Volvo EX30 2024 electric car owner review

Anthony Hunt drives a Volvo EX30 64kWh 2024.

This is Anthony’s second electric car, he’s owned the Volvo EX30 under 1 year and drives 5,000-10,000 miles annually. The current mileage of the car is between 1,000-5,000 miles and he achieves 235 miles from a full charge.

Why did you choose the Volvo EX30?

I wanted a five door (specifically) smaller car (not SUV) with around a 200 mile range and good efficiency. It had to be sub-£40k with good performance, a firm ride and bonus points for heat pump, OTA updates, heated seats, V2L & Apple CarPlay (wireless preferably).

Positives

It’s very comfortable
well built
spacious for it’s size
the 5.3sec 0-60mph sprint time is quite impressive too.

Negatives

The firmware at purchase (1.2.1) was buggy. However, OTA updates (now 1.4) have fixed most of these. Apple CarPlay (promised) is still MIA though…
The now obligatory ‘safety’ systems, which are obviously NOT, as they are fallible – mis-detection of speed limits being a prime example. A BIG selling point of this car was a button on the steering wheel to turn this function OFF (since regulations mean it’s turned on at every start).

Have you experienced any faults with the car? If so, what have they been?

No faults so far.

What are the standout technological features of the car?

The EX30 is all technological features with everything being on the single centre screen, from the speedo to opening the glove compartment. With multi-focal glasses I wasn’t at all sure if I would get on with having to glance sideways to see the speedo, but after a week, I was totally used to it. It’s not been detrimental at all and I find the cleaner cabin much nicer.

For me, the suspension is the best thing. It’s not ‘high tech’, but damn! It softens those pot-holed roads of ours. Also, on the MINI Electric I had a basic cruise control but the Volvo EX30’s version is practically auto-pilot. It maintains speed, stays in lane, slows down when the car in front does the same, pulls back when someone cuts into your braking distance. It makes long motorway journeys a breeze. It even works on (marked) country roads.

Tell us something people wouldn’t readily know about this electric car

The glove compartment is in the centre of the car and opened from a button on the control screen. Sounds alien, but being able to easily rummage through the glove box without leaning right over is great.

What’s the biggest or funniest myth you’ve heard about EVs?

The Fear, Uncertainty & Doubt (FUD) put about in the media by, shall we say ‘other’, certain parties is the source material for a novel, not a soundbite. The only GENUINE complaints about electric vehicles are the cost of purchase and the price of public charging (especially from charging networks run by those with ‘other’ interests).

What electric car(s) are you interested in next and why?

I’m very happy with my current EV and only changed the MINI because I wanted a five door and MINI, for reasons that escape me, won’t make a five door Cooper EV despite making a petrol model.

Home charging unit

Hypervolt 2.0

Electricity supplier & tariff

I’m with Octopus Energy on the Octopus Go tariff which has a 5 hour overnight window of 8.5p/kWh so I can charge my car to 90% for less than £3. One thing to watch with Octopus: their ‘auto’ billing vastly miscalculates your usage. As a result, they will either under or over bill you, so keep a close eye on your outstanding balance.

What public charging networks would you recommend to others and why?

I’ve done a few road trips in the last three years and my experience of public charging has been mostly positive. The negatives are the extortionate prices some networks charge, especially when they seem to be the ones with the most offline chargers.

Insurer

Admiral – they quoted HALF what my long-time insurer, Direct Line did. I was paying £425 for my MINI which went up abruptly last year to £638 despite full no claims and no change in circumstances. I got a quote for my new Volvo EX30 and Direct Line wanted over £820, so I shopped around and Admiral offered fully comprehensive for £489! The moral of the story is shop around, as insurers show no loyalty to existing customers.

Please itemise where you’re saving money owning & running a Volvo EX30

Between my old MINI Electric and it’s petrol predecessor, the fuel cost alone was £156 per 8,000 miles versus £1,299. Add road tax & servicing into that and you’re looking at £1,500 per year easily. For a new bought EV (which back in 2021) were around £8,000 more, you’d need to hang on to it for at least five years to see that money back.