Volvo has revealed its new EX30 – an all-electric small SUV which is aimed squarely at the big selling Kia Niro EV and Vauxhall Mokka Electric, with a starting price of £33,795. The new model goes on sale now and the first cars will be with UK customers before spring 2024.

The EX30 is 4,233mm long, making it 142mm shorter than the Kia but 82mm longer than the Vauxhall. In terms of price, the Volvo undercuts the cheapest Niro EV by £3,500 and the Mokka by more than £5,000. 

The EX30 range will come with three different powertrain options: a Single Motor version with 270bhp and a 51kWh battery; a Single Motor Extended Range with 270bhp and a 69kWh battery; and a Twin Motor Performance with 424bhp and a 69kWh battery

The EX30 is fractionally longer than a Vauxhall Mokka

The Single Motor Extended Range is priced at £38,545, and the Twin Motor Performance models start at £40,995.

Preliminary WLTP range figures are up to 214 miles for the EX30 Single Motor, 298 miles for the Extended Range and 286 for the Twin Motor Performance.

The standard-range battery uses lithium iron phosphate (LFP) chemistry, is more cost-effective and less resource-intensive to produce. It is also thought to be less liable to degrade over time.

The Single Motor Extended Range variant uses an NMC battery with lithium, nickel, manganese and cobalt, and produces its energy more efficiently than the LFP variant. 

Large parts of the EX30's hardware are shared with the Smart #1 as part of a deal between the companies. 

Inside features a single screen, like rival Tesla

The Twin Motor Performance version pairs the NMC battery with an additional second e-motor to produce 424bhp, giving it a claimed 3.6 second 0-62 time. That’s 0.1 slower than a Tesla Model Y Performance.

As you might expect, the 4x4 version also has the largest towing capacity, at 1,600kg compared to the 1,400kg of the extended range and 1,000kg for the standard model.

When it comes to charging, the extended-range Twin Motor can accept up to 153kW, while the standard-range car has a capacity of 134kW. That means you can charge your battery from 10 to 80 per cent in around 26 minutes.

The twin motor version has a 0-62 time of 3.6 seconds and a 1,600kg towing capacity

Inside, the EX30 has what Volvo describes as ‘Scandinavian interior design’ with a Tesla-like single screen and no other instruments. Like the bigger XC40, it runs on a Google built-in operating system. Customers can choose from four ‘interior rooms’, with different colours and trims.

The EX30 will also become available as a butch Cross Country model from later in 2024. It will feature skidplates on the front, rear and side, special black panels on the front bumper and bootlid, and Cross Country branding. No prices or pictures of this version have been revealed.

The car's hardware is shared with the Smart #1