Volvo EX30: smallest electric Volvo cheaper than Opel Corsa Electric

Highlight Volvo EX30

• Smaller and cheaper alternative to XC40 Recharge
• Up to 480 kilometers driving range
• In 3.6 counts to 100 km / h
• From €36,795
• Early 2024 in the Netherlands

Currently, almost one in three new cars registered by Volvo in Europe is a fully electric one. It is doing pretty good business with the electric Volvo XC40 Recharge and that naturally tastes higher management for more. Volvo hopes to translate the success of the XC40 into a smaller segment. This is the EX30, a fully electric and relatively compact crossover that you can see a lot on the road from next year in the Netherlands.

But wait a minute, we hear you think. ‘The XC40 isn’t that big, is it?’. True, but that 4.43-meter long SUV operates in the heart of the higher C-segment, a class in which you also encounter the electric BMW iX1 and the somewhat larger Audi Q4 e-tron. With this Volvo EX30, the Swedes are opening the attack on the DS 3 E-Tense and the Mini Aceman, which is scheduled for 2025. The EX30 is less than €1,000 more expensive than the MG ZS EV and offers not only more power in basic form, but above all a larger range. To make it even more intense: an electric Opel Corsa Electric is available from €36,999 …

While the Volvo EX30 will undoubtedly steal customers away from the XC40, it is considerably smaller. Don’t be surprised if Volvo also manages to attract potential ID3 buyers.

Volvo EX30: one size smaller than the XC40.

Dimensions Volvo EX30

Like the XC40 and the Polestar 2, the Volvo EX30 is not on the CMA platform, but on the SEA base developed by Volvo’s Chinese parent company. That modular piece of hardware makes the EX30 a technical brother of the Smart #1, #3 and the Zeekr X. The Volvo EX30 is 4.23 meters long, which means that it is about 20 centimeters shorter than the XC40. It is also a few centimeters shorter than Smart’s #1. The wheelbase of the Volvo EX30 is also smaller (-10 centimetres) than that of its Smart cousin. Volvo’s new smallest electric car has 2.65 meters between its front and rear axle, 5 centimeters less than big brother XC40.

The difference in size between the XC40 and EX30 is probably only really noticeable when you park them next to each other. The EX30 is about ten centimeters lower and also a few centimeters narrower. The luggage space in the back is – without spare wheel – 318 liters. You can store about 100 liters more in the electric XC40. The EX30 does have a small luggage compartment under the front cover. In that so-called frank you can lose 7 liters. Ideal for concealing your charging cable. If you throw the back seat flat, you can carry up to 622 liters in the EX30.

The EX30 also displays EX90 DNA at the rear.

Up to 480 kilometers electrically

The fact that the basically rear-wheel drive Volvo EX30 is technically related to the Smart #1 also means that the electric crossover will have familiar powertrains. Yet not everything is the same. The range starts with the Volvo EX30 Single Motor. It has a 272 hp and 343 Nm strong electric motor on the rear axle. You certainly don’t shy away from speed. The base model sprints from standstill to 100 km/h in 5.7 seconds and – like all other Volvos – has a top speed that is limited to 180 km/h. In the bottom of the EX30 Single Motor is a battery pack with a 51-kWh battery with a net capacity of 49 kWh. This is an LFP battery that provides a range of up to 344 kilometers. Fast charging is possible up to 134 kW. The EX30 Single Motor weighs 1,733 kilos and can pull a maximum of 1,000 kilos.

Do you think the range of 344 kilometers of the EX30 Single Motor is too limited? Don’t worry, Volvo also offers the Single Motor as a Single Motor Extended Range. It has the same 272-hp electric motor on the rear axle, but gets a significantly larger battery pack. This medium variant has a 69 kWh NMC (lithium manganese cobalt oxide) battery with a usable capacity of 64 kWh. The Volvo EX30 Single Motor Extended Range can travel up to 480 kilometers on a full battery and therefore has the largest range. With a 0-100 time of 5.3 seconds, this variant is also slightly faster than the regular Single Motor. The NMC battery can be charged with 153 kW and can therefore charge faster than the EX30 with LFP battery. The Single Motor Extended Range can tow a maximum of 1,400 kilos.

The top model in the range is the Volvo EX30 Twin Motor Performance. Just like the Smart #1 Brabus, it has an output of 428 hp and 543 Nm thanks to two electric motors. In addition to the 272 hp electric motor at the rear, this four-wheel drive variant has a 115 hp one on the front axle. The EX30 Twin Motor Performance buzzes to 100 km/h in just 3.6 seconds. The battery pack is the same as that of the Single Motor Long Range (69 kWh). The range is 460 kilometers. The extra electric motor makes the EX30 Twin Motor Performance the heaviest variant of the crossover. It weighs 1,843 kilograms, 113 kilograms more than the Single Motor Long Range. The Twin Motor Performance can tow a maximum of 1,600 kilos.

Volvo EX30.

Little EX90 without instruments

From the outside, the family ties to Volvo’s largest electric SUV – the EX90 – are evident. Just like the EX90, the EX30 has a mainly closed front and T-shaped headlights with a light signature made up of large ‘pixels’. Unlike the EX90, we do not find vertical LED daytime running elements under the headlights. However, a black decorative element runs down optically from the viewers. Volvo’s electric benjamin has a fairly steep shoulder line and a robust-looking, upright C-pillar. Handles recessed into the doors pass the EX30 by.

Also when viewed from behind, the EX30 is clearly a relative of the EX90. We see segmented LED elements on both sides of the rear window and lower on the butt are taillights with a C-shaped signature. However, those hook-shaped parts are also segmented, in contrast to the EX90. They are connected not only by a black strip at the top, but also by a black decorative element at the bottom. ‘Volvo’ can be read centrally on the EX30 bips. On both sides of the rear window we see – just like with the EX90 – lighting elements. He does not get recessed handles in the doors. The model name is written in a decorative strip in the C-pillar.

A central storage bin in the EX30.

Interior and gadgets Volvo EX30

You guessed it: for the design of the interior, Volvo also looked at the EX90 with a slanted eye. We see a relatively minimalist interior in which you have to look carefully for physical push or rotary keys. Almost all functions are housed in the vertically oriented screen in the center console. It has a diagonal of 12.3 inches. On both sides you will find vertical outlets for the ventilation system. The EX90 has vents across the entire width of the dashboard. A traditional set of instruments is missing, important information can be found at the top of the central display.

If you look closely, you will see no speakers in the door panels. They are concealed in the dashboard itself. There is a large glove compartment in the center of the underside of the dashboard, and there is also a storage bin between the driver’s seat and that of the co-driver.

Volvo optionally equips the EX30 with a new version of Pilot Assist. This means that he can, among other things, change lanes independently by using only the direction indicator. Park Pilot Assist has also been updated. The system can now park the car independently and can find free parking spaces itself.

The Swedes previously reported that the EX30 is the Volvo with the highest percentage of recycled materials. For example, 25 percent of the aluminum used is recycled and that percentage for the amount of steel and plastic used is both 17 percent.

The EX30 is less than €1,000 more expensive than the MG ZS EV …

Prices and versions Volvo EX30: cheaper than MG ZS EV

The Volvo EX30 has a starting price of €36,795 in the Netherlands. This makes it €9,200 cheaper than the electric XC40, which with 238 hp is less powerful than the entry-level EX30 (272 hp). The starting price of just under 37 grand applies to the EX30 Single Motor in Core version. The electric MG ZS is for sale in the Netherlands from €35,885 and is less than €1,000 cheaper. The entry-level ZS also comes less far on a full battery: 320 kilometers. The XC40 Single Motor is also available in Plus version and costs €39,795. With its starting price of €41,395, the Smart #1 is also more expensive than the EX30.

For the Volvo EX30 Single Motor Extended Range you tap at least €41,495 in the Netherlands. That amount is also for the Core. It is also available as Plus and Ultra and costs €44,935 and €47,995 in those flavors respectively. The top model in the series, the EX30 Twin Motor Performance, is available from trim level Plus and costs a minimum of €49,995. As an Ultra, it is available from €52,995.

This year you are still eligible for a SEPP purchase subsidy with the Core and Plus versions of the Volvo EX30 Single Motor and Single Motor Extended Range. Their fiscal starting prices are below €45,000.

The Volvo EX30 as a roughened up Cross Country.

It does not stop at the Core, Plus and Ultra. In 2024, a more adventurous EX30 Cross Country will be launched.

Later this year, Volvo will start the production line of the EX30 in China. The first copies will arrive in the Netherlands in early 2024. You can order immediately.

Price list Volvo EX30