What Do You Want the Volvo EX30 to Be?

Oh, the poor Volvo EX30. Initially designed to be a budget electric SUV with a $35,000 price tag, the EX30 was swamped by the waves of change to the EV incentive program. Volvo pivoted and introduced the EX30 in a $47,895 performance-oriented dual-motor version—yet much of the EX30, including its size, range, and amenities, bears the indelible stamp of its low-priced origin. The EX30 can’t decide what it wants to be except for a Tesla clone, and even there it struggles.

Still, the EX30 is hugely fun to drive. It’s ridiculously quick, zinging to 60 mph in just 3.2 seconds, and it tackles curvy roads with the verve of a Volkswagen GTI. The ride is comfortable and well controlled, and it even handled our off-road course with a terrier’s eagerness.

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Aside from its Tesla-inspired single center screen, the minimalist interior is nice, particularly the use of sustainable and recycled materials Volvo used to create visually interesting patterns and shapes. We liked the fabric on the dash, an echo of the seats’ thick cloth upholstering. The air vents are a work of art, and the metal door handles felt chunky and substantial.

Our complaints begin with the driver’s interface. Instead of fitting a small separate instrument panel above the steering wheel, as it did in the EX90, Volvo put the EX30’s instrumentation on the center screen, just like Tesla—but unlike Tesla, Volvo has crammed the most pertinent information into a small strip up top, with little thought given to readability. Aside from speed—displayed at the center of the screen, well out of the driver’s sightline—the fonts are tiny and difficult to read.

Worse, giving more than a brief glance at that instrument panel sets off a cacophony of beeps and warnings to watch the road. The punch line is that the warning message appears on, you guessed it, the center screen, keeping the driver’s eyes off the road even longer. Critical as we are of Tesla, at least the Model Y makes it easy to tell how fast you’re going and whether cruise control is switched on.

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Additionally, cupholders are few and tiny, and there’s staggeringly little storage space. The self-steering system uses torque rather than touch sensors, so the Volvo nags you to keep your hands on the wheel even when they’re already there. There are only two switches to control four windows, and mirrors are adjusted via menus and steering wheel controls, cost-cutting annoyances shared with the EX90. The back seat is so tiny that even moderately tall occupants find their knees shoved into their nostrils.

Then there are the EX30’s shortcomings as an electric vehicle. EPA range is just 253 miles, and the EX30 returned a disappointing 180 miles in our Road-Trip Range Test. Fast charging is limited to 153 kW, a speed sustained only briefly. Fifteen minutes of charging added a mere 87 miles. For comparison, the Model Y AWD added 133 miles in that same time, the Kia EV6, 160.

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Most of these complaints are scars of the intended $35,000 price point and have no place in an almost-$50,000 SUV. Right after we completed our SUVOTY evaluations, Volvo opened orders for the single-motor EX30 with a list price around $40,000, with less performance and a measly 8-mile bump in EPA range. That changes the value equation, but not enough. Until Volvo decides what this model is supposed to be, it’s never going to rise above the many competent electric SUVs already on the market.

This review was conducted as part of our 2026 SUV of the Year (SUVOTY) testing, where each vehicle is evaluated on our six key criteria: efficiency, design, safety, engineering excellence, value, and performance of intended function. Eligible vehicles must be all-new or significantly revised.