Car companies are chasing Tesla in the race to get electrified vehicles on the road. Volvo is no exception. The 2025 Volvo EX30, which starts at almost $60,000 for the all-wheel-drive version, is Volvo’s fourth electric vehicle and is the luxury brand’s smallest, cheapest and fastest EV to date. It’s also the most tech-heavy, adopting many design cues from Tesla.
Unfortunately that makes even simple tasks unnecessarily complicated. For example, adjusting the side-view mirrors is a time-consuming and multi-step process. First, you must call up the car icon using the centre screen and then adjust the individual mirrors using the steering wheel buttons. Opening the trunk or the glovebox is also done through the centre screen. Buttons for the windows and door locks are on the centre arm rest above the sliding cup holders.
Where the EX30 does excel compared with Tesla is in its carbon footprint. The EX30 is made from 25 per cent recycled aluminum, 17 per cent recycled plastic and 17 per cent recycled steel. And the automaker says the overall lifetime carbon footprint of this vehicle is 25 per cent less than any other Volvo EV.The EX30 has no buttons on the doors. Switches to lower or raise the windows and door-lock buttons are on the centre armrest.“It has our highest recycled content in the car to date.
There’s a choice of two electric powertrains – a single motor extended-range rear-wheel-drive with an estimated range of up to 442 kilometres and 268 horsepower and 253 lb-ft of torque, and a twin-motor performance model, with a range of up to 426 kilometres. Although it has less range, the all-wheel-drive model is quicker off the line. With 422 horsepower and 400 lb-ft of torque, it can hit 100 kilometres an hour in 3.6 seconds, making it the fastest Volvo ever.