The Volvo EX30 has been unveiled as a compact SUV featuring a new minimalist design, 298-mile range and nods to sustainability throughout.
Primed for a 2024 launch, the Jeep Avenger rival is the brand’s smallest ever SUV and has been designed to have the smallest lifestyle CO2 footprint of any Volvo to date.
Volvo’s electric car heritage
The Swedish brand launched the XC40 Recharge as its first electric car in 2020, with the C40 coupe-SUV following a year later. Both have been given recent updates, with the C40 now offered with a rear-wheel-drive layout, making it the first rear-driven Volvo in 25 years.
Last year Volvo unveiled the EX90 SUV, a new electric flagship built to rival the BMW iX and Tesla Model X. The EX30 becomes the brand’s fourth electric model and will sit below the XC40 and C40 in the product range.
The EX30 design
Volvo’s newest EV will arrive as the smallest SUV in its range. The exterior design draws heavily from the flagship EX90 SUV, with the EX30 featuring a ‘closed shield’ front end and LED headlights inspired by – wait for it – Thor’s Hammer. Five colour options will be available from launch.
A look at the EX30 model line-up - and there’s plenty to choose from
Three variants will form the EX30 line-up: the rear-wheel-drive Single Motor and Single Motor Extended Range and the four-wheel-drive Twin Motor Performance. The entry-level Single Motor gets a 51kWh battery, while the Extended Range and Twin Motor models get a larger 69kWh unit.
So how far can the EX30 go?
The range-topping Twin Motor Performance can travel up to 285 miles between charges, while the Single Motor Extended Range can go further, offering up to 298 miles of range. Both accept 175kW DC charging meaning you won’t have to wait long to replenish the battery; expect a 10-80% charge to take around 30 minutes.
The entry-level Single Motor version offers the shortest range with 214 miles. It can be charged at up to 150kW, but due to its smaller battery takes just 26 minutes to charge from 10-80%.
The EX30’s sustainable edge
Volvo says its new model contains 25% aluminium, 17% recycled steels and 17% recycled plastics, with the majority of these renewable materials used inside the EX30.
The Swedish brand also claims that the new EV has been designed to have the smallest lifecycle CO2 footprint of any Volvo to date, with a total carbon footprint of below 30 tonnes per 200,000km of driving.
Does the interior feature some sleek Scandinavian style?
The EX30 will be the first car to feature Volvo’s new minimalist interior, with the electric crossover ditching a traditional drivers display and instead gets a large 12.3in central touchscreen.
It’s also the first car in Volvo’s line-up to get a new premium speaker design which has been integrated beneath the windscreen. The firm opted to remove speakers from the door in order to increase the size of the storage compartments.
Volvo’s interior design ‘rooms’
From launch, four distinct specifications or ‘rooms’ will be available: Breeze, Indigo, Mist and Pine. Each features a different combination of recycled and renewable materials, further emphasising the EC30’s focus on sustainability.
Are there any other interior highlights?
The EX30 comes with Google built-in, including Google Assistant and Google Maps. Volvo says its new EV will also be able to receive over-the-air updates.
In typical Volvo fashion, the car features a host of safety orientated features, including a new system to help prevent the driver and passengers opening their door into the path of a cyclist.
How much will the Volvo EX30 cost?
Production for the new Volvo EV is due to start towards the end of 2023, with first customer deliveries early in 2024. A cross country version is also said to be in the pipeline.
The EX30 will be sold in the US and will is likely to start from £34,950
