The 2025 Volvo EX30 is a completely new model from the Scandinavian luxury brand. It sits on a dedicated EV platform that is not shared with an internal combustion cousin. This is also the smallest EV that they’ve produced to date and is a preview of things to come.
Performance
Motor – The 2025 Volvo EX30, like many other EVs, is available as a single-motor, RWD or dual-motor AWD variant. This demo vehicle is the former which provides 268 hp & 253 lb-ft of torque (200 kW & 343 Nm). The EX30 is not a light crossover hatchback at 1,850 kg (4,078) but thanks to the instant response of the motor, it doesn’t feel slow at all. It can quickly and effortlessly accelerate from stops or merge onto a high speed highway.
Should you need an AWD system, the dual-motor variant produces 422 hp & 400 lb-ft of torque (315 kW & 542 Nm). Volvo says that it will accelerate from 0-100 km/h in 3.7 seconds making it the fastest production Volvo ever made. The EX30 does not have different drive modes to select and instead you just get in the car and go.
Range, Battery, & Charging – In the floor of the EX30 is a 69 kWh battery pack with a usable 64 kWh of energy. This enables the RWD version of the EX30 to drive for up to 420 km (261 Miles) according to Volvo. The AWD version has a range of up to 402 km (250 Miles). However, during my time with the EX30, I never saw the estimated driving range be any higher than approximately 340 km (211 Miles) with a full charge. Worse yet, by the time the battery had dropped to 80% charge, the estimated range quickly dropped to around 280 km (174 Miles). Granted, I drove the car with climate control running all the time, the ambient temperatures were around 7°C (45°F) and Vancouver is known for a lot of hills. But even so, other EVs that I’ve driven have estimated driving ranges that were at or above the rated driving ranges. I averaged an energy consumption of 20.2 kWh/100km (3.07 Miles/kWh) during my time with the car.
Recharging the battery from 10-80% at one of the fastest level 3 chargers will take around 28 minutes. The EX30 can charge at a maximum rate of 153 kW. From a common 7.4 kW level 2 charger, 0-100% takes around 9 hours.
Braking – The brakes of the 2025 Volvo EX30 don’t inspire much confidence compared to some other vehicles. The brake pedal is light with a spongy feel. The car will still slow down and stop but it doesn’t feel as well as the brake pedal in some other competitor EVs.
As for regenerative braking, the Volvo EX30 does not have any adjustable modes. It’s all controlled through the brake pedal. The EX30 does have a one-pedal mode but it’s tuned differently from other EVs. It doesn’t provide quite the same strength of regenerative braking. I found myself having to use the brake pedal quite often in this mode because it did not slow down the car enough. However, it did seem to be slightly stronger if the car detected another vehicle ahead of it. But at times, it still required me to press on the brake pedal for more braking force.
Handling – The Volvo EX30 doesn’t drive too dissimilar from other electric vehicles. The floor mounted battery pack gives it a planted feel through corners while the rear mounted motor can get the back end of the car to wiggle out of shape as it exits a corner. But this is not a driver’s EV. The steering is way too light and vague feeling. It can be adjusted on the infotainment screen but even in its firmest setting, it still feels like a video game steering wheel with minimal force feedback. This car was meant to stay on city streets rather than entertaining mountain roads.
Comfort
Ride Comfort – The ride of the 2025 Volvo EX30 is well balanced. For the most part, the suspension absorbs bumps without the car feeling overly bouncy. However, certain roads can make the car feel as though it has an overly firm ride quality.
Interior Space – The front seats have just enough space for taller individuals. At 6’4”, I had just the right amount of legroom and headroom but I did keep the driver’s seat at its lowest position. In the back seats, it’s a different story. Because of the small nature of this car, space is extremely tight for taller adults especially if someone as tall as me sits in the front. But legroom and headroom should be adequate for more average sized individuals sitting behind someone that is shorter than me.
In the trunk, the Volvo EX30 has 318 L (11.2 cu-ft) of cargo space behind the rear seats. With the seats folded, it has 904 L (31.9 cu-ft) of space. One thing to note, the front seats may need to be moved forward in order for the rear seats to be folded. There is some space under the floor and on the liftgate is an illustration of how deep, wide, and tall the cargo area is. Under the hood, there’s a small storage compartment.
Noise, Vibration, & Harshness – Like other EVs, the Volvo EX30 has a relatively quiet cabin. This demo vehicle had snow tires equipped which produced a little bit more noise on highways than normal all-season EV tires would. But even so, it wasn’t too loud. The only noise that was noticeable in the cabin of the EX30 was the sound of other vehicles passing by it on highways.
Odds and Ends
Pricing – The 2025 Volvo EX30 starts at $53,700 CAD. This Ultra trim of the RWD variant had an as-tested price of $59,100 CAD. The dual-motor option is only available on the Plus and Ultra trims and costs an additional $3,000 CAD on top of the cost of moving up in trim levels. In the United States, the single-motor version is not available. The dual-motor Plus starts at $44,900 USD and the dual-motor Ultra will cost you $46,600 USD.
Gadgets – The 2025 EX30 Ultra is a well equipped vehicle with textile upholstery, heated front seats and heated steering wheel, dual-zone automatic climate control, a Harmon/Kardon sound system, surround view cameras, a fixed panoramic roof, wireless phone charging pad, and the large 12.3” center display. One thing to note on the fixed glass roof, it is not dimmable and it does not have a shade. However, there is a shade available as an accessory.
The Ultra trim comes equipped with Pilot Assist. This is NOT a hands-free driving aid. You need to have at least one hand on the steering wheel and be paying attention to the road ahead. It incorporates the adaptive cruise control, lane centering and lane change assist. For the latter, you can press on the indicator stalk and the car will change lanes automatically if there’s enough space.
Interior Design – This is where the Volvo EX30 is a letdown in my opinion. Firstly, Volvo has used a lot of recycled and environmentally friendly materials throughout the cabin. For the most part, you’ll never touch the plastics but those on the lower portion of the dashboard and door panels look like packaging styrofoam.
Secondly, the interior looks remarkably similar to a Tesla rather than a Volvo. There’s no driver display, no head-up display, no physical buttons, just a giant tablet in the center of the dashboard.
Thirdly, the simple functionality of commonly used items has been copied from Tesla and incorporated into this EX30. The indicator stalk immediately returns to center after pressing it left or right, just like a Tesla. To enable Pilot Assist, it’s a press down on the right steering wheel stalk, just like a Tesla. To engage Reverse, Drive, or Park, it’s a press of the right steering wheel stalk, just like a Tesla. The speedometer is now on the top left portion of the touchscreen, just like a Tesla. Next to the speedometer is a layout of other vehicles that are detected by the EX30’s cameras, just like a Tesla. The exterior mirrors can only be adjusted when selecting that option in the infotainment and then using the buttons on the steering wheel to adjust them, just like a Tesla. If you want to change the volume or the climate, it’s done through the touchscreen, just like a Tesla. Granted, Volvo has had touchscreen integrated climate controls for a while now but there’s no more physical volume knob. Even the key fob has been changed and it does not have any buttons on it. It is detected by the car and the driver only has to engage Drive or Reverse to turn on the car. There’s also a credit card type “key fob” available for the EX30. The problem I see with this is that if someone else needs to grab something out of the car, you have to physically give them the key. You can no longer just point to the car and press “unlock”.
There are more annoying changes to the EX30. For example, the front windows have two dedicated switches on the center console. But in order to open the rear windows from the front, you first have to press the “rear” button and then use the same switches to open or close the rear windows, just like in a Volkswagen. Should you want to turn on the headlights in foggy conditions, it is multiple clicks on the infotainment screen and then you have to “confirm” the selection by pressing the Ok button on the steering wheel. Yes, the EX30’s headlights are automatically turned on or off depending on the ambient light but they may not turn on in foggy conditions. And finally, the speaker that spans the dashboard does free up space on the door panels by not requiring speakers on them but the Harmon/Kardon badge reflects in daylight, even cloudy days, onto the windshield right in the line of sight.
As you can tell, I am not a fan of this interior. It feels anything but a Volvo interior. It’s as though Volvo looked at other vehicles, mainly Tesla, and copied their worst designs and functionality.
Exterior Design – The exterior styling of the 2025 Volvo EX30 is the complete opposite of the interior design. I think it looks stunning! It has an evolution of the Thor’s Hammer LED daytime running lights along with updated taillights that still follow the contours of the rear pillar and fenders. The optional 20” wheels look great on this car and the frameless exterior mirrors look sharp. This is a head turning design.
Safety – Apart from the Pilot Assist, Park Assist, and Lane change assist, the 2025 Volvo EX30 is equipped with all available safety & driver aids. I did not experience any false readings with the forward collision alert or the lane departure warning, or the blind zone sensors. They all worked as they were designed.
Warranty – The 2025 Volvo EX30 is covered by a 4 year / 80,000 km new vehicle warranty and the battery is covered by an 8 year / 160,000 km warranty.
Conclusion – In the end, this 2025 Volvo EX30 is a mixed bag. On one hand, it’s a quick and quiet EV that looks amazing with a decent amount of range for city driving. On the other hand, the interior is nothing like a Volvo. It’s like they copied Tesla’s homework and forgot to make it their own. It feels cold and dreary, not at all like the interiors of other Volvo cars like the XC90 or even the XC40. If I were in the market for something like this, I’d be happy to spend the extra money and get the EX40. A car that still feels like a Volvo.
Thank you to Volvo Canada for providing the vehicle. www.VolvoCars.com
2025 Volvo EX30 Gallery
