The all-new Volvo EX30 was developed using the same know-how that made the Smart #1 a class leader. But can the newcomer leapfrog its relative?

Photography: John Bradshaw

NEW

Smart #1 Premium

List price £38,950

Target Price £38,950 With a plush interior and punchy performance, our reigning Small Electric SUV of the Year will be hard to beat

Volvo EX30 Single Motor Extended Range Plus

List price £38,545 Target Price £38,545 The smallest SUV yet from Volvo is based on the same underpinnings as the #1, but has a longer official range whatcar.com May 2024 83

Like a reusable water bottle, a sustainably produced hiking jacket or a veganfriendly backpack, the electric Volvo EX30 is both a fashion accessory and a talking point. Not only is it the smallest SUV yet from the Swedish brand, but the claim that it has the lowest carbon footprint of any Volvo to date makes quite a positive ecological statement.

But we know what you’re thinking: virtue signalling doesn’t come cheap. Well, in this case, things are different; the EX30’s starting price (albeit for a model with a relatively small battery) is very competitive. Meanwhile, even in the mid-tier Single Motor Extended Range Plus form we have here, it costs roughly the same as our reigning Small Electric SUV of the Year, the Smart #1 Premium.

That social media-inspired name might be a bit cringeworthy, but the #1 will be tough to beat in most other regards; when we tested it previously, we were impressed by its punchy performance, quick charging and upmarket interior.

Then again, with Smartand Volvo both being owned by Chinese giant Geely, the #1 and EX30 actually have verysimilar underpinnings. And if any brand has shown it knows how to produce a highly desirable premium SUV, it’s Volvo.

DRIVING

Performance, ride, handling, refinement

Each car is powered by a 268bhp electric motor that drives the rear wheels. So, although the EX30 proved slightly faster than the #1 in our tests (0-60mph took the former 5.5sec and the latter 5.9sec), both are much nippier than such rivals as the Hyundai Kona Electric (7.8sec) and Kia Niro EV (7.4sec).

Unlike those front-wheel-drive models, which can easily break traction when pulling out of slippery junctions, the #1 and EX30 have no problem putting their power down on the road; when accelerating, the physics of their weight shifting rearwards pushes the driven wheels harder against the Tarmac, increasing traction.