Volvo EX30 Ultra Twin Motor Performance review - the fastest Volvo EVER!
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- Опубліковано 10 лип 2024
- This is the fastest Volvo ever released with 0-60 in 3.6 seconds and yet it looks like a very modern but sedate compact family SUV.
It’s very nearly as quick as a Tesla Model 3 Performance !
Finished with lots of lovely little touches, this small electric car is a wonderful package with very little to annoy me!
Let me know what you think in the comments below.
Thanks for watching.
Richard Symons
R Symons LTD "RSEV"
EV Specialist based in New Milton, Hampshire on the South Coast near Southampton and Bournemouth
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Snappy review - up to your usual high standards. I moved from a Tesla Model Y Performance to an EX30 Twin Motor Ultra. I’m very happy with the car. The software needs to mature a little but the general finish and mechanicals are good. The performance is there if you need it but most of the time the car rolls along nicely. Coming from a Tesla, I’d like to see stronger regenerative braking which will also help improve the range.
Does the EX30 offer OTA updates (like Tesla, etc.)? Also does it have premium connectivity for streaming music, Netflix, etc.?
It gets OTA updates every 4-6 weeks. Also comes with 4 years unlimited 5G internet for streaming movies or music.
Can I ask why you changed from a Tesla to a Volvo?
@@johnlambert1744 Yes, there are OTAs. The latest (1.4) dropped recently but Volvo hasn’t ramped up to Tesla level of features yet.
@@sargfowler9603We’re now empty nesters so didn’t need something as big as a Model Y. The Volvo was a nice size and the twin motor has comparable levels of performance. The ride is a little more compliant than the Model Y.
I've seen a number of reviews of this car but lots of new observations in your one. Must be your eye for design. Thanks very much I really enjoyed it!
The first proper review I have seen on this car!
I did look at this car when we recently moved from an ice car to an ev. Good car, but we ended up going for a model 3 long range rear wheel drive (end 2023 reg)
And very happy with the range currently at an average of 5.5mikes/kwh. The Volvo was tempting but the model 3 efficiency cannot be ignored. Great review Richard.
When I saw this on the website, my first thought was I hope you do a video 🥳😂
Self parking comparison was indeed a great video!
Had mine now 4 months and loving it, moved from an XC40. Yes some minor bugs in the software but has been getting better with OTA updates.
Lol trying to chop Richards legs off with the boot lid
I have one of these as my company car - I like a lot about it, the performance is incredible, nearly Tesla feeling which is good fun. However it has a lot of weaknesses especially vs Tesla (my other car is a Tesla Model Y and I used to have a 2019 M3P).
The efficiency is really quite bad - I struggle to get over 3.3 mi/kwh even on a warm day on longer journeys, where my 2019 M3P would have got easily over 3.7 and that has more boot and interior space + bigger battery.
The software is in need of work, but the good news is that in 3 months I've had a few OTA updates with some good fixes
Lots to like but lots to find mega frustrating
Thanks for another thorough, measured - and gimmick free - review. Love the look of the car, less is more! Not sure about that screen.
A well made video, thanks!
Great video, love that footage of you being filmed by the car in front. If you’re accelerating hard out of junction in the EX30, what on earth is the car in front filming you and still pulling away!
Probably the model 3 performance
17:07 number plate on the e-tron GT "Cutie Milf" 😂
As you know I have its sister car the Smart #1 Brabus. It cost me £43,450 however it has a ton more kit like an electric roof blind, matrix led headlights, centre armrest in the rear. More importantly a drivers display & a heads up display. 13 speakers beat stereo with subwoofer. Without checking I think it’s a bit longer with more room in the back & a ski hatch. I’ve done 6,000 miles and only drive in Brabus mode hence only get 3m/kWh or 200 miles of range in all conditions from -5 to 25 degrees. I’ve learned something from you today.. that plastic protector on the drivers mirror I didn’t know comes off😂
Maybe so, but it's ugly!
I took my #1 Launch Edition for a 2300 mile road trip and it did 3.9 kw/h. 95% motorways. I only paid just under 30K for mine. Cracking car!
@@LiveMyJourneyTom yes yesterday I did a £60 mile trip and got close to 4/kWh even in AWD Brabus mode but with a gentle right foot.🦶 this is my forever car I will never sell it.
Oh did you get the latest OTA update 1.4.0 eu ? I’m still waiting for it.
I'm very interested in the Smart #3 but all the reviews I've read have slated the infotainment system. What's it like in real everyday use? And is the Beats system with the subwoofer any good? Thanks.
@@KevinLaffey hi, I have the #1 I don’t know about the #3 but assume it’s the same. There’s nothing wrong with the #1 infotainment/software unlike the EX30 which is terrible. I am waiting for the latest OTA update which is late, it gives more features like V2L and can switch Avatars from the fox 🦊to the Cheetah 🐆 found in the #3. I’m no expert on sound systems but I’m happy with the quality in mine. Can you not get a test drive to make 💯 % certain before you buy?
I tried a few including the MG4 XPower which is just as quick but nowhere near the quality or the equipment level that’s why it’s £7k cheaper than my Brabus and it shows. No idea why the EX30 is roughly the same price as the Smart it has nowhere near as much tech & features.
Great video
Thanks great video, I've had mine for two weeks now and agree with all your comments. My only criticism so far is the lack of support from Volvo. Although this is an easy car to drive it does have a fair amount of complex systems, such as the auto-brake function which in my opinion are poorly explained in the drivers manual.
I think that with all this new safety tech coming online manufactures really need to up their game when handing over to new customers, I'm sure there are great number of drivers that don't fully understand how these functions work or even if they are working correctly, myself included.
Strange that the "Performance" mode 1-peddle driving is not available because in my Twin Motor C40 the only mode available is off-road in settings and 1-peddle driving is available in its 0-60 at 3.8sec., fastest vehicle I've owned since my Polestar Tuned XC60. Just love the 1-peddle driving mode. As always enjoy your review and insightful comments, looking forward to the revisit of the parking challenge video.
Great review, but one thing us blokes usually do is not read any manual that comes with tech, be it phones, tablets, laptops etc and cars. This is evident in the issue where to put the key card fob 🤣 I love this car, just have to wait for my lease to expire. also believe there is to be a Cross Country version too with a slightly higher ride height Think I'd prefer that.
A very optimistic review Richard - I loved and still love the shape of this car, it looked equally as good on paper so a day after the launch last June I ordered a twin top of the range. It arrived in March this year, no word from Volvo, they knew nothing about the cars spec, delivery etc, very poor. After a test drive, in one word 'Disappointing' in every respect, what a let down. Told them to stick it where the sun doesn't shine and got my money back. My review, A Volvo designed by a Chinaman, its true, watch the video! If Volvo want to keep any sort of reputation, go back to making things functional, forget the fast car gimmick and improve the range and driving experience. I went out and bought a new TOTR XC40 Twin EV for the same price, very happy, a proper Volvo. I have to say, the EX30 in single motor, long range battery is good value, I just felt stitched up with a cheap car, extra motor and they wanted 45 grand
Sat in one recently and it’s very nice inside but it really is a small car. Very cramped in the back and small boot. More like super-mini space than a family car. Too small for me, but if it’s just the driver it would be a great car.
It did a great job parking !
Watched your vids on your new M3, have you changed the emblem on the bonnet for an electric logo?
A warning that Mountain bikes do vary and have different frame sizes, tire sizes and wheelbase lengths. With modern long wheelbase dual suspension 29r MTBs they can be very challenging to fit. I used to fit MTBs in my GTI with the front wheel off, but one of the front seats had to be pushed forward quite a bit. Road bikes tend to not be a problem since they are so tiny , but always do your own research
Software has also been great on 1.4
Another great video Richard! I have just recently picked up my EX30 Ultra and having problems charging on my Tesla UK 3-pin granny charger as the EX30 shows it as connected but just displays “Waiting”. Please can you try if you have the same issue as I am starting to feel I have a very expensive paper weight on my drive when my current charge runs out. It appears to be a common issue as Autocar has reported EX30 customer being refunded for same issue.
I had the same issue with scheduled charging until I changed the country time setting from manual to auto. It works fine now.
@@grahamhaynes4284 Thanks! Will give it a try as a workaround for this bug but I do have the charging schedule turned off
@@grahamhaynes4284just checked and the time and country settings were already set to auto so toggled off and on with same issue. Also done a screen reset and that didn’t make any difference to the issue
Great video. We took delivery of our EX30 Ultra Performance last week and I've got a Tesla M3P Performance coming in a couple of weeks, so this is a timely video!
One thing I've struggled with is connecting my phone. It just won't play any music (Apple Music). I've plugged it in with a cable and tried Bluetooth but nothing works. Any ideas?
So it’s true Volvo software is buggy.
Great review. Inefficient and not cheap.
The RWD Lr gets 16kWh/100km
@@Kurre. is that real life experience?
@@molepatrol7529 yes. Go look at the posts in the EX30 subreddit from this month. Efficiency for the SM Lr is good and has improved since launch
I doubt that this is a real-world figure, and even if it is, still ineffecient when compared to Tesla's 15kWh/100 on the Model Y, and 13kWh/100 on the new Model 3!! Let alone the fact that both cars are cheaper and come fully equipped as standard.
@@ahmedabulwafa3467 I have driven an EX30 and managed 15,6 kWh/100km during my test drive… Just pop in to the EX30 subreddit and check the latest posts about consumption and my statement will be confirmed
Can you review the new polestar 2 models in long range for efficiency?
Which do you prefer? This or the Polestar 2 w/ Performance pack?
Polestar is bigger and more premium.
Prefer zeekr. It has a dash display in front of the driver.
Be interesting to know what u think of the BYD? Look like a step up from the Tesla.
Was about to buy this car! But no one pedal driving in performance mode is a real deal breaker for me. As a Tesla driver I can’t give up one pedal driving and if I’m not driving in performance mode then why would I buy the twin motor version with the better performance? They need to fix this
All you have to do is press the pedal to the bottom, and all the power will be available even without performance mode.
Acceleration is less than 4 seconds with that too.


I agree it was this and all the other glitchy software , constant bongs when looking at the screen when I test drove the car. I cancelled the order and bought a new Tesla m3 standard range.
One pedal driving in Tesla is flawlessly executed for my driving style, and would be hard to give up 😅
For folks in North America it might be on the market much much later being manufactured here vs in China like it sold in Europe, the UK. It means we might get a different refreshed one.
Canada here and we should get our MY25 in less than 2 months.
@@Rhialto In the USA there will be a more than 100% tariff for EVs made in China. At that price Geely-Volvo will have to manufacture it in the USA.
@@nevco8774 Yeah I know I saw the news like 2 weeks ago. I think they will have be manufactured in Belgium at its Ghent plant to be sold in US.
You're getting it once they have added EX30 production to Ghent, Belgium next year.
Test drove the EX30. It’s ok but I don’t love it. Looks to boxy for my liking. The Zeekr X looks a lot better.
I wish both of them had faster charging and/or larger battery.
If the Zeekr X which is the sister car of the EX30 comes to the UK it will be much better in terms of interior quality, build quality, infotainment, rear seats legroom and possibly price
They're hills!
What about BYD SEAL?
Excellent review many thanks
If you also turn off tc, the delay of the throttle goes away.
Bit of a sleeper!
The EX30 has a lovely size and price! Also, I always thought you exclusively sold EVs. Seing that there is an BMW X5 in this video I assume you also sell fossil cars? Are you planning on transitioning to only EVs in the future?
He is only/mainly EV cars. The fossil car would have been a trade in, I’d guess.
a moose in the trunk, but no emoji 🤔
So just under £35k, what was this like a £42k car when ordered. That’s some depreciation for the mileage. Give you an idea right enough what you should expect nearly new prices to be but didn’t think a twin performance would drop so low on low miles and one owner. Got to emit that’s a great price although not a fan of the white. So what would be a LR single motor low miles around £30k…..😮
Think you’ll find the same for pretty much any new car - 20% drop when you’ve driven it out of the dealer. Do agree though EV’s being more than ICE suffer more.
Cheers guys
If i didnt have kids id maybe consider it but in my driving position the kids had no space in the back at all
Had the same problem with the polestar 2 now my son is 6” tall: the ceiling slopes too fast. Pity
Same here - sat in one recently and like the interior but it’s more like a super-mini than a family car.
Adaptive cruise control is stock for every single tesla dude.... how do you not know this?
They are mountains
Comparing this with a model Y is weird given that the MY is a lot bigger.
Georgie, look at to buy my first electric. Would you write this higher than a model free Tesla?
The Tesla is better but looks like shit in my opinion.
@@erik.... The Tesla is a better EV. Is it a better car? That's for you as the consumer to decide. If the only thing that matters is EV metrics, then go Tesla. If there are other factors you value, you should look at the competition too.
Why do Volvos depreciate so much, so quickly? I find them to be really nice cars but they lose so much money.
I’m looking to change from our 3yr old Model 3 LR into a crossover, possibly another EV crossover, but I don’t know which way to go as the car market seems volatile.
That's the way the market is in the UK and in the US with Volvo. It's funny, in Sweden Volvo's have among the lowest depreciation over a long period of time. All down to market dynamics, so it will differ depending on where you live.
For this size of car I think the sweet spot is lower down the range with the single motor plus extended range. Still below £40k and 0 - 62 mph only 5.3 seconds which is pretty fast by any standards. Nice car but the complete lack of any physical controls for heating and ventilation or to quickly access functions that you would historically have wanted to do on the move would be a complete no no for me. IMHO any vehicle with a central display tablet should either have a small supplementally binnacle in front of the driver or a head up display. Please BMW bring back the i3 with a bit more range and an upgraded operating system. No more modern compact EV offers anything better.
Definitely clouds.
Wasn't the EX30 removed from sale due to software glitches and didn't owners get refunds as a result?
No, it’s fake news. Volvo already responded and said they were updating the configuration.
@@ISuperTed bullshit , try buying one today, says not available!
You did not mention a pop up screen so I assume it does not have one?
The car looks good but I do not like all the controls on the screen.
Fiddling while driving is dangerous.
Everything else seems fine.
You can pick these up for £30K nearly new. 👍
I looked at this car and unfortunately being 6'2" and my son being a similar size, there was little room in the rear. Otherwise the car looked good, The EX40 didn't seem much bigger and still had same problem and it was not as good as the EX30.
XC40, C40 and polestar 2 all have the rear headroom problem-I think it’s because of the battery pack under the rear seats, exacerbated by C40 and polestar 2 by the sloping rear roof
@@SteveLoughranSorry but as an owner of an XC40 I can’t agree. The 40 series has footwells in the rear giving you a lot more legroom. I’ve sat in the back of my car and at 1.79m, have plenty of leg and headroom. Skateboard battery packs are great for some things, but tend to make rear seat occupants suffer. A flat floor doesn’t help much unless a car is 5m long and 1.8m tall - like a Land Rover (my previous car). As for the EX30, looks good but its size limits the usability of the back seats for tall folks. As for the One Pedal Drive, I hear it needs work, but the setup in my car is great. It will get better. Easy to forget Tesla has been at this a long time.
@@davidcottrell570 Who cares about the people in the back, you are sat in the front when driving!
@@tomegton I think back to the mk1 Mini I learned to drive in, which was 3.05m long. It had rear seat legroom because there was adequate space behind the front seat and a low floor. I believe that the problem is the skateboard battery compartment, which simplifies pack design, but doesn’t do the passenger compartment any favours. People love to mock the XC40 for using the old transmission tunnel for batteries, but at least it has adequate rear legroom.
@@davidcottrell570 But like I say, how often do most people have 4 adults in there car, and also does it matter about the rear seat passengers, you are in the front!
How about RTFM before driving? :)
Interesting on product design because your cars are recognisable when you see them on UA-cam, maybe not a waste of all that time n money after all 🤣
If you read around the various forums, there are a lot of people talking about how bad and buggy the software is.
Alarms randomly going off, dropping the charging speed down to the minimum, etc.
Some even returning the car where the software is so bad.
A worrying trend where it’s become the norm to release unfinished software and the sell OTA as if it were a cutting edge feature. Pretty depressing. And of course, it’s fast right? So all is forgiven. It’s a bit of a one trick pony this car, but would be a good city car even with the unnecessarily dangerous amount of power.
not anymore there is not. ive received 2 updates in a month and any charging issues now gone.
Can confirm vision based self parking on Teslas is now pretty good.
So many problems with this EX30 😮💨
Too bas it won't be for sale in USA.
These are far better built than a model 3. Had one on loan, will be our next EV. 😊
No they are not. Stop lying to yourself.
No they are not, i saw one in showroom. I was so dissapointed, it is very cheap materials and bad build quility in the cabin.
@@emil09121999 suspect you didnt. Cabin materials are all good quality and fit/finish is better than tesla. Tesla is defo more efficient though.
The EX30 is more expensive here (Denmark) than the Model 3 RWD and even more expensive than Model 3 LR if you go for the Twin Motor Ultra.
It's ridiculous.
Software is much better in Tesla. Always seems the case.
@@Areku06That's almost the only thing where it's better 🤣.


@@JassoLama also Tesla is far more efficient, better charging infrastructure. If you actually like to use your car for trips, trip planner on Tesla is much more accurate, it calculates your range based on weather, wind, terrain, etc vs other guys just use weather to calculate your range on arrival. Tesla model 3 for example has much better suspension, double wishbone and multi link, similar to what you find on high end bmws and Porsche’s vs ex30 which uses McPherson in front, less sophisticated.
@@JassoLama no it's not. Stop lying to yourself and others. What's the point in that?
I'd rather not fund the far right extremist Elon Musk thanks.
It's sister car the Smart #1 is a better car, better equipped and more space for a similar price.
We love our EX30 Twin Motor Performance. Built way better than the Tesla highlands we test drove. Has so much personality too.
I disagree. I test drove both cars multiple times, and honestly the build quality in the Tesla is much, much better.
@@Martin-dx5zs better built where? The interior is filled with cheap, recycled hard plastic!
@@Emaratilfy Ah but you get a moose outline on some stuff you don't see.
I sat in one last week and thought is felt very cheap and very cramped in the front
Quick in s straight line, not so good in corners.
Yet another Chinese imported Electric car. Come on or Legacy car makers let’s make some really outstanding cars.
Geely is a great brand
I test drove one back to back with a Tesla MY and the weaknesses of the Volvo were jerky drivetrain, jittery chassis and the portrait screen which isn't great for watching movies/UA-cam whilst charging. The seats were also less comfortable than the MY with no seat base adjustment. A much better car in the Geely stable is the Smart Brabus #3
If it were made in Sweden then yes but as it's made in China then no.
It's going to be made in Ghent, Belgium next year. Volvo hasn't produced its cheaper models in Sweden for a long time. They only produce the big expensive cars in Sweden (XC90, S90, V90, etcetera).
Zeekr X REVIEW and race track test drive - a more luxurious Volvo EX30
The Electric Viking
Nice video review. Volvo have actually taken this off sale in the UK due to the buggy software and glitches to their OS.
That’s not true. They take. The configurator off to switch model years, and the new model is now available to configure.
Wrong, Volvo have already issued a statement to say the configurator was off-line being updated for the next model year.
Just had my first quote on a Tesla model y. £1200😳
Why so expensive?
Cheaper to run my diesel bmw. Shame.
Because tesla 0-60 is crazy. Tesla almost always has high insurance. Any other electric car is usually much cheaper. However insurance is very complex and wildly vary due to many factors as you know so there usually isn’t a definitive answer. Compare cars of similar age, specs, equipment and price to get a better comparison
Many people pay over £1000 on bmw insurance too :/ i was quoted £1400 for a petrol bmw and £700 for a tesla. Insurance is strange for many reasons
Shop around. I was paying £1200 last year, £700 this year for model 3 performance 2021.
Penny pinching about the cheapest way to charge an EV, and yet driving around two tonnes of fancy EV around for 12+ years all on my electricity bill. doesn't seem like the brightest idea.
EVs should be as inexpensive to build and as light as possible.
Heavy EVs are just not environmentally friendly, which is the whole point remember
Only negative, wish it had more efficiency.
This is a great car and the price is a bargain !
You didn't mention it is made by Geely in China, that Swedish flag is hilarious! None of it comes from Sweden
Hey now, the design and interior materials team are still in Sweden ya! 😀
Hey, you noticed the “designed in Cupertino” slogan on apple stuff? Same myth.
Tesla's we get in Europe are made in China too, but people say it's an American car. Same thing really. The car market is global. They simply do not have the capacity to produce these in their Swedish factory, that is reserved for models like XC90, V90 and such. This will be made in their factory in Belgium next year though, not that it matters really.
Why Volvo's fetish with the European moose? 🤔
Because germans go to Sweden to see a moose.
Rear seats are absolutely useless and ruin the car!
Other cheap design issues ruin it for us
Shame as we liked it but went for Honda e as second run around
How often have you had 4 adults in your car recently?
@@tomegton I daily have two adults and two kids… non of whom would be happy in the Volvo 🤣🤣🤣
@@AnotherBoring43yearold yep, very,very,boring
Amazing how every EV is stacked up against the Tesla. Volvo beats Tesla because it has a picture of a Moose. Come on Elon lagging behind there. That will give you sleepless nights. EH!
Hello mate
It's not a car you'll look twice at. Styling rather bland. Although most volvo's do look rather bland especially the SUV,s. Although a matter of personal preference I'd say.
I think it looks great - very sleek and stylish.
I’ve seen two out on the road and they really stand out.
You are clearly different :). All Volvo's look very nice nowadays.
@mho0 That's your opinion. As I stated, it's a matter of personal preference . Please read replies more carefully before you make crass responses.
@@martinedwards7360 I had Volvo V60 few years back and it got a lot of comments how it and Volvos in general are nowadays best looking station wagons inside and out. But you are right I also personally think current design is really good. Why I said you are different was that in most of the comments I have seen over past few years Polestar, Volvo and Audi gets most credits of their design in general and you had different opinion (which is naturally your right). I agree it is personal preference and I did not blaim you are anything like that. Just said you are different as you do not like Volvo design as most of the people do. Also EX30 in Finland is selling extremely well -> I am sure people are not buying it because they consider it ugly.
Terrible software ! 😂
You're a bit out of touch if you think a £35k car is cheap.
Drop of summer 😆
Reports that Volvo have removed the it from configurator... and are giving refunds due to glichy software.
Wrong
you weren't able to configure a new car since April as they are selling on order stock (makes no difference as there are very few "options"). I changed my order late April and was able to select a new model from stock availability. The configurator is now back for the model year 2025 cars
40k plus for a 4.0 meter long car is the opposite of good value. IT is worthless as a family car so ultimately it is just a 40k+ toy
@@vascojardim6703 It's not advertised anywhere as a family car 🤣. But as a small car.
As is any small performance car.
so you judge your car value on length? that's an odd way to do it.
I test drove the ex30 and it's one of the worst cars I've ever driven.
Tiny inside
1sec aceleration lag when you try to accelerate
Infotainment system is like a cheap android tablet
Looks good though!
Tried this a the VW ID3, ended up going with the ID3. Volvo as you showed too tight in the back, Infotainment is buggy, rear view camera is better on ID3. iD3 was also better to drive. But the EX30 was insanely fast.
If you read around the various forums, there are a lot of people talking about how bad and buggy the software is.
Alarms randomly going off, dropping the charging speed down to the minimum, etc.
Some even returning the car where the software is so bad.