Volvo EX30 or XC40: €10,000 difference is noticeable

Volvo undoubtedly has great expectations of the brand new and fully electric EX30. That’s not surprising. With the EX30, the Swedes hope to translate the success of the electric XC40 – and to a lesser extent that of the C40 – into a smaller segment. In any case, the signs are good, Volvo has managed to give the EX30 a very interesting price. In basic trim, it is a good €9,000 cheaper than the entry-level XC40. What are the differences between the EX30 and the XC40?

Volvo EX30 significantly smaller

Like the Volvo XC40, the EX30 is a crossover or SUV-like, but one that operates in a different segment. You may not immediately see it based on the photos, but the EX30 is a good size smaller than the XC40. Where it extends over a distance of 4.43 metres, the EX30 with its car length of 4.23 meters is 20 centimeters shorter. Fortunately for the newcomer, its wheelbase is not the same number of centimeters shorter. The EX30 has 2.65 meters between its front and rear axles, just 5 centimeters less than the XC40.

Volvo EX30: 4.23 meters long.

That relatively large wheelbase gives the EX30 a nice luggage space, but in this area the electric crossover loses out to the larger XC40. The EX30 swallows 318 liters in the back, 101 liters less than the XC40. If you throw the back seat flat, the EX30 eats up to 622 liters of stuff, the XC40 even 860 liters. This is where you notice the difference in dimensions the most, not just in length. The Volvo EX30 is – without side mirrors – about 4 centimeters narrower than the XC40. It is therefore not surprising that the shoulder room in the front of the EX30 is 4 centimeters less. In the back, that difference is more than 8 centimeters. Although, remarkably enough, you have 2 centimeters more legroom in the EX30, the passengers in the back seat of Volvo’s Benjamin have to make a larger concession. There you have almost 10 centimeters less legroom than the XC40.

The Volvo XC40 is 20 centimeters longer than the EX30.

Design

With its year of birth 2023, the Volvo EX30 is considerably younger than the XC40. After all, it has been running since the end of 2017. Although Volvo has attempted to keep the XC40 fresh on a design level by to give it a renewed front in 2022, its design language of the XC40 is much older. Just like big brother EX90, the EX30 is drawn according to Volvo’s completely new design language, which in any case gives the model a completely different look than the XC40. There’s no arguing with taste, so we’ll leave the value judgments about the look of the pair to you.

Volvo EX30: drawn according to Volvo’s latest design language.

You can also see in the interior that the XC40 is about five years older than the EX30. Like the EX90 – and many other cars unveiled over the past few years – the EX30 has a fairly minimalist dashboard with little more than a large infotainment screen inside. Just like in the XC40, that display is vertically oriented and in both models you will find two vertical outlets for the ventilation system on either side. You won’t find much else in the EX30. Unlike the XC40, there is no extensive instrumentation behind the steering wheel and you can also – if we forget the steering wheel – search for physical buttons in the EX30 until you weigh an ounce. You can even operate the climate control via the infotainment system. The fact that no button island is required for this, the EX30 provides, among other things, a large dashboard compartment that you will find one floor below the infotainment screen. The workplace of the XC40 looks more traditional and is also more conventionally laid out. Depending on your preference, this is an advantage or a disadvantage.

The XC40 comes from a different design era.

Technology and platform

On a technical level, the EX30 and XC40 are also quite different from each other. Where the XC40 shares its CMA base with the Polestar 2 and Lynk & C0 01, the EX30 is on the Sustainable Experience Architecture (SEA) platform that serves under the Smarts #1 and #3, and the Zeekr X. The latter is also coming to the Netherlands. Like the XC40, the EX30 has 400v board voltage and is basically a rear-wheel drive. What else do the two have in common? They are both available as Single Motor, Single Motor Extended Range and as Twin Motor (Performance). The powertrains and battery packs differ like day and night.

A minimalist dashboard in the EX30.

Loafers

Unlike the Single Motor and Extended Range versions, the Volvo EX30 Single Motor has an LFP battery. LFP batteries generally have a lower energy density than lithium batteries with a more conventional composition. The cheapest Volvo EX30 has a 51 kWh battery of which you can actually use 49 kWh. The entry-level XC40 – which is also called Single Motor – has a 69-kWh battery with a usable capacity of 66 kWh. That is a difference of 17 kWh. The difference in range between the two basic models is therefore considerable. The Volvo EX30 Single Motor can travel up to 344 kilometers on a full battery, the XC40 Single Motor has a range of no less than 467 kilometers. More than 120 kilometers difference, therefore, in favor of the basic XC40. Fast charging is possible with the EX30 Single Motor with a maximum of 134 kW. The XC40 Single Motor notes a DC charging capacity of 135 kW, which is a negligible difference.

A more conventional workplace in the XC40.

The EX30 Single Motor does surpass the XC40 in terms of motor technology. The EX30 Single Motor has a 272 hp and 343 Nm strong electric motor on the rear axle. The copy that drives the rear wheels in the XC40 Single Motor delivers 238 hp and 420 Nm. So it’s not surprising that the EX30 Single Motor is a bit faster than the entry-level XC40. The EX30 sprints to 100 km/h in 5.7 seconds, the XC40 Single Motor needs 7.3 seconds for the same job.

On the scales, the EX30 naturally beats the XC40. The EX30 Single Motor weighs 1,733 kilos, the XC40 weighs more than 200 kilos more as a Single Motor (1,940 kilos). The maximum towing weight of the XC40 Single Motor is 1,500 kilos, that of the EX30 Single Motor is 1,000 kilos. The price difference between the two is more than €9,000.

More electropit

The Single Motor Extended Range variants provide more electrical power and a greater range. The EX30 Single Motor Extended Range has a 69-kWh battery (64 kWh net), so no LFP battery this time. The copy in the XC40 Extended Range measures 82 kWh (79 kWh net) and is therefore significantly larger. The EX30 Single Motor Extended Range can travel up to 480 kilometers on a full charge, the XC40 Single Motor Extended Range has a generous battery radius of 572 kilometers. Fast charging is possible with the EX30 Single Motor Extended Range with 153 kW, with the XC40 Extended Range up to no less than 205 kW. A significant difference again.

The XC40 also comes a good 100 kilometers further than its new little brother with the middle powertrain. The EX30 Single Motor Extended Range has the same 272 hp electric motor as the Single Motor. The XC40 Single Motor Extended Range has a more powerful electric heart (252 hp, 420 Nm) than the regular Single Motor, but remains less potent than the EX30 of the same name. The EX30 Single Motor Extended Range buzzes to 100 km/h in 5.3 seconds, the XC40 Single Motor Extended Range is two seconds slower on the 0-100 sprint. The price difference between the two models is €10,000. However, the starting price of the XC40 concerns the Essential version, a basic version that does not (yet) exist with the EX30.

Twin Engine

Both the EX30 and the XC40 are available as a four-wheel drive Twin Motor. In the EX30 Twin Motor Performance you not only get a 272 hp electric motor on the rear axle, but also one on the front axle that delivers 156 hp. The system power: 428 hp and 543 Nm. The XC40 Twin Motor has a 258 hp unit at the rear and a 150 hp unit on the front axle, good for a system power of 408 hp and 670 Nm. On the 0-100 sprint, the EX30 Twin Motor is of course faster. It sprints from standstill to 100 km/h in just 3.6 seconds. The XC40 Twin Motor needs 4.8 seconds to do this. The higher vehicle weight of the XC40 plays a role here, among other things.

The EX30 Twin Motor has the same battery pack as the Single Motor Extended Range and can therefore travel a maximum of 460 kilometers. According to Volvo, the XC40 Twin Motor has a range of 535 kilometers. The price difference between the EX30 Twin Motor (Performance) and XC40 Twin Motor is also €10,000.

Equipment and performances

The delivery range of the Volvo XC40 starts with the Essential version, which is one step below the Core. The EX30 does not yet have such a version, the range starts with the EX30 with the Core that the XC40 also knows. Depending on the chosen power source, the EX30 is further available as Plus and Ultra. The XC40 in turn is available as Plus and Ultimate.

The Volvo EX30 Core stands on 18-inch alloy wheels, has adaptive cruise control, rear parking sensors, a reversing camera and single-zone climate control and, among other things, has a 12.3-inch infotainment screen running Google software as standard. In the entry-level XC40 you do get a smaller (9-inch) infotainment screen, but you do get separate climate control over two zones. Both cars are packed with passive and active safety systems and full LED lighting all around is standard on both base versions.

Preliminary conclusion

The EX30 is about 9 to 10 grand cheaper than the electric XC40 across the board. The XC40 is clearly a bit bigger and is therefore also positioned higher. In any case, it offers more interior space. We will have to find out later about the finish and driving performance of the EX30. The EX30 is drawn according to a younger design language and in general the EX30 offers more power than the XC40. The EX30 is significantly faster on the 0-100 sprints. On the other hand, the XC40 can not only charge faster. Each XC40 powerplant offers a significantly wider range than the EX30. Both basic versions are fine in their stuff, but there are differences. For example, the EX30 gets slightly more modern hardware and software on board and has a larger infotainment screen, although the XC40 already offers standard trim. creature comforts, such as climate control split over two zones.