2025 Volvo EX30: What's It Like to Live With?

We purchased Volvo's littlest EV to put it through our one-year, 20,000-mile road test

written by Keith Buglewicz^{Managing Editor, CarMax
Keith Buglewicz has worked in the automotive industry since 1994, writing thousands of car-related articles, and he's tested and reviewed hundreds of vehicles over the course of his career. Keith is the managing editor of CarMax at Edmunds, and his byline can be found at KBB, MotorTrend, Autobytel and many others. Keith considers himself exceptionally lucky to be working the dream job he’s had since high school.}
edited by Steven Ewing^{Director, Editorial Content
Steven Ewing has worked in the automotive industry since 2003. In that time, he's written thousands of articles and tested just as many vehicles. Steven is Edmunds' director of editorial content and has previously been on staff at Winding Road magazine, Autoblog, Motor1.com, CNET, and was the U.S. correspondent for Top Gear magazine. Steven has also contributed to Automobile magazine, Car and Driver, The Drive, Jalopnik, Porsche Panorama, and dozens of other publications. In his spare time, Steven loves to play the drums, cook, and drive his 2000 BMW M Roadster.}
4/9/2025
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We've added the electric Volvo EX30 to our One-Year Road Test fleet.
The Volvo promises a lot of features and performance for the price.
Will it charm us over the next year?

Electric vehicles continue to proliferate into every niche imaginable, and the 2025 Volvo EX30 fills a small — literally — but pivotal hole in the brand's portfolio. Slotting in size below the electric EX40, and the rest of the company's lineup for that matter, the EX30 is one of the least expensive Volvo models you can buy right now. The diminutive Volvo's U.S. release was initially delayed while the company sorted out production issues, but now that it's here, we purchased one for our One-Year Road Test fleet.

What we bought

The EX30 is billed as an entry-level luxury EV, but make no mistake, it brings the goods. The base price is about what you'd pay for a Tesla Model 3 — or, at least it was; the current political situation may change that dramatically. Our EX30 is a well-equipped Ultra trim, with a price of $47,895 when you include the $1,295 destination charge. The good news is that this price includes pretty much everything you'd want, including a full suite of advanced driver assists, a solid-sounding Harman Kardon audio system, a panoramic glass roof and a bunch of other features many other European manufacturers make you pay extra for. The sole option we chose was the $500 Climate package, which adds heated front seats and a heated steering wheel. Less than $50,000 for a loaded European luxury electric vehicle, even a tiny one, is pretty good.

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The EPA says the EX30 can go up to 261 miles on a charge, but that's for the yet-to-be-released single-motor version. Our test car's twin motors produce a combined eof torque, enough to drain the 69-kWh battery in 253 miles while delivering 0-60 mph times in the mid-3-second range. Volvo also says the EX30 can charge at a rate of up to 153 kW, replenishing the battery from 10% to 80% in just 27 minutes. Testing that claim, and seeing if it holds true over the long haul, is part of what we'll be doing with our Volvo.

While the EX30 is smaller on the outside than a Mini Countryman, this Volvo is clever with its interior space. There's plenty of headroom for taller drivers, and although it'd be a tight squeeze in the back with three across, two should be reasonably comfortable. The cargo area is one spot where the little Volvo's larger European rivals have a clear advantage, but even though there's a little less than 13 cubic feet behind the rear seats, it's a useful shape and easy to access and there's some additional space under the adjustable floor.

Why did we buy the Volvo EX30?

Every time a new EV comes along, the headlines are all about bigger size, more range and, of course, more money. The EX30 is about the same size and range as the departed Chevrolet Bolt EV, bucking that trend by being one of the smallest electric cars on the market, and with a range that's far behind most modern electrics. Instead, the EX30 encourages its buyers to be smart about charging, and in exchange they get a small, fun, premium-branded and surprisingly quick car that's perfect for day-to-day driving in the city. It could be a winning formula; Chevrolet managed to sell more than 140,000 Bolts in the U.S., albeit at a much lower price. A yearlong road test will determine if the EX30 remains compelling or if size really does matter.

Photos by Tyler Clemmensen

by Keith Buglewicz

Keith Buglewicz has worked in the automotive industry since 1994, writing thousands of car-related articles, and he's tested and reviewed hundreds of vehicles over the course of his career. Keith is the managing editor of CarMax at Edmunds, and his byline can be found at KBB, MotorTrend, Autobytel and many others. Keith considers himself exceptionally lucky to be working the dream job he’s had since high school.

edited by Steven Ewing

Steven Ewing has worked in the automotive industry since 2003. In that time, he's written thousands of articles and tested just as many vehicles. Steven is Edmunds' director of editorial content and has previously been on staff at Winding Road magazine, Autoblog, Motor1.com, CNET, and was the U.S. correspondent for Top Gear magazine. Steven has also contributed to Automobile magazine, Car and Driver, The Drive, Jalopnik, Porsche Panorama, and dozens of other publications. In his spare time, Steven loves to play the drums, cook, and drive his 2000 BMW M Roadster.

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2025 Volvo EX30: What's It Like to Live With?

We purchased Volvo's littlest EV to put it through our one-year, 20,000-mile road test

What we bought

Why did we buy the Volvo EX30?

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