Having owned an EX30 SUV for a little over a month, a 100% electric model designed by Volvo, I was able to detect some annoying features. Some aspects may be corrected by an update, others will remain.
I've been driving a Volvo EX30 for a little over a month now. During this period, I exceeded 1,000 kilometers of use, which is enough to allow me to form an opinion offering more perspective than a test of a few days. I have already been able to share my experience on the efficiency of this 100% electric compact SUV, cousin of the Smart #1 and the Zeekr X.
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I love the Volvo EX30 and I'm very happy with my choice, despite the usual hesitations that generally accompany the acquisition of a vehicle — it's never a small investment, even when leasing. However, some things bother me with the EX30: some can be corrected with remote updates, others will remain there indefinitely.
Here are the five things I hate about Volvo's car.
Five things that annoy me about the Volvo EX30
The buttons on the steering wheel
Today there are two ways to offer buttons on a steering wheel: the classic format, with physical keys, and the more modern approach, with capacitive touch zones. Issue ? Volvo does not seem to have chosen and offers a bizarre mix on the EX30: the physical keys are gathered under a single block which is reminiscent of a touch zone, generating chaotic ergonomics: you never know what you are pressing, if you press well and, above all, whether the order will be implemented. Aesthetically, it's pretty, but in use, it's hellish.
It's a pain when you have to manage the speed with the adaptive cruise control or active Pilot Assist: you press once to increase/decrease by 5 km/h and you keep pressing it to increase/decrease by 1 km/h. One in three times it doesn't work. Too bad, because the square shape of the steering wheel is perfect and even retains the commodos.
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Proof that the problem is real, Volvo has already revised its copy for the next EX30 models (2025 model year), with better defined keys. Will this be enough? Nothing is less sure.
The frunk is a joke
If you ever wonder what a 7 liter trunk is, then you don't want to know how ridiculously small it is. Like many electric cars, the EX30 has a frunk — a trunk in the front, located under the hood. Normally, this is practical. In the case of this SUV, it's more of a bad joke. The compartment is too weak and poorly arranged to accommodate anything. A cable ? You will have to roll it up, compressing it as much as possible, praying that the frunk lid can close. A bag ? Yes, as long as it is not too big. I have mourned: the frunk of the EX30 is unusable, except in specific cases.
Charging concerns
There are two things to know when ordering an EX30 that I wish I knew:
- As standard, the car only comes with a single type 2 charging cable, to be used at a terminal (at home or public);
- As an option, you can order a charging cable for a mains socket, for €415.
This means that Volvo does not provide all the cables for charging, regardless of the circumstances. The manufacturer doesn't give you a choice either, although you could more easily need the mains cable (if you have installed a reinforced socket at home).
A car that lacks a little intelligence
For my daily journeys, I favor the speed limiter over the adaptive cruise control. It is preferable given the roads I take, passing through villages and limited to 90 km/h. But the Volvo EX30 is incapable of retaining this parameter from one use to another, forcing me to always go through the parameters to choose what to assign to the assisted driving control (a flick of the switch straight down when the car is in working order). I would like the car to remember the last mode chosen. Same observation regarding the Pilot Assist parameter compared to the car in front of me: each time, it returns to the greatest distance. I would like the car to remember my preference, even when I switch to the limiter.
Finally, I would appreciate it if the EX30 would recognize that I don't want lane keeping assist or, at least, allow me to deactivate it more easily – as is the case for the overspeed alert authorized. These safety devices are now mandatory on new cars, which explains why they reactivate each time. This is also the case for the attention monitoring tool which can be annoying with its beeps.
Where is Apple CarPlay?
The EX30's interface is controlled by Google, a real argument in favor of Volvo's 100% electric car. The infotainment, clean, clear and fast, is the best outside of Tesla. It provides access to a huge Google Map, displayed on a 12.3-inch screen, and to features developed for years by the Mountain View firm (applications via Play Store, voice commands via Assistant, YouTube off, precise planner…). As the overlay is clean, it feels like a Pixel smartphone.
However, there is one feature that is missing: Apple CarPlay, which will eventually arrive in an update (when?). Having the choice to use Apple's interface rather than Google's is important for certain absent applications (Apple Music for example) or managing entertainment sources played from your iPhone.
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