Volvo EX30 long-term test: report 5

The EX30 is the most affordable way into a new electric Volvo – but what's this small SUV like to live with? We're running one to find out...

Published17 February 2026

The car Volvo EX30 Single Motor Extended Range Plus Run by Allan Muir, managing editor

Why we’re running it To see whether this small electric SUV can be provide benefits over larger, often pricier alternatives in everyday use

Needs to Be comfortable and easy to live with, nippy around town, reasonably practical and efficient enough to deliver a respectable range for longer journeys

Mileage 1780 List price £39,860 Best price £39,860 Price as tested £40,660 Official range 296 miles Test range 232 miles

28 January 2026 – Getting there is half the fun

Owners of sporty cars will know that there’s a great deal of pleasure to be had from getting up early on a Sunday morning and going for a drive. Setting off at the crack of dawn means traffic will be light and you can really have some fun while most other people are still asleep.

Given that I’m currently running a small electric SUV with no sporting pretensions, you might think I’d have no reason to abandon my warm bed for such activities – but you’d be wrong. Now, I’m not suggesting that my Volvo EX30 is as exciting as an Audi RS3 or a BMW M3, but I can definitely have some fun in it along country roads. Perhaps I’ll have a destination in mind – breakfast at a roadside cafe somewhere is always a good excuse – but I enjoy driving the EX30 so much that sometimes I head out just for the hell of it.

Part of the pleasure comes from the fact that the EX30 is properly quick. My Single Motor Extended Range model puts out 268bhp – which is quite a lot of power for a relatively small car – and can hit 62mph from a standstill in 5.3sec. That means there’s always strong acceleration on tap – handy for overtaking any dawdlers. The range-topping 422bhp Twin Motor Performance version must be hilariously rapid.

A bigger factor, though, is the way the EX30 steers and handles. You can adjust the steering’s weight through three levels, but I favour the middle setting, which is light enough to take the effort out of low-speed urban driving but still quick, precise and able to provide a good sense of connection to the front wheels.

Better still, the EX30 is eager to change direction, even at higher speeds. It arrows into corners with the subtlest of inputs and exhibits admirable body control along uneven roads. You can even adjust its cornering attitude to a certain extent via the accelerator pedal – something I haven’t really experienced in the other EVs I’ve run.

As I said, I realise I could be having even more fun in any number of combustion-engined cars, but realistically I doubt I’ll ever own another non-EV, so my options are more limited. That’s why I’m happy that a regular, affordable EV like the EX30 can be so enjoyable to drive. And not just on Sundays.

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