2024 Volvo EX30: Australian pricing and features revealed

Starting from $59,990, the Volvo EX30 will become Australia’s most affordable luxury battery SUV in late 2023 as part of the Swedish brand’s ambition to go all-electric locally by 2026.

All three launch models feature a 69kWh nickel-manganese-cobalt (NMC) battery, with the range-topping Performance Ultra adopting an extra electric motor for all-wheel drive where other variants are rear-wheel drive.

Volvo Australia, at least for now, has elected not to introduce a 51kWh EX30 Standard Range that uses a more cost-effective lithium-ion phosphate (LFP) battery but has the shortest driving range at 344km.

If such a model were to join the line-up, it could conceivably reduce the price of entry to the low $50,000 range.

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How much is the Volvo EX30?

JUMP AHEAD

• Specs & performance side-by-side
• EX30 specs & features explained
• EX30 Cross Country
• Size & space: EX30 v XC40
• EX30 range in detail
• EX30 safety features
• Where is EX30 built, when is it coming to Oz?

Specs & performance: The basics

The quick rundown on the EX30 range's specifications, side-by-side.

EX30 specs & features explained

The rear-drive EX30 models share a 200kW/343Nm electric motor said to deliver a 0-100km/h acceleration time of 5.3 second, and a 480km claimed range.

The all-wheel-drive EX30’s dual motors produce combined outputs 315kW and 543Nm to make it the quickest Volvo ever. The maximum range drops slightly to 460km.

Volvo Australia has teased some initial feature specifications, which points to a strong equipment level from the base model up.

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The Extended Plus will include a Harman Kardon audio with soundbar speaker system, as well as an auto tailgate, wireless phone charging, and a digital key that follows a Tesla trick - allowing owners to access the car and drive away using just their smartphone.

A long list of safety features is standard across the range and includes a new alert system designed to prevent doors being opened into oncoming bikes, scooters or runners.

Ultra models gain a new-generation version of Volvo’s Pilot Park Assist, which can now detect a wider range of parking spaces and controls acceleration and braking in addition to the steering. The driver can monitor the distance to surrounding objects, including cars, walls and bollards, via the central touchscreen.

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Click any image in this story for our full gallery

To emphasise the EX30’s intended appeal to younger buyers, five exterior colour choices include yellow and pale blue.

“With the EX30 we enter a new, growing segment – the small, fully electric luxury SUV,” said Volvo Australia managing director Stephen Connor. “The EX30 offers a strong value proposition to a new audience in the Australian car market which is increasingly embracing EVs.

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“The EX30 will further drive our accelerated Australian strategy of being an all-electric car company by 2026," Connor added.

The EX30 joins the XC40 Recharge and C40 to expand Volvo Australia’s electric line-up to three, with the EX90 large electric SUV due in 2024.

Volvo’s entry EX30 starts above the company’s current most affordable model, the XC40 B4 petrol, but the 4.2-metre SUV is priced $14,000 below the slightly larger electric XC40.

The $69,990 flagship EX30 Performance Ultra, while more compact, also undercuts other luxury small electric SUVs, including the BMW iX1 (from $84,900), Lexus UX300e (from $74,000) and Mercedes EQA (from $81,700).

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MINI MATCH-UP: EX30 v XC40 dimensions

In terms of size and space, here's how the compact new EX30 compares to the XC40 Recharge Pure Electric already available in Australia.

The Volvo EX30 range in detail

The EX30's key specs and features are outlined below. A full list of features will be released in the lead-up to the EX30's fourth-quarter 2023 launch.

Safety across the EX30 range

Where will the EX30 be built and when will it come to Australia?

EX30 production begins in the final quarter of 2023 at Volvo’s Zhangjiakou plant in China, and an Australian launch in the fourth quarter of this year is

More details will be released in the coming months.