Although Volvo is owned by Chinese conglomerate Geely, the EX30 is the epitome of Scandi-cool – even if a Brit did have a significant hand in its design. Given the world is awash with enormous SUV blobs, I’m genuinely chuffed to be running around in something that looks so refreshingly understated. I’m even a fan of the minimalist interior design, even if it does put me in mind of the time my toddler proudly showed me her drawing of a house, and I had to remind her to add the doors and windows.
With no instrumentation whatsoever behind the steering wheel, everything – even opening the central glovebox, – is operated by pressing an icon on a centrally mounted touchscreen. This myopic approach was co-developed with Google, so unsurprisingly, the EX comes with Google Maps and Google Assistant voice-control as standard. Given my disdain for touchscreens, I suspect I will be using the voice control rather a lot. As you might expect of something produced by a tech giant, the touchscreen is a sharp responder, and the graphics are crisp and clear. Sadly, the need to look away from the road to view everything, including something as mundane as keeping an eye on the speedo, is less than ideal. Granted, this is not that much of an issue when driving on the motorway, as you have the luxury of time to prod and swipe at your leisure, but managing something as straightforward as boosting the interior temperature or adjusting the mirrors in the cut and thrust of day-to-day traffic can be a fiddly and stressful undertaking. With so many layers to dig into, just remembering where certain functions are buried verges on a Mensa test. I shudder to think what the Volvo guys who pioneered the safety belt would make of it all.
Thankfully, not all of Volvo’s safety focus has been sacrificed at the altar of minimalist design. The super slim framing of the rear-view mirrors maximises
the available reflective area, and because the external mirrors are positioned on the doors, rather than the A-pillar, there’s a significant boost in cross-cabin visibility. If you’ve ever sat at a T-junction struggling to see past a mirror the size of a small meteorite, then you’ll appreciate the tangible benefits of Volvo’s approach. From a purely selfish viewpoint, there’s no way the EX’s 318-litre boot can cope with my golf clubs and electric trolley, but at least the rear seat backs split 60/40 and lie flush with the boot floor when the adjustable boot floor divider is set to its highest position. Whether I’ll ever use the small storage area under the bonnet for anything other than storing the charging cable is debatable.
From an early driving assessment perspective, the compact dimensions and relatively light weight – the EX is a mere rhino compared to most elephantine EVs – mean the EX is surprisingly agile and lends itself to being driven in an encouragingly spirited fashion. The balance between ride comfort and handling is sweetly resolved, and the electric motor will push the whole shebang to 62mph in a shade over five seconds. Although the brake pedal responses are entirely predictable, initial check braking and outright stopping power are a wee bit wanting. I have experimented with the one-pedal driving mode, which uses the motor like an anchor as soon as you lift off the accelerator, but even in its milder iteration, I find it too aggressive, so I’ll probably stick with the slight under-braked sensation.
As for my daily work requirements, the 65kWh capacity battery provides the EX with an official range of 296 miles, so if I stick between 20% and 80% and drive studiously, I should be able to get around 180 miles between charges. I’m hoping the EX’s chilly Scandinavian roots will make it less prone to winter battery range depletion, but I suspect there’s more chance of global warming assisting with this contentious area of EV ownership. No doubt time will tell.
| Model | Volvo EX30 Extended Range Rear Wheel Drive Plus |
| P11D price | £39,860 |
| As tested | £41,010 |
| Official range | 296 miles |
| Our average consumption | 3.9miles/kWh |
| Mileage | 1,865 |
Standard equipment: 19in alloy wheels, dual-zone electronic climate control with heat pump, heated front seats and steering wheel, LED headlights and tail lights. 12.3in touchscreen with wireless Apple Carplay, phone charging mat, front and rear parking sensors, rear parking camera, electric parking brake, power-fold door mirrors, auto LED headlights, powered tailgate, pilot assist adaptive cruise control, lane keep assist and traffic sign recognition, rear traffic cross alert.
Options: Power seat pack (£800), tinted rear windows (£350)
