- 3 hours ago
Can a compact Volvo EV deliver premium appeal without a premium-sized footprint? The Volvo EX30 is a small electric crossover with clever cabin packaging, engaging handling and a minimalist, Tesla-inspired interface—but its screen-led controls, driver-assistance quirks and tested price raise important questions.
This English-language Volvo EX30 test drive and review explores the rear-seat space, boot and frunk, charging, real-world driving experience and available powertrains, including the single-motor extended-range model. Built on Geely’s SEA2 platform, the EX30 is compared with compact electric cars such as the Renault Megane E-Tech and VW ID.3. A practical electric car review for anyone researching Volvo EVs, compact electric SUVs, range, charging speed, interior technology and value for money.
This English-language Volvo EX30 test drive and review explores the rear-seat space, boot and frunk, charging, real-world driving experience and available powertrains, including the single-motor extended-range model. Built on Geely’s SEA2 platform, the EX30 is compared with compact electric cars such as the Renault Megane E-Tech and VW ID.3. A practical electric car review for anyone researching Volvo EVs, compact electric SUVs, range, charging speed, interior technology and value for money.
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00:00this is the volvo ex30 a compact ev which if it were cheaper could compete with the possible maybe
00:05i don't know upcoming tesla model 2. but since tesla announcements have to be taken with a bag
00:10of salt it may turn out the ex30 in the hand is better than tesla model 2 in the bush
00:16and
00:17if you're wondering about all the tesla references keep on watching all will be revealed
00:56so
01:14volvo ex30 is made on julie's c2 platform yes that's the chinese giant that owns volvo
01:21c stands for sustainable experience architecture volvo boasts that during its life cycle the
01:27ex30 emits the least in volvo's ev range not that volvo's an ev giant but low emissions always make
01:35for a good press release that only people like me will read ex30 is one of four models currently made
01:41on the c2 platform there's the smart hashtag one and hashtag three as well as ziker x since all are
01:49made in china volvo's scrambling to retool its gant factory in belgium to start making the ex30 in europe
01:55this may or may not have something to do with the us introducing 100 percent tariffs on cars produced
02:01in china and with europe planning similar restrictions at 423 centimeters in length the volvo ex30 is 19
02:10centimeters shorter than the popular xc40 crossover the ex30 is about the size of the renault megan e-tech
02:17or vw id3 and for my us viewers we're talking smaller than the new toyota chr
02:25but regardless of the external dimensions volvo has some clever packaging which means better use
02:30of interior space than any of its competitors i have reviewed of course some things could have been done better
02:38for example the frunk tesla toras it's a nice to have feature however volvo's frunk has an awkward shape
02:44making it hard to fit even a charging cable now i managed to squeeze it in but if it was
02:50raining i
02:51just want to chuck the cable inside and run into the car i'd rather have deeper storage than those
02:58mousse pictograms on the inside of the lid which does feel a bit flimsy but i guess it's for safety
03:04it's part of the crumple zone right before we move to the boot let's talk about tesla like access
03:10volvo gives you an access card or a fob with no buttons on it the fob has a proximity sensor
03:17and
03:17the card goes here against the b pillar sensor there is no physical key though and no virtual mobile key
03:24the volvo app is mainly for monitoring charging it's also not very stable so maybe it's better that
03:29volvo doesn't rely on it heavily for everyday access now i'm not a fan of
03:34hands-free or proximity access so i turned it off completely the other way to access the car is
03:39by pulling on the driver's handle where the only sensor is located all around the car you can also
03:50tap it to lock and it kind of works okay with the key on me i can also open the
03:57boot pressing the
03:59button here in the middle of the lid now i could tell you what the boot dimensions are or i
04:06can
04:07simply show you this everyone should copy volvo's idea a simple cheat sheet with dimensions in various
04:13configurations brilliantly simple according to my measurements volvo's values are slightly under
04:20reported so you can be sure everything fits even my golf bag fits across barely but still
04:28the boot capacity is 319 liters including the under floor storage just behind the sill is some deeper
04:35storage which will also hold charging cables a repair kit and so on there is a double floor with the
04:42rear
04:42seats folded and the floor in the upper position we get a flat loading area total volume with the seats
04:47folded and the under floor storage is 904 liters there are two shopping bag hooks and a 12 volt outlet
04:55the
04:55parcel shelf fits under the floor but there is no way to secure the floor in its open position
05:00it's a shame that volvo didn't copy something like the fold in half floor in the xc40
05:08doors cover the seals but only partially there's a plastic element sticking out like in a dacia now
05:13while the doors do open quite wide the aperture is rather narrow and adults may have to do some
05:20limbo dancing to access the rear seats i guess it's part of the side impact protection design
05:28rear passengers have good leg room and headroom well at least i do i'm 175 centimeters tall and
05:35the driver's seat is set to my driving position the floor is flat and that's a plus but the door
05:40pockets are very narrow and i can't fit my water bottle in them i love the elegant simple door handles
05:46though there are no ac vents in the rear but the ac in the front seems very effective and the
05:52cool air
05:53quickly reaches the back i have mixed feelings about the panoramic roof though on the one hand it makes
05:59the interior feel much more airy but on the other hand with the global warming and stuff i don't know
06:05if a panoramic roof without a shade or at least photochromic setup is a good idea more energy is needed
06:11to cool the interior in the summer and to warm it in the winter in the configurator i only saw
06:17a cover
06:17which you have to install yourself something like in the skoda fabia with a panoramic roof
06:23the rear seat splits 4060 there is no armrest and no ski hatch there are also no cup holders not
06:31even
06:31one in the back of the center console here in the middle there are two buttons for side windows
06:36and two usbc ports there's also a smartphone shelf and a removable cubby which could be a cup holder
06:44but it only has more moose picks on it and this is where things from one of the front cubbies
06:50will fall
06:53there are also pockets in the front seat backs isofix anchor points are only on the rear seats
06:58but not on the front passenger seat i find it strange especially in a volvo
07:04the ex-30 cockpit also has a tesla vibe there is no display in front of a driver not even
07:09a head-up
07:10display it's a choice volvo made because other models on the same platform have less minimalist
07:15cockpit designs the central display and controlling everything from the screen is also very much from
07:22tesla playbook would you like to set the mirrors choose the option on the screen and then use the
07:27buttons on the steering wheel tesla drivers know the drill the main screen is the map
07:32there's also a speedometer on top and next to it is the driver aids view at the bottom of the
07:38screen
07:38are shortcuts to some apps and features open the boot on the screen set the ac on the screen and
07:45the
07:45hazard lights button is next to the rearview mirror tesla style a growing number of car makers not only
07:52offer driver profiles but also make design choices which strongly encourage drivers to set up and use
07:59those profiles for example using a tesla without an app is a lesser experience in the volvo ex-30 the
08:05app is not of the utmost importance but in some cases driver profiles help with everyday use of the car
08:14firstly the operating system is android automotive volvo has implemented it better than renault in megan
08:20and scenic e-tech but there are still some limitations for example in filtering by charging station networks
08:27since it's android it's worth logging in with your google account so that the car syncs with your
08:32search history calendar etc secondly regardless of your google account if more people are using
08:38the car the driver profile seems to be the only way to save your seat setting that's for cars with
08:44electric
08:44seats which means the top trim only this could really have been a couple of buttons physical or virtual
08:51in the seat settings menu but no you have to have a profile or switch to the guest profile
08:57fortunately the basic and middle trims have manual seats
09:01i don't want this to sound like i'm criticizing volvo i'm rather describing the design choices
09:07which are very different to what one would find in most cars and no i am not a fan but
09:14i don't consider
09:14these choices to be a deal breaker especially since i dig the design outside and inside maybe except
09:21for the lack of head-up display or some sort of driver cluster thing okay so i'm not happy with
09:29the door
09:29pockets because while they are spacious there is no divider of any sort inside which would help to
09:36hold the water bottle upright besides the buttons on the steering wheel there are also two stocks
09:42turn signals and wipers on the left gear selector and adaptive cruise control on the right again just
09:48like in a tesla below the central display is a small glove box below that a double phone cradle with
09:56one
09:56the fields featuring a wireless charger tesla has those as well but as far as i remember both have
10:02wireless charging the cubby by the floor is interesting there's a double bottom so below a
10:08double flap there are usb ports and you can store part of the cable hidden and just pull out as
10:15much as
10:15you need to reach your phone or other device you're charging unfortunately things you leave on top will
10:21slide to the rear passenger storage there is no storage under the armrest unless we count these
10:27sliding cup holders which seem to be broken already but that's not necessarily a problem
10:33with volvo quality but with the quality
10:38of the reviewers and something's definitely making noises in there
10:50oh brilliant
10:54yeah
10:57car journalists don't let them anywhere near your car
11:03i like the recycled materials used throughout the car and the woolen upholstery is also very nice
11:08there are several colors available i think i'd go with the green because it's unusual these days volvo
11:14gives you more choice than tesla's black or white interior however like in the tesla also here there is
11:21no start button open the car and you're ready to go just press the brake and select drive
11:53it's strange to drive without the speedometer in front of you
11:57that's why mini offers a head-up display and that takes care of it unfortunately volvo has followed
12:02in tesla's footsteps and you have to glance at the central display every so often which then trips the
12:09driver attention monitor now it's not as bad as i've seen in the first drive videos of other journalists
12:16but the system is overzealous and then i glance again at the central display to see what's the warning
12:22all about the attention warning system can be turned off with a couple of clicks on the screen and the
12:28isa or intelligent speed assistant can be assigned to a configurable button on the steering wheel
12:35this button can also be assigned to one pedal driving or an advanced driving data display mode
12:44assigning it to the latter is pointless really and as for one pedal driving it seems to be tuned for
12:50city speeds above 50 kilometers per hour the regenerative braking is not strong enough
12:55to completely avoid using the brake so it's one and a half pedal driving let's call it
13:03the driver assistance systems also seem to be tuned for the city the adaptive cruise control only works
13:08up to 130 kilometers per hour and the lane keeping assist is quite aggressive in addition it sometimes
13:14tries to divert the car from the new lane to the original lane because the indicator stopped blinking
13:19halfway throughout the maneuver also the traffic sign recognition system often displays incorrect speed
13:25limits this is not the level of assistance i would expect from a volvo this is tesla or a chinese
13:31brand
13:32level of assistance some systems can be turned off others can be made less aggressive and some will remain in
13:40the
13:40selected settings even after restarting the vehicle others require clicking through the screen every time
13:45like the distance from the vehicle in front for the adaptive cruise control by default it's set to the longest
13:51distance which in poland means that other cars have a lot of space to cut in front of you
14:01so that's what you can see here in poland is not austria where everyone drives relatively calm and people
14:06aren't tailgating each other at least that's what i noticed driving through austria here in poland we set
14:12cruise control to 130 when the speed limit is 100 kilometers per hour and so on so in other european
14:17countries where the speed limit is 110 or 120 nobody will complain about such things and driving at 110
14:24120 kilometers per hour the ex-30 should use about 17 kilowatt hours per 100 kilometers as promised by the
14:31manufacturer more or less because that depends on the spec battery size etc
14:38we have three versions to choose from single motor standard range that's 272 horsepower 49
14:44kilowatt hours net and a claimed range of up to 344 kilometers single motor extended range also 272 horsepower
14:53but 64 kilowatt hours net and up to 470 kilometers range twin motor extended range which outputs
15:01428 horsepower has a 64 kilowatt hour battery and up to 450 kilometers range so claimed range is achievable
15:12at least during the summer and as long as most trips are at moderate speed
15:17the ex-30 can tow up to 1000 1400 or 1600 kilograms depending on the version but all powertrain variants
15:26have a top speed limited to 180 kilometers per hour volvo claims the ex-30 will do 0 to 100
15:33kilometers per
15:34hour in 5.7 5.1 or 3.6 seconds respectively today i'm driving the single motor extended range but
15:41all i
15:42managed was 5.7 seconds while the tarmac was dumped after the rain i don't think there's over half a
15:48second in it perhaps volvo has some limitations depending on the charge level something like in
15:53the cupra born or the skoda enyak rs which deliver full performance only when specific conditions are met
16:02speaking of performance and battery capacity
16:05let's talk charging the base ex-30 takes up to 11 kilowatts ac and up to 134 kilowatts dc
16:13extended range versions can charge up to 22 kilowatts ac and 153 kilowatts dc
16:19this means charging at home depending on the output takes between 4 to 8 hours and on a fast charger
16:25from
16:2610 to 80 percent in about 26 minutes the ex-30 is well soundproofed the driving is engaging enough
16:33when i feel like going a bit faster and easy enough when i just want to get to my destination
16:37and deal
16:38with something else the volvo ex-30 needs less than 11 meters to turn around between curbs
16:45short overhangs make the car feel much more agile and easy to maneuver it also helps that this is the
16:54shortest volvo since the c30 hatchback
17:02automatic parking is easy to launch just find the camera button which appears on the screen below a
17:07certain speed however the automatic parking process takes ages the car corrects the maneuver many times
17:13and takes it very slow kind of like beijing five and seven i reviewed you don't want to try it
17:20when
17:20there's a long queue of cars behind you volvo says ultimately there will be more advanced parking
17:25features including remote parking via the app but don't buy anything based on promised future updates
17:31and focus on the features available now again those promises remind me of tesla
17:37uh
17:43uh
17:45uh
17:47uh
19:18Twin motor is another 8,900 Euro on top of that.
19:23That's steep.
19:24This test car is an ultra single motor extended range.
19:28With options, it costs 54,890 Euro.
19:32That's 3,500 Euro more than a similarly specced Tesla Model 3.
19:37Assuming the Tesla Model 2 will really go into production, Volvo will have a hard time competing.
19:44The Volvo EX30 is a decent EV and the Tesla inspired interface may actually sway some customers to choose the
19:49Swedish brand over the American one.
19:51Because for some time at least, both models we get in Europe will come from China.
19:56Yet another similarity.
19:58And how do you like the Volvo EX30?
20:00Let me know in the comment section below.
20:05If you like my sarcastic, down-to-earth and possibly mildly amusing car reviews, join me every Friday at 3
20:12p.m. Central European time.
20:14And don't forget to subscribe and like this video as it helps me with the YouTube algorithm.
20:19Thanks for watching and I will see you in the next one.