About a decade ago, in North America, Ford used the "small but mighty" tagline to promote the Fiesta. The small car was capable of achieving its global audience goals, albeit with mighty big compromises for the average American consumer.
Today, the 2025 Volvo EX30 is taking a similar marketing tack, but ensuring that buyers do not have to compromise. From its small but spacious cabin to a powertrain eager to whizz down the road with the vigor a last-generation Fiesta owner could only fantasize about, the EX30 is a win.
The subcompact, battery-electric SUV features styling inside and out that in straight from the Volvo wheelhouse. There's no mistaking it for a model from any other brand. Consumers win because it means that the small, budget-friendly crossover is stylish and sophisticated in ways that a $35,000 SUV (let alone a $55,000 electric SUV) from one of the Big 3 automakers can only dream of.
It comes in two power options, a one-motor version that goes an Environmental Protection Agency-estimated 275 miles on a full charge, or a two-motor version that delivers 265 miles of range per EPA estimations. That is a much smaller divide than is traditional between variants, a point Volvo rightly celebrates.
The two-motor, 422-horsepower (hp) version gives owners the advantage of all-wheel drive and the ability to zip from zero to 60 miles per hour (mph) in a quick 3.4 seconds. Off the line from a standstill, the EX30 feels a touch rocket ship-like, defeating expectations in a single pull, without the abrupt power allocation electric vehicles (EVs) like the Ford Mustang Mach-E.
That simple glide of power is something experienced on highways, rural roads and city streets. It doesn't feel special, and it doesn't need to. It feels incredibly competent.
Despite EX30's size, the car's power allocation is matched well. Having a center-mounted 69-kilowatt-hour battery pack (same on both motor variants) to help ground the car undoubtedly helps, as does all-wheel drive.
If you don't need all-wheel drive because you either live in the Sunshine Belt or a similar environment, or aren't after the EX30 for quickness, you won't be disappointed by the single-motor, 268-hp version. Though it's not as zippy, there's more than enough power to get the job done. In fact, it makes small SUVs like the Nissan Kicks, Chevrolet Trax, Buick Envista and Hyundai Venue look incredibly underpowered.
Not only that, the electric powertrain on the EX30 allows powerful movement from the get-go, without the pause offered by turbocharged engines that are typically found in small cars or the slow ramp-up in power that is engineered by automakers to increase fuel efficiency.
The low center of gravity helps the car stay flat on the road, and it's properly nimble in city driving conditions.
Volvo says that the either version can charge via a home charging connection, from zero percent to 100 percent, in eight hours. At a DC fast charging station, that number drops to 26.5 minutes.
In reality, most owners aren't going to roll up at a charging station at zero percent, nor are they staying until the car is 100-percent full. So, expected sit time for the average user is far less than half an hour.
Because the EX30 is a subcompact, it doesn't have a ton of passenger or cargo space, but it does have a few things working in its favor that the old Fiesta did not. There's the benefit of not having a transmission tunnel or emissions system taking up valuable space down the center of the car. This allows the cabin to be more spacious and gives back seat riders more legroom options. Still, it's tight.
That flat floor also translates to the cargo area where there's plenty of room for day-to-day shopping or a dog crate, without having to utilize the rear seat for additional storage or take advantage of its split-folding configuration. There's also a tiny front storage area under the hood.
But up front, where most riders will be spending their time, the EX30 delivers plenty of space in stylish, sustainable surrounds. Surfaces are smooth and high-quality. However, the dashboard was easily smudge-able.
The car is packed with Google Built-In infotainment technology. That means that users have access to their Google-linked account and apps in the car, and that the cleanly designed interfaces are easily navigable and work as advertised. The car's 5G-enabled connectivity and allows software updates to be performed over the air.
The EX30 only has speedometer functionality on the center screen, which may be more of a problem in speed-camera-heavy countries than the go-with-the-flow United States.
After using the screen-as-speedo for about 10 hours of driving over two days, I found it easy to adapt to, and very little time was spent with eyes off the road to check the speed.
Little touches make the small EX30 even more delightful. The unique oval-like steering wheel shape is quickly adapted to while driving, and provides more visibility out the front of the car. Versatile center console storage space allows cupholders to be stored when not in use, and a large center storage bin is primed for a purse, a takeaway or the eggs and bread you don't want rolling around with the rest of your groceries.
Four USB-C ports, wireless charging and a 12-volt power outlet in the cargo area easily keep your lifestyle powered.
In typical Volvo form, the automaker hasn't skimped on safety technology despite EX30's entry level model status. It comes with a 360-degree view camera, parking assist technology, a collision avoidance system, door opening obstacle detection, lane centering technology and more.
Pricing for the single-motor EX30 starts at $34,950 in the United States and goes up to $40,600. Dual-motor EX30s are priced from $44,900 to $46,600. It is eligible for most Inflation Reduction Act-era incentives, which are maximized if the EX30 is leased.
The waitlist for the EX30 is longer than the company anticipated and it's easy to see why. The EX30 is a luxury vehicle by a premium brand, priced for budget-conscious buyers. Its size, styling and sophistication are a blueprint for how to win over key EV buyers today without alienating current brand enthusiasts. The 2025 Volvo EX30 is small, but mighty appealing.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Eileen Falkenberg-Hull leads the Autos team at Newsweek. She has written extensively about the auto industry for U.S. News & ... Read more
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