Text settings Story text Size Small Standard Large Width * Standard Wide Links Standard Orange * Subscribers only Learn more Minimize to nav Did you know the average new vehicle in the US grew an inch (25 mm) wider and 22 inches (558 mm) longer between 2013 and 2023? That’s probably obvious to anyone who steps foot outside these days, and it’s a trend that we ought to reverse. Bigger cars might make their occupants feel more secure, but they invariably need more energy to get where they’re going. And with f=ma being what it is, bigger vehicles tend to leave a lasting and deleterious effect on anything unlucky enough to be the other party in a collision. That makes today’s tale a rather bittersweet one, because the Volvo EX30 could be the perfect antidote.
It’s a compact and efficient electric crossover with a tiny carbon footprint but no compromises on safety, and it would be perfect for the current moment, except that Volvo recently decided to stop importing the car to the US. With the order books now closed, once the ~1,200-odd cars left in inventory are gone, they’re gone.
After teasing us for a while, Volvo finally showed off the EX30 for real in 2023. At the time, the headline news was its price: $34,950 for the rear-wheel drive version before any tax credit. That would have made it one of the cheaper EVs available for sale in the US, but with Volvo’s premium badge attached. That was before geopolitics got involved.
Among the changes from the regular EX30 is this black fascia with embossed topology. Jonathan Gitlin By anyone’s standards this is a compact EV. Jonathan Gitlin By anyone’s standards this is a compact EV. Jonathan Gitlin Its small size makes it simple to live with. Jonathan Gitlin Its small size makes it simple to live with. Jonathan Gitlin By anyone’s standards this is a compact EV. Jonathan Gitlin Its small size makes it simple to live with. Jonathan Gitlin Its diminutive purchase price was predicated on being cheap to manufacture in Zhangjiakou, China. However, heavy tariffs on Chinese-made cars were levied by the Biden administration in 2024, then by the Trump administration the following year, causing Volvo to delay imports while it instead shifted production of US-destined cars to its factory in Ghent, Belgium.
However, European-made cars are still subject to a 25 percent tariff, which jacked up the starting price of the EX30 to $40,345 (including destination charge) for the rear-wheel drive version, or $46,345 for the twin-motor all-wheel drive version.
Our test car is the EX30 Cross Country, which takes the all-wheel-drive EX30 and adds more ground clearance and some cladding and underbody protection that’s just as useful in a crumbling urban environment or tight Trader Joe’s parking garage as it is on an unpaved forest road. However, this pushes the starting price to nearly $50,000. That might be about the current average new transaction price, but it’s a lot to ask Americans to pay for a compact SUV, particularly an electric one with just 227 miles (365 km) of range.
The twin-motor powertrain certainly provides the EX30 Cross Country with plenty of pep: 422 hp (315 kW) and 400 lb-ft (542 Nm) from a pair of identical motors at the front and rear axles. That’s sufficient for a 0–62 mph (0–100 km/h) in just 3.7 seconds, although the 18-inch all-terrain wheel kit (a $3,495 option) fitted to our test car may have made that a little slower. Indeed, I left this little EV in Range mode for most of my week, which both reduces overall motor power and gives you a gentler throttle map, blunting acceleration somewhat.
As part of Volvo’s low-cost design, the EX30 makes do with a buttonless interior. There’s no separate main instrument display either; the top section of the central infotainment screen shows a persistent speed and drive mode display instead. The user experience is much like in other Volvos with heavy Android Automotive OS integration, although Android Auto and Apple CarPlay are present, so you can just cast your phone instead.
The button-free interior. Volvo We’ve seen bigger back seats, but this is supposed to be a small car. Volvo We’ve seen bigger back seats, but this is supposed to be a small car. Volvo The cargo area. Jonathan Gitlin The cargo area. Jonathan Gitlin We’ve seen bigger back seats, but this is supposed to be a small car. Volvo The cargo area. Jonathan Gitlin Despite the minimalism and lack of physical controls, the EX30 interior isn’t a bad place to be—Volvo’s interior designers tend to understand the assignment well, and the textures and materials are pleasant to the touch. I was rather impressed with the storage built into the center console. The upper storage tray retracts into its housing, with the cup holder elements moving separately so you can use it for beverages or just storage, and the lower level has a hinged floor so you can stow loose items or cables for the USB-C ports that you’ll find here.
This is a small car: 166.7 inches (4,233 mm) long, 72.3 inches (1,838 mm) wide, and 62 inches (1,573 mm) tall, but the 104.3-inch (2,650 mm) wheelbase maximizes the interior space with minimal front and rear overhangs. That said, it’s not a TARDIS, with just 32.3 inches (821 mm) of rear leg room, and just 11.2 cubic feet (318 L) of cargo volume with the rear seats in use: if you need lots of room for teenagers and plenty of luggage capacity, the EX30 is too small for you.
I should also add that long-term reports for the EX30 haven’t been entirely glowing; Edmunds described its experience over a year as “a very frustrating car to live with.”
The center console is rather thoughtfully designed. Volvo There is a setting to turn off the screen other than required information (and media controls). Jonathan Gitlin There is a setting to turn off the screen other than required information (and media controls). Jonathan Gitlin The center console is rather thoughtfully designed. Volvo There is a setting to turn off the screen other than required information (and media controls). Jonathan Gitlin If that still sounds enticing, then Volvo still has a little under 1,200 EX30s in inventory, and I imagine dealers are eager to get rid of them. Only about 250 of them are the Cross Country, and even fewer still are the regular RWD EX30—fewer than 50 currently. That is a shame, as I bet that one is really rather good.
