is of course not a pure sports car, nor does it need to be, but it is really fun to throw through the potholes with nimble, nicely weighted steering and a nimble chassis.
At the same time, the suspension comfort is good and the car feels stable and controlled at higher speeds and under harder gas pressure, which is a point where the relative Zeekr X has received criticism.
The EX30 is a pleasant companion on winding roads. Photo: VolvoThree powertrains on the menu
On the driveline front, there are two rear-wheel drive variants with different sized battery packs available, as well as a four-wheel drive top model.
The range for the rear-wheel-drive models is 344 and 475 kilometers, respectively, while the four-wheel-drive version reaches 450 kilometers.
The four-wheel drive version of the car is frankly unnecessarily fast, completing the 0-100 sprint in just 3.6 seconds. The rear-wheel drive variants are far from dull, and are fine for everyday use.
If you do not need four-wheel drive, the combination of rear-wheel drive and a large battery therefore seems to be the most sensible choice.
The Volvo EX30 convinces on many points. Photo: VolvoSummary
The new Volvo EX30 is a wagon that convinces in many ways – not least through its design language and its road characteristics.
However, the driving position is a compromise, which both makes it difficult for tall people to find a good driving position and steals a lot of space from the back seat.
I am also disappointed at how much has been stripped from the interior in search of cost savings.
However, the lack of buttons and instrument panel is hardly worse than in the bestseller Tesla Model 3, and with a basic price of just over SEK 400,000, the little Volvo is definitely an interesting alternative.
Rating of Volvo EX30: 3/5
Volvo EX30 Single Engine (2024)
Engine: Rear electric motor, 272 horsepower, 343 newton meters.
Transmission: Single-speed automatic transmission, rear-wheel drive.
Acceleration: 0-100 km/h in 5.7 seconds.
Top speed: 180 km/h.
Electrical range: 344 km.
Weight: 1765 kg.
Measure: (length/width/height): 4233/1837/1549 mm.
Award: from SEK 429,000
Volvo EX30 Twin Engine Performance (2024)
Engine: Two electric motors, 428 horsepower, 543 newton meters.
Transmission: One-speed automatic transmission, four-wheel drive.
Acceleration: 0-100 km/h in 3.6 seconds.
Top speed: 180 km/h.
Electrical range: 450 km.
Weight: 1885 kg.
Measure: (length/width/height): 4233/1837/1549 mm.
Award: from SEK 559,000