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Volvo EX30 2025 review: Twin Motor Performance Ultra long-term | Part 3

2025 Volvo EX30 Twin Motor Performance Ultra (image credit: Justin Hilliard)

How has it already been three months of me living with the 2025 Volvo EX30 Twin Motor Performance Ultra?

I’m going to be very sad to hand the keys back to this long-term test vehicle.

Before I explain why, if you haven’t already read the first two instalments of this EV Guide review, please click on the separate links directly below for a detailed rundown on the Swedish small SUV’s pricing, specification, aftersales support, design and practicality.

But as promised last time, this third and final edition of my extended EX30 test drive will exclusively focus on how well it drives before finishing with the eagerly anticipated reveal of my final verdict on the all-new Volvo.

Now that’s enough general chit-chat. Let’s get to it!

 

The strong, silent type

So, how does the EX30 drive? Pretty damn well, actually.

Don’t get me wrong, this Volvo has its driving flaws, but they are few and far between, which is always good news when you enjoy being behind the wheel as much as I do.

First thing’s first, as its name suggests, the Twin Motor Performance Ultra’s straight-line performance is prolific, as evidenced by its claimed 0-100km/h sprint time of just 3.6 seconds. Yes, that’s supercar-esque.

2025 Volvo EX30 Twin Motor Performance Ultra (image credit: Justin Hilliard) 2025 Volvo EX30 Twin Motor Performance Ultra (image credit: Justin Hilliard)

In reality, the EX30 flagship feels properly rapid, with its instantaneous torque ensuring a quick getaway each time the traffic lights change to green. Better yet, there are no gear changes to stutter progress.

That said, the Volvo’s maximum outputs of 315kW and 543Nm are only felt from a standstill when its Performance All-Wheel Drive setting is engaged. Annoyingly, it’s buried in the central touchscreen's multimedia system, requiring three taps and a scroll to find. A permanent shortcut for it would be good, please!

Once it’s ‘locked in’, the range-topping EX30 forgoes its auto-hold functionality, meaning you need to engage the brake pedal at a standstill to stop it from creeping. But once you get your head around that it’s game on, with the sense of urgency noticeably heightened the second you bury your right foot and experience the razor sharpness of full throttle for the first time.

2025 Volvo EX30 Twin Motor Performance Ultra (image credit: Justin Hilliard) 2025 Volvo EX30 Twin Motor Performance Ultra (image credit: Justin Hilliard)

For me, though, the most staggering element of the Twin Motor Performance Ultra’s straight-line performance is its rolling acceleration. Jump on the accelerator pedal when coasting at 50km/h, for example, and the rate at which it gathers speed will have you handing over your driver’s license quicker than you say ‘whoops’.

It’s worth noting that the all-wheel-drive traction on offer is confidence-inspiring in any condition, be it dry, wet or in between. I’ve only managed to encounter wheel slip once during my time with the Volvo, and it was under hard acceleration on a wet, uneven road.

Given the level of ‘go’ on offer, it’s comforting to know the ‘stop’ provided is rock solid. That said, being a fully electric vehicle, the EX30 rarely uses its friction brakes given the availability of two levels of regenerative braking. Either way, they’re a little softer than those in its Smart #1 relative.

2025 Volvo EX30 Twin Motor Performance Ultra (image credit: Justin Hilliard) 2025 Volvo EX30 Twin Motor Performance Ultra (image credit: Justin Hilliard)

That said, the Twin Motor Performance Ultra’s available one-pedal mode is still quite conservative with its retardation, meaning you often need to use your foot to bring the vehicle to a standstill, particularly in heavy traffic.

And when the Volvo does come to a complete stop, you can feel it engaging its friction brakes, the blending of which with the regenerative braking is anything but smooth. Curiously, the mechanically related Smart #1 doesn’t suffer from the same problem. Please fix this!

Of course, there’s more to performance than just what you can do in a straight line. Pleasingly, the EX30 is also up to the task in corners, with surprisingly good handling.

2025 Volvo EX30 Twin Motor Performance Ultra (image credit: Justin Hilliard) 2025 Volvo EX30 Twin Motor Performance Ultra (image credit: Justin Hilliard)

No, it’s not a sports car, but the level of body control exhibited is highly commendable alongside the grip. The best way I can think of to describe it is chuckable. Hooray for small skateboard-style electric cars!

Part of this success is due to the Twin Motor Performance Ultra’s relatively direct electric power steering, which has three settings for its weighting. Soft is overly assisted, while Medium is definitely the crowd-pleaser. That said, I’ve kept coming back to Firm. While not what I’d call ‘BMW heavy’, it does have some meat on so it, albeit not as much as the Smart #1’s equivalent.

Proper drive modes would go a long way in improving this Volvo’s driving experience, as they could easily group together these powertrain, braking and steering settings according to their sportiness. At the same time, call me sacrilegious, but I reckon some fake engine noise wouldn’t go astray either, at least in a prospective Sport setting. It all adds to the theatre of it all in an EV.

2025 Volvo EX30 Twin Motor Performance Ultra (image credit: Justin Hilliard) 2025 Volvo EX30 Twin Motor Performance Ultra (image credit: Justin Hilliard)

When it comes to ride quality, the EX30’s multi-link suspension delivers, with a soft, supple quality experienced on smoother surfaces. Naturally, higher-frequency bumps can expose a rougher side. Adaptive dampers would certainly help things there, but they’re certainly not standard fare in this segment, so it is what it is.

The cabin ambience is also heightened by the low noise, vibration and harshness (NVH) levels, with the Twin Motor Performance Ultra obviously benefiting from being an EV, meaning it forgoes engine noise altogether. At the same time, road, tyre and wind noise isn't amplified. That makes it better than its Smart #1 cousin, which generates significant wind noise over its side mirrors.

When it comes to active safety systems, the Volvo’s are quite nuanced, with the usual irritations – driver attention monitoring and steering assist – relatively reserved, only springing into action when they should fairly do so. Ironically, you can’t say the same for the Smart #1, which was clearly calibrated by a different Geely team, one that's happy to annoy drivers, but I digress.

2025 Volvo EX30 Twin Motor Performance Ultra (image credit: Justin Hilliard) 2025 Volvo EX30 Twin Motor Performance Ultra (image credit: Justin Hilliard)

I’ve only had the rear autonomous emergency braking (AEB) register one false positive, while the highway assist has done a cracking job of steering and lane centring when I’ve engaged the fuss-free adaptive cruise control.

Once you’re done driving, the EX30 is ridiculously easy to park, owing to not only its diminutive size (4233mm long and 1836mm wide), but also its obliging steering and clear surround-view cameras. As a result, living in inner-city Melbourne and regularly commuting to the CBD has been an absolute pleasure for me.

The only other annoyance has been Twin Motor Performance Ultra’s glasshouse visibility, with the thick B-pillars making head checks a lot harder than they should be.

  • 2025 Volvo EX30 Twin Motor Performance Ultra (image credit: Justin Hilliard) 2025 Volvo EX30 Twin Motor Performance Ultra (image credit: Justin Hilliard)
  • 2025 Volvo EX30 Twin Motor Performance Ultra (image credit: Justin Hilliard) 2025 Volvo EX30 Twin Motor Performance Ultra (image credit: Justin Hilliard)
  • 2025 Volvo EX30 Twin Motor Performance Ultra (image credit: Justin Hilliard) 2025 Volvo EX30 Twin Motor Performance Ultra (image credit: Justin Hilliard)
  • 2025 Volvo EX30 Twin Motor Performance Ultra (image credit: Justin Hilliard) 2025 Volvo EX30 Twin Motor Performance Ultra (image credit: Justin Hilliard)
  • 2025 Volvo EX30 Twin Motor Performance Ultra (image credit: Justin Hilliard) 2025 Volvo EX30 Twin Motor Performance Ultra (image credit: Justin Hilliard)
  • 2025 Volvo EX30 Twin Motor Performance Ultra (image credit: Justin Hilliard) 2025 Volvo EX30 Twin Motor Performance Ultra (image credit: Justin Hilliard)
  • 2025 Volvo EX30 Twin Motor Performance Ultra (image credit: Justin Hilliard) 2025 Volvo EX30 Twin Motor Performance Ultra (image credit: Justin Hilliard)
  • 2025 Volvo EX30 Twin Motor Performance Ultra (image credit: Justin Hilliard) 2025 Volvo EX30 Twin Motor Performance Ultra (image credit: Justin Hilliard)
  • 2025 Volvo EX30 Twin Motor Performance Ultra (image credit: Justin Hilliard) 2025 Volvo EX30 Twin Motor Performance Ultra (image credit: Justin Hilliard)

 

The cons of a heavy right foot

If you’ve read the first two instalments of this long-term EV Guide review, you’d know my average energy consumption in my first two months of EX30 Twin Motor Performance Ultra ownership was 17.9kWh/100km.

While I didn’t match those efforts in month three, I wasn’t far off, with 18.3kWh/100km my final result after 1174km of driving, a higher proportion of which was travelled on highways and country roads, which is where EVs are at their least efficient. Point being, it figures.

2025 Volvo EX30 Twin Motor Performance Ultra (image credit: Justin Hilliard) 2025 Volvo EX30 Twin Motor Performance Ultra (image credit: Justin Hilliard)

It’s worth noting that my higher mileage – and perhaps energy consumption – was attributed to an upcoming comparison review from CarsGuide Journalist Chris Thompson, who will compare ‘my’ EX30 Twin Motor Performance Ultra with the new Smart #1 Brabus. Stay tuned for that write-up and video later this month!

Across my three months of Volvo ‘ownership’ I travelled a total of 2556km and averaged 18.1kWh/100km, which translates to a real-world driving range of 354km, based on its battery pack’s useable capacity of 64kWh. Not too shabby for a relatively affordable city-focused electric car that was enthusiastically driven due to its serious all-wheel-drive performance, I reckon.

 

Acquired: October 28, 2024

Distance travelled this month: 1174km

Odometer: 8364km

Average energy consumption this month: 18.3kWh/100km

The 2025 Volvo EX30 Twin Motor Performance Ultra is a brilliant small electric SUV, if you have the patience to get past its very steep learning curve. Yep, it really is that intimidating. And let’s not forget its key practicality compromises, which will annoyingly stick around.

Assuming that the Swedish brand doesn’t address these shortcomings with an update, persist with them and you’ll be rewarded with a premium model that’s not only largely well-designed and practical, but also rather fun to drive, while remaining comfortable. You can’t argue with that.

$71,290

Based on new car retail price

VIEW PRICING & SPECS

Score

4.1/5
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