Volvo EX30 long-term test

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 1095 List price £39,860 Best price £38,360 Price as tested £40,660 Official range 296 miles Test range 228 miles 

1 December 2025 – One screen to rule them all

When I read our first drive of the new Volvo ES90 executive saloon, my first thought was: “How come this car gets an instrument panel when mine doesn’t?” You see, my Volvo EX30 – like the Tesla Model 3 and Tesla Model Y – forgoes a driver display behind the steering wheel; instead, all of the information you’d normally find there is on the central infotainment touchscreen. And given that I’ve only ever owned cars with the instruments in the traditional place, adjusting to this new arrangement has taken some time.

The digital speed readout is at the top of the tall, portrait-orientated screen, over towards the driver’s side, and it’s a good size. Checking my speed requires no more than a flick of my eyes to the left, so I’m not looking away from the road for more than an instant. However, I’m still finding that I’m not always as aware of how fast I’m going as I’d normally be. 

One way to ensure that I don’t inadvertently stray over the prevailing limit is to leave my car’s standard speed limit warning system switched on. However, like most people, I prefer to turn off the audible alerts – something that can be done surprisingly easily via a configurable button on the steering wheel – because this feature can be misguided and annoying. And the speed limit figure shown in the visual alert – to the left of the speedometer – is a bit too small to be read easily.

In fact, the same can be said for most of the text on the screen. Yes, the screen resolution is sharp, but I still feel as though I need reading glasses to see some of the icon labels and even the range indicator clearly – especially when you factor in glare from the sun and smudgy fingerprints on top of the most commonly used icons. 

Fortunately, the layout of Volvo’s system is more logical than you might expect, considering how much is crammed onto the screen. With familiarity, I’m mostly finding the main controls easy enough to get to and operate – often more by relying on muscle memory than by reading the labels under the icons.

In some ways, not having an instrument panel in my face is quite pleasant; I find the EX30 soothing to drive even by electric car standards, especially at night, and visibility over the relatively low, clutter-free dashboard is mostly excellent. What I do miss, though, is being able to view sat-nav guidance directly in front of me. Having to look across at the central screen all the time is distracting, and it’s easy to miss a turn, so I’m having to rely on the spoken instructions more than usual.

While I’m becoming comfortable with this ‘all in one’ approach and no longer envy the ES90 for its instrument panel, the EX30 might still benefit from a head-up display to project speed and navigation graphics onto the windscreen in the driver’s line of sight. Then again, the Model 3 and Model Y don’t have a head-up display, either, and that hasn’t stopped them from being incredibly popular.

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