According to Volvo, the 2025 EX30 will be their most affordable and quickest EV ever.
You read that correctly. Volvo accomplished the task of making the new, tiny EX30 their quickest thanks to its combined 422 horsepower dual-motor setup. This also yields a combined 400 lb-ft of torque. The rear motor, which comes standard, makes 268 hp. The front motor makes 153 hp. In the United States, no matter which drive setup you chose, you get a 69-kWh battery. Volvo says the battery has 64-kWh of available energy.
Obviously, AWD is where the performance is at. With that setup, you can fly from 0 to 60 mph in 3.4-seconds. With that setup, Volvo expects a maximum of (approximately) 265 miles. That makes it the fastest production Volvo ever. Even with the single rear motor, it’s plenty quick. Volvo says it can run from 0 to 60 mph in 5.1 seconds. Single motor range estimates are expected to be around 275 miles.
Surprisingly, I don’t consider the speed to be the big story. What I like is the fact you can get the base model, with rear-wheel drive, for about $34,950. That doesn’t include the $1,195 shipping. No, there is no discount for a tax credit as the vehicle is built in China. You should be able to qualify for a tax credit with a leased EX30, but we don’t have specifics on those discounts at this date.
All EX30s have an on-board 11 kW charger, and the potential to use 153 kW during a charge. In the right environment, it has the potential to charge from 10 – 80 percent in about 26-minutes. When it launches, you will get CCS charge port. Volvo will supply an adapter for NACS ports. Later on in the model year, all production EX30s will come solely with NACS ports.
Minimalist interior
Starting from the rear, you get 14 cubic feet of cargo space behind the rear seat. However, there’s a few extra cubic feet available if you remove the load floor. According to Volvo, maximum cargo space is 31.9 cu-ft. While that is just shy of a 4-door Mini’s cargo space, the EX30 is a very useful square and makes up for some of the lack of space.
Still, if you sit in the back seat, it’s a bit tight if your driver and/or front passenger are tall. Still, I was able to squeeze behind myself, and I’m about 6’1″. There is room for three in the back, but it will be a bit snug. The front seats are far more comfortable (obviously) and the cockpit feels airy when you are in daylight, under the glass panoramic roof.
Volvo absolutely nailed the whole “minimalist” vibe in this car. Maybe they nailed it a bit too hard. You see, everything that moves inside the vehicles basically sits in the middle. Shared window controls, drink holders, storage cubbies, glove compartment, and every form of instrumentation are centered. I guess that makes it easy to switch from right to left-hand driving, during production.
The large screen covers every aspect of the car. The top corner, near the driver contains the speedometer, and other car-related info. That same screen houses all of the climate controls, and infotainment controls. I don’t know how many people will like that setup. It feels a bit counterintuitive to me.
Despite being made with lots of recycled materials, the 2025 Volvo EX30 feels like a small, premium car. It’s cool and funky while proving that EVs can have a unique spirit too. I can’t wait to drive one!
Expect to see the 2024 Volvo EX30 by the summer of 2024, with orders opening right now.
