Picture your favorite sandwich. You don’t have to think hard to envision it because it’s such a familiar combination to you—the bread you choose, the toppings you prefer, the condiments that make it just right. Now imagine trying to eat that while wearing boxing gloves. In a way, that’s how my week with the 2025 Volvo EX30 Ultra went. Its combination of small dimensions and big power was nothing new, but the way I had to interact with it was alien to me.
People in other parts of the world have been familiar with Volvo’s smallest all-electric SUV for a while, but 2025 marks its first model year in the United States. Prices start at $46,195 for the entry-level Plus variant. My top-trim EX30 Ultra test vehicle came standard with features such as a heat pump, tinted glass panoramic roof, power tailgate, and 12.3-inch touchscreen, as well as a variety of safety and driver assistance technologies. The $500 Climate Package’s heated steering wheel and front seats took the as-tested price up to $48,395. Most importantly, the Ultra model has the all-wheel-drive Twin Motor Performance setup, which consists of dual electric motors that generate 422 horsepower and 400 lb-ft of torque. How fast do those make the EX30 Ultra? Fast enough to reach 60 mph in 3.4 seconds—in other words, the EX30 is the Swedish automaker’s quickest-accelerating vehicle ever.
It was easy to feel that kind of oomph out on the road, especially in the EX30’s Performance All-Wheel Drive mode. With a deep press of the right pedal, I shot forward inside of a retina-searing Moss Yellow laser beam. Power aside, the EX30 didn’t feel like a performance vehicle. Yes, its suspension was firm but, in turns, it didn’t feel athletic or inspire me to pitch the little EV through curves at law-breaking speeds. Blasting up the HOV lane seemed more natural.
If driven sedately, the EX30 is capable of returning 116 MPGe in the city, 100 on the highway, and 109 combined. With its 69.0-kWh battery pack fully charged, it can cover up to 253 miles. Volvo says the EX30’s 153-kW DC fast-charging capability can take the battery from 10 to 80 percent in 26.5 minutes. I plugged into an Electrify America station at 19 percent and boosted it to 90 with 50.32 kWh in 37 minutes.
So far, none of that sounds out of the ordinary, does it? I agree! I’ve seen plenty of brightly colored cars, tested hot hatches, and driven several powerful electric vehicles. Consider all those the ingredients in the sandwich from my earlier analogy—in those ways, the EX30 was familiar to me but, as soon as I sat in and tried to use even basic functions, it was as if I tied on a pair of boxing gloves and tried to pick up the sandwich and take a bite. As you can imagine, it was a frustrating experience. Almost everything—including the speedometer display and the power mirror controls—was on the infotainment system touchscreen in the middle of the dashboard. It took me a few minutes just to learn how to lower the front windows because Volvo installed only two switches, which were controlled by a button that toggled between the first and second rows. Streamlining is great when it makes things easier, rather than less intuitive and natural. Volvo simplified things to the point of complexity. That’s a shame because it partly spoiled the things that were likeable about the EX30.
To learn more about the 2025 Volvo EX30 Ultra, check out my video review below.
Click above and watch our full video review on YouTube!
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