Baby Volvo EX30 SUV confirmed for June reveal

The all-new ​Volvo EX30 electric SUV will build on the company's reputation for safety, with the maker claiming the crossover will take "city safety to the next level" by implementing technology and features specifically designed to keep those inside and outside the car out of harm's way. 

Due to be revealed on 7 June, the Volvo EX30 will get a 'door opening alert' system designed to warn the driver and passengers of approaching cyclists or other traffic. The car will also get so-called 'state-of-the-art restraint technology' designed to better protect occupants in the event of an accident. The EX30 will come with sensors that monitor the driver's attentiveness up to 13 times per second.

This focus on safety has been announced just a week after Volvo confirmed the new car's name as part of a short teaser video. The darkened shots of the new model gave us a glimpse of the EX30's exterior and interior design.

From the video, it's clear the EX30 will get a variation on the forthcoming seven-seat EX90 flagship’s Thor’s Hammer front lights, plus a similar treatment at the rear whereby the C-shaped taillights stretch right to the roofline. Unsurprisingly for a modern Volvo, the compact electric SUV’s silhouette is rather boxy, but it also gets a roofline that gently slopes towards the rear.

The baby SUV will sit beneath the XC40 Recharge in the model range and will be the new entry point for Volvo ownership. In terms of dimensions, it looks like the EX30 will get short front and rear overhangs, designed to stretch the wheelbase by pushing the wheels to each corner of the car.

A previous video showed the EX30 side-by-side with the EX90 (below), demonstrating the compact footprint of the Swedish brand’s entry-level EV compared with Volvo’s gargantuan range-topper.

The only view of the EX30’s interior we’ve been given so far is of the seats, which we’d assume will feature vegan materials and wool-blend fabrics – as found in the updated C40 and XC40 Recharge models. The EX30’s teaser video shows a detail of a small Swedish flag – now synonymous with Volvo interiors.

For now, that’s all the information we have – apart from that the global reveal will take place at 13:30 CEST (12:30 GMT) on 7 June. The film ends with the phrase: “Something small is coming”.

The idea of Volvo changing its nomenclature from numbers and letters to proper names was floated in 2021, but the confirmation of the EX30 badge put paid to that. The ‘30’ denotes it’s the smallest model in Volvo’s range, while the ‘EX’, like in the larger EX90, signifies electric power in the form of an SUV. The EX40 name has also been trademarked and could be another naming option for the new model.  

Despite a summer reveal, we don’t expect Volvo’s baby electric SUV to go on sale until 2024. It’s expected to be built in China, and will use the new SEA (Sustainable Experience Architecture) platform used to underpin the brand-new Smart #1. 

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The Smart #1 offers a range of 273 miles on a single charge and 150kW rapid charging speeds for topping up its 66kWh battery, and we expect the #1’s Swedish sister car to boast similar stats.

The Volvo EX30’s price will be revealed later, but given the XC40 Recharge starts from around £46,000, we can expect the baby SUV to undercut it – perhaps starting from as little as £40k. That would put the new Volvo on par with electric rivals like the Kia Niro EV and Jeep Avenger, undercutting slightly larger models like the Volkswagen ID.4.

So far, Volvo has launched three electric models, but has said it will be unveiling one new EV every year before it becomes an electric-only brand in 2030. The brand also aims for 50% of its sales to be pure-electric by 2025, and it seems the new electric SUV will play a part in achieving that goal.

The EX30 will be available for pre-order in certain markets – including the UK – immediately after its reveal in early June.