Living with a Volvo EX30: it鈥檚 one software update away from being my ideal electric car
August 29, 2025 by Jamie Edkins
Car changing is a big deal
News Editor Jamie Edkins has grown to like his Volvo EX30 over the past few months, but some tech niggles continue to frustrate.
This is my Volvo EX30, a small and stylish electric SUV which I鈥檝e been using everyday for the past three months. I鈥檝e covered just over 3,000 miles in it now, and I鈥檒l be the first to admit that we didn鈥檛 get off to the best start.
The major gripe I had with this car was the infotainment system. Everything in this car is controlled through the touchscreen, and it鈥檚 fiddly and difficult to use on the move. I鈥檝e detailed the main issues with this screen in my interior report below, but after a couple of months I have finally learned my way around it.
And now that I can control most of the car鈥檚 basic function without having to stop, I鈥檝e finally started to gel with the little Volvo. I always loved the way it looks, both inside and out, and it鈥檚 also lovely to drive.
Around town its dinky dimensions and raised driving position make it really easy to slot through gaps in traffic and into tight parking spaces. It also deals with the rubbish roads of Hampshire amicably 鈥 although it does jiggle about a bit over broken surfaces.
Out on the motorway everything smooths out nicely, and the EX30 is also nice and quiet at speed. One small fly in the ointment is the auto steer feature, which is meant to keep you neatly between the white lines but actually bounces you between them like a bowling ball when you put the gutter guards up.
It鈥檚 easy to turn this off though from one button on the steering wheel, then it just does a good job of keeping you a safe distance from the car in front. Another feature which is easy to switch off is the lane-keeping assist, which I鈥檓 grateful for.
That鈥檚 because on a country road it can be a bit sensitive, and it tugs at the wheel quite aggressively as well. With that turned off it鈥檚 much more relaxing to drive, although it is in no way sporty.
It鈥檒l go where you point it, and there鈥檚 minimal body roll through the bends, but there鈥檚 not much feedback through the wheel and it鈥檚 not particularly engaging. This is not a problem in a car like this, it鈥檚 just a comfy SUV, but I am slightly perplexed as to why this version needs 430hp.
It is ballistically fast in a straight line, with 0-60mph taking just 3.6 seconds. But as soon as you hit a corner you realise that the suspension simply isn鈥檛 up to the job of going around it at any any sort of speed, leading you to drive it in a more relaxed fashion.
I do enjoy having this power when overtaking or trying to join a dual carriageway on a short slip road, but 99% of the time it鈥檚 pretty pointless.
Still, despite this ballistic turn of speed the Volvo is proving to be pretty efficient. Over the last 3,000 miles I鈥檝e averaged 3.6 miles per kWh (which I had to convert from kWh per 100 miles because this is the only readout you get 鈥 Volvo, please fix this), and that equates to a real-world range of 250 miles, which is within spitting distance of the claimed 279-mile figure.
Despite my shaky start with the Volvo EX30鈥檚 infotainment system, after three months with it I am really warming to this car. It looks great, it鈥檚 nice to drive and it has plenty of character. With just a software update to make that screen easier to use, this would be my ideal electric SUV.
Living with a Volvo EX30 report 2: interior and practicality
This is my Volvo EX30, a small electric SUV which I鈥檒l be living with for around six months to see how it copes with daily driving duties. I鈥檝e had just over a month to get to grips with this car, and on the whole it鈥檚 a really likeable little thing.
I love the way it looks, it always garners a look back after parking up, and the interior spec also looks wicked. This car has the 鈥淧ine鈥 interior package, meaning it has light green upholstery which really lifts the cabin, and the recycled material on the dashboard and door cards looks great as well.
There are also some subtle details which amp up the premium feeling inside, such as the solid metal door handles and chunky steering column stalks. Everything you touch frequently feels high quality 鈥 things only get cheap and scratchy lower down. I can forgive this though because the EX30 is pretty affordable for such a desirable car.
So the interior looks way cooler than alternatives like the Ford Puma Gen-E or Kia EV3, but it鈥檚 not the most practical. Rear legroom is really tight, as my family found out when they came to visit and I put the Volvo into service as a taxi, and the boot isn鈥檛 massive either.
This doesn鈥檛 really bother me personally as it鈥檚 rare that I need to carry four people, however there is something which irks me a lot more than the lack of cabin space, and that鈥檚 the infotainment system.
Everything in this car is controlled through the touchscreen, and I mean everything 鈥 even opening the glovebox. I鈥檓 not going to jump on the motoring journalist bandwagon of moaning about mirror controls routed through the screen though 鈥 I set this once and haven鈥檛 touched them again.
The infotainment system itself is based on Google software and, while you do get Apple CarPlay, Android users like myself have to use the car鈥檚 native system 鈥 and it鈥檚 just not as good as using Android Auto.
You can鈥檛 split the screen between Google Maps and Spotify, although you do get shortcuts to pause and skip tracks, and it doesn鈥檛 always carry your music over from your phone like Android Auto would. Outside of media control, changing things like the following distance for the adaptive cruise control requires you to go through four different menus.
The climate control is also split across two different menus for some reason 鈥 one for fan speed and direction and one for temperature and heated seats. You also have two options for controlling the volume 鈥 a fiddly touchscreen slider or the infuriatingly unresponsive steering wheel buttons.
It鈥檚 just not intuitive enough for a system you rely on so heavily for everything, and it鈥檚 even more irritating when the driver attention warning yells at you if you look at the screen for too long.
But now I can move onto a couple of positives. It鈥檚 really easy to turn the irritating beeps and bongs off 鈥 it鈥檚 just two button presses. I鈥檝e also programmed a button on the steering wheel to turn off the speed limit warning 鈥 which is the most intrusive system because it seems to keep getting the speed limit wrong.
I鈥檝e also managed to circumnavigate a lot of these annoying menus using the brilliant voice controls. It鈥檚 based on Google Assistant, so you can talk to it in a natural tone of voice to do things like setting the temperature or playing a certain song on Spotify.
Volvo is rolling out an over-the-air update soon which will include some new shortcuts which are meant to make the system easier to use, and I鈥檒l be sure to report back once my car has received the new software.
The EX30 is a really likeable car with loads of character. It looks great and I like the interior materials, but the software takes the shine off this otherwise excellent little car. Check back soon for a look at how it drives.
Living with a Volvo EX30 report 1: introduction
This is my new Volvo EX30. For the past few months I had been running our Volkswagen ID7 GTX, but after some eyelash fluttering from reviews editor Darren Cassey I surrendered the keys to the cavernous VW so he could use it to ferry his family around.
I was sad to see the ID7 go, but in fairness I don鈥檛 really have use for such an enormous car as a single man living alone 鈥 it鈥檚 much better deployed chauffeuring Darren鈥檚 three-year old and all the gear which goes with child rearing (I hear there鈥檚 quite a lot).
Remember, you can buy a brand new or used car right here on 莲花直播. And you can sell your car, too. We鈥檙e here to help you through every step of your car-changing journey.
So, back to my new Volvo. The EX30 was actually crowned 莲花直播鈥檚 Car Of The Year back in 2024 thanks to its sleek Scandinavian styling, affordable price tag and funky interior. The day my new car was dropped off, I was immediately reminded just how cool it looks.
This car is finished in Onyx Black. We picked this colour because most EX30s you see are light blue or bright yellow 鈥 the black seemed like something a bit different, and I do quite like it. It gives the EX30 a Storm Trooper vibe, however I do think it suits lighter colours slightly better 鈥 they show off the more intricate details of this design.
The cabin is also quite cool. We鈥檝e gone for the Pine interior, which means you get green seats and door card inserts. The dashboard trim is also a funky-looking woven material 鈥 it looks a bit like a jute tote bag.
We鈥檝e sprung for the top-spec Ultra version of the EX30, meaning we get things like a panoramic glass roof, a 360-degree camera, Harman Kardon sound system and Pilot Assist 鈥 a more advanced adaptive cruise control system which can steer to keep you in lane.
Powering this car we have two electric motors which make a whopping 430hp. The first time I drove this car I was taken aback by just how fast it is, but it鈥檒l be interesting to see what this performance does to the range.
The EX30 has a 69kWh battery, and this Twin Motor Performance version should be able to do 280 miles on a charge. I鈥檒l be keeping a close eye on the real-world range to see how close it gets.
There are no optional extras fitted to this car. The black paint and green interior are no-cost options, so in total this top-spec EX30 costs 拢44,860. That makes it slightly more than a range-topping Kia EV3, however that car doesn鈥檛 have 430hp.
On first impressions, I think I鈥檒l get on with the EX30 quite well. It did take a couple of days to get my head around the infotainment system 鈥 it鈥檚 not the most intuitive setup and everything in the car is controlled through it.
Other than that though, it鈥檚 comfy to drive, stupidly fast and I love the way it looks. Keep an eye out over the next few months for updates on what this car is like to live with.
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*Prices correct at the time of writing