I get to spend time with dozens of new cars every year for work. But I almost never get inspired to run out and immediately spend my own money on one—especially before I've even had a test-drive.
Yet as soon as the pre-order books opened for the Volvo EX30 in early 2024, I didn't hesitate to throw down $500 of my own money for a refundable deposit. I had covered its debut in New York a few months earlier, and I knew I was in.
The EX30 seemed to have it all: style, power, respectable electric range and a very attainable $35,000 starting price tag, all from a reputable, big-name automaker. The kind of promise we've all gotten from the electric-vehicle revolution, but has rarely been kept.
It would be another 18 months after that deposit before I actually got to drive one. A lot of things changed in that time. And now that the Volvo EX30 is finally here, it arrives with far less of a value proposition than it once had.
(Full Disclosure: Volvo sent us an EX30 to review for a week.)
2025 Volvo EX30 Twin Motor Performance Ultra
2025 Volvo EX30 Overview
Let's start with the price tag of the Moss Yellow EX30 you see here: $48,395, including destination fees. Math has never been my strong suit, but that's a far cry from the under-$35,000 starting price that made such a splash for Volvo back in 2023.
In part, this is because that alluring price was for the base Single Motor Extended Range rear-wheel-drive model. For now, the only EX30 you can buy in the United States is the Twin Motor Performance all-wheel-drive version, which starts at $46,195.
Blame tariffs. Key to the EX30's Tesla Model 3-fighting price was the fact that Volvo planned to build it in China. On paper, this makes sense. Volvo is owned by China's Geely Group and there's a ton of platform- and technology-sharing between the Swedish brands and its various cousins, like Polestar and Zeekr and Lynk & Co.
But here in America, car companies and policymakers alike haven't loved the idea of super-low-cost Chinese-made cars flooding our market. That's why made-in-China cars have been limited to a smattering of Lincolns, Buicks and other Volvos (and perhaps most notably, the Polestar 2) for years. Then, around 2018, America's escalating tensions with China led to steeper 27.5% tariffs on cars from that country.
When it unveiled the EX30, Volvo said this would be fine; it'd absorb that cost somehow, and then also build it in Europe at some point. But then President Joe Biden had other plans. Concerned with the rise of China's EV sector, the Biden administration increased those tariffs in mid-2024 to 100%, effectively blocking them from the U.S. market. And then President Donald Trump announced he'd turn up the tariff heat even more.
That meant months of delays before Volvo could figure out what to do with the EX30. Now it's finally here, and still made in China for now, but only viable as the pricier Twin Motor Performance version. Even building the car in Europe won't solve the problem now.
As for me, I canceled my Volvo EX30 order and leased a Kia EV6 instead. But now that the EX30 is here, I needed to see if it could still be a winner, even with a bigger price tag than we expected.
2025 Volvo EX30: Specs And Driving Impressions
The EX30 is powered by a reasonably-sized 69 kilowatt-hour battery. On the plus side, the dual-motor setup delivers an impressive 422 horsepower and 400 pound-feet of torque; less impressive is the total range, EPA-estimated at 253 miles. (By the way, the car can toggle between a "certified" display of range and an "estimated" one, and I highly preferred the former.)
Fast-charging, too, edges on the slower side for modern EVs at 153 kilowatts, not unlike the Chevrolet Equinox EV or the Toyota bZ4X. Volvo claims it can fast-charge from 10% to 80% in 27 minutes, which is also solidly midpack.
On a brief fast-charging test using a 150 kW plug, my EX30 went from a 21% charge to 50% in about nine minutes, but I saw max speeds of just 140 kW briefly and was quoted 26 minutes to reach 80%. I think Volvo's being a bit optimistic with its charging claims.
The EX30 deserves credit for one thing: it's damn quick. Zero to 60 mph happens in a mere 3.4 seconds, which is not the kind of velocity that comes to mind when someone pictures a Volvo. The little crossover can genuinely surprise someone at a stoplight.
Unfortunately, the rest of the car doesn't really back up all of that speed. The ride quality is strangely firm, leading to me to repeatedly check if my tires were overinflated (they were fine.) The steering is a bit floppy and loose, even in its performance driving mode. It never feels especially confident in the corners, either. All of this speaks to the fact that the EX30 is meant to be an affordable European city car, albeit one with a lot of power by virtue of being an EV. Don't expect a very inspiring driving experience here.
On the plus side, it is small—refreshingly so. At 166.7 inches long, it's a whole foot smaller than a Honda Civic Hatchback and nearly 10 inches less than a Mini Countryman. It's taller than the former but not the latter, and feels more like a tall, upright hatchback than a true SUV. These dimensions made it a delight to maneuver around New York City's tight and traffic-choked streets, reminding me of my old Mini Cooper S more than once.
2025 Volvo EX30: Exterior, Interior And Controls
The EX30 sports a handsome design that cheerfully embraces its EV nature by dumping any openings in the grille area. And kudos to Volvo for offering it in a couple of fun colors, especially this yellow or the subtle Cloud Blue.
It oozes charm in other areas too, like the IKEA-esque etchings on the trunk opening that illustrate how much stuff you can fit inside its total 31.9 cubic feet of cargo space. The center console also slides out when you need one or both of its cupholders, and packs a little removable storage container for the rear seats.
All that charm has its limits. Also key to the EX30 price tag was how it pared down the physical controls and other interior bits; call it Tesla-style minimalism with a Scandinavian twist. There's no central display in front of the driver, only a sensor bar for tracking your eyes and face when the automated driving assistance is engaged. The window controls are on the center console and you only get two of them, leading you to flip between "front" and "rear" as needed.
Nearly all controls route through the tablet-style center screen, which also has no buttons. If you want those, you get a handful of toggles on the steering wheel, and that's what you'll use to select many functions and menu options.
Tesla drivers have been doing this sort of thing for years. It's not for everybody. And the Volvo loses points here because its software isn't that fast or intuitive. It's Volvo's familiar Google Built-In system, which is great because it directly integrates the class-leading Google Maps into the car as well as your Android Apps accounts and voice-powered Google Search. That's all excellent.
But when I needed to do find something specific, some key function or menu option that might just be a button on another car, I found myself scrambling through it more than I'd like. Including while the EX30 was moving, which often draws the car's ire as it hits you with constant and aggressive safety warnings.
The worst is when it thinks you aren't paying attention, because you have to turn those alerts off every single time you get in the car. All of that got old very, very quickly. Add in the fact that the interior just feels cheap—not because of the admirable use of recycled materials throughout, but because of the low-grade plastics—and you end up with something that seemed much better in concept than in everyday execution.
2025 Volvo EX30: Verdict
I wanted to like the EX30. I really did. I almost bought one, after all, and I can still see the appeal. And Volvo must be doing something right. The EX30 is doing really well in other places; last summer, it was Europe's second-best-selling EV, right behind the Tesla Model Y. But European buyers have more EX30 pricing options than we do.
Ultimately, the EX30 probably would've been an outstanding buy at $35,000. At almost $50,000, that's no longer the case. Almost all of its quirks could be forgiven for its original price tag. When it climbs this much, it runs up against the Volvo EX40 (née Volvo XC40 Recharge), which I like much better despite it being an older EV. And it comes up against larger, more powerful and longer-range options, like the Model Y or the Hyundai Ioniq 5.
In the end, the EX30 went from potential game-changer to rolling example of how volatile the American car market is right now. I hope Volvo can find some way to get its price tag down over time for U.S. buyers. But nobody should blame them if they move on in the meantime.
Contact the author: patrick.george@insideevs.com
