Small but mighty — Volvo’s new electric SUV
Volvo’s domination of the SUV market continues with the EX30, which has the brand’s smallest CO2 footprint to date
Not too long ago, Volvo’s image was all about brown estate cars driven by fleece-clad geography teachers, yet now the brand is as cool as a Scandi noir box set, and stealing envious looks from owners of Land Rovers. It recently decided to stop selling anything but SUVs in the UK, but you could be forgiven for thinking that decision was made years ago due to the ubiquity of Volvo SUVs. I recently tested an XC90, Volvo’s biggest SUV, and parked it alongside four other XC90s on my street. That has never happened to me before.
As well as maintaining its legendary focus on safety, Volvo has been quietly going about the business of electrifying its model range. Its electric version of the popular XC40 was a commercial and critical success, and now it has released its smallest SUV … and offered it in electric power only. The EX30 may have a lower entry price point into the brand, but Volvo is keen to stress that its size has not shrunk any of the high-end feel of its other models.
Sustainability is also a vital pillar alongside electric and safe mobility and, appropriately, the EX30 has the smallest CO2 footprint of any Volvo to date. It achieves this by using 25 per cent recycled aluminium, 17 per cent recycled steel, 17 per cent recycled plastic and some clever materials. Manufacturers love a new marketing hook, and your design decision is now no longer a choice of interior for the EX30 but rather a choice of “rooms”. One of these “rooms” uses a waste product of denim jeans in the dashboard. That’s the Indigo room. I sampled the Breeze room, with knitted textile seat backs in 100 per cent recycled polyester. The seat cushions and lower backrests are made from pine oil sourced from Finland and Sweden in a material known as Nordico. Also, the dashboard is made from ground plastic waste from discarded PVC window frames and roller shutters to complete the recycled theme. It creates a particle effect that is said to echo the stars in the Scandinavian winter sky. Mist and pine-themed “rooms” are also available.
Volvo dispensed with door speakers in the EX30, instead using a dashboard-mounted soundbar to free up storage space. The soundbar can be upgraded to an excellent Harman Kardon surround system. There are also a few whimsical flourishes, such as moose graphics on a handy removable bin in the rear compartment and a “will it fit” guide etched into the rear tailgate showing what piece of flat-pack furniture will fit in the back, maybe from that other well-known Swedish brand.
The design is clean and fresh. It is undoubtedly a Volvo, with the “Thor’s Hammer” signature headlights in a robust front-end design. This has worked well for Volvo on other models and the EX30 takes this further, achieving a powerful form for a compact car on the exterior and a clean minimalism on the interior. It’s all very good-looking and all very Scandinavian.
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Fiat recently announced it will no longer make grey cars as it wants to embrace colour. On the other hand, Volvo has a palette of sombre hues for the EX30, including Vapour Grey, Cloud Blue and Onyx Black.
Three powertrains are available: single motor, extended range and twin motor performance. The latter will get this unassuming little urban runaround from 0-62 mph in a supercar-esque 3.6 secs, which also claims the title of fastest-accelerating Volvo car ever. The twin motor performance has a powerful four-wheel drive feel, but unless you want to embarrass boy racers at the traffic lights the single motor is the pick of the bunch with all the power you need and a decent range of 296 miles on a full charge. In conjunction with Shell Recharge, Volvo will also offer a home charging point, with costs starting at £1,125.
Almost everything is controlled from the 12.3-inch central screen, including things you wouldn’t expect, such as adjusting the rear-view mirrors and opening the glovebox. It may irritate anyone without an innate predisposition to touch screens, but this seems to be the direction of travel for many new cars, especially electric ones. Some helpful options are available via the screen menus, such as increasing the steering weight — the “firm” setting gives this car a sporty feel through the squared, three-spoke steering wheel. Overall, it drives well; its boxy shape with short overhangs makes it easy to place on the road, which will be attractive to many would-be owners, especially in cities, which is where this car really comes into its own.
You won’t want to crash your shiny new EX30, but Volvo tries its best to help with class-leading safety features, including collision avoidance, blind-spot monitoring, intersection autobrake and some new tech that prevents drivers and passengers from opening their door into the path of an approaching cyclist. Yet if you do have a bump, rest assured you will be protected by Volvos airbags, safety belt pre-tensioners, and an SOS system that will contact the emergency services automatically.
Volvo hopes this latest diminutive addition to the family will be held in as high esteem as its bigger siblings, and steal further market share for the Swedish maker.
Deliveries begin in early 2024, and prices start at £33,795. volvocars.com
