Volvo EX30 Cross Country long-term test: what's this small electric SUV like to live with?

• Report 1: We welcome Volvo's baby electric SUV to the fleet
• Report 2: Have we got the 'wrong' EX30 Cross Country?

Report 1: We welcome Volvo's baby electric SUV to the fleet

We're spending the next three months with Volvo’s smallest new car, the EX30, to find out what it's like to live with.

Date: 23 March 2026 | Current mileage: 3321 miles | Claimed efficiency: 3.4 miles/kWh | Actual efficiency: 2.9 miles/kWh

The Volvo EX30 has been a big hit for the Swedish brand since its launch back in 2023. The most affordable way to get into the Volvo range with prices starting at just over £33,000, it's charmed buyers with its stylish looks, comfy ride and easy driving characteristics. 

It's also frustrated car reviewers with its reliance on a large touchscreen to adjust and view everything. And we mean everything – there's no digital dash on the EX30, so things like your current speed requires a glance down and to your left to see how fast you're going. 

Volvo's refined the interface over time with various over-the-air updates, so has it made it easier to use? That's what we're hoping to find out as we spend the next three months with one. But we're not spending it with any old EX30, but the top-of-the-range EX30 Cross Country.

The Cross Country bit in the model name takes things up a notch – quite literally, with the car sitting some 19mm higher than the standard car. This is to try and make it look and feel a bit more off-roady, just like Volvo has done with its Cross Country estates in the past. 

Not only is it jacked up a bit, but it also has front and rear bumper skid plates, black plastic cladding round the wheel arches and 19-inch alloy wheels with some chunkier tyres fitted. And how can we forget the matt-black plastic cladding on the front and back of the car? Look closely at the front of the EX30 Cross Country and you'll find that the cladding is embossed with the topography of a Swedish mountain range. All this makes the EX30 CC look a bit more rufty tufty than the standard EX30. To complete the look, our EX30 Cross Country is finished in 'Sand Dune'

Unlike the standard EX30, which is available with either a single or twin-motor set-up and a choice of three different trim levels, the EX30 Cross Country is only currently available with twin motors and Volvo's top-spec Ultra trim. 

As we've found with the standard car, the Twin Motor seems a bit overkill for a small electric SUV – with 428PS on tap it's quicker than a Ferrari F40 to 62mph... Battery range is officially 273 miles, which is decent, but it does mean we'll probably be getting familiar with rapid chargers on longer trips.

At home, we'll be charging the EX30 Cross Country with our Pod Point Solo 3S home charger, though I still need to get my act together and swap my Octopus Energy tariff over to a more EV-friendly one. Which probably hints at the fact that this is my first EV long-termer after running numerous PHEVs, hybrids and petrol cars over the years.

Ultra trim means our EX30 CC long-termer is dripping with features as well – there's a panoramic roof, 360-degree camera, wireless phone charging, adaptive cruise control, Park Pilot Assist, a powered tailgate, a Harman Kardon sound system, electrically adjusted front seats and much more. In keeping with the outdoorsy feel of our EX30 Cross Country, the interior upholstery is a wool blend finished in a calming green hue that Volvo calls Pine. 

Such a plethora of standard features does mean that there's not much need to tick many options (though we'd always like a retractable tow bar – a £1,475 extra if you're interested). Factor in the twin motors and the premium you pay for the Cross Country 'version' and you're looking at just over £47,000 for this small electric SUV. 

As always, it's not just going to be me living with it, but my wife and two girls, as well as the family dog. Will its size hold it back from being considered a 'proper' family car? And will the tech and range prove frustrating? So far at least its been a positive start, but it's going to be an interesting few months living with the EX30 Cross Country. 

Report 2: Have we got the 'wrong' EX30 Cross Country?

Date: 13 April 2026 | Current mileage: 3723 miles | Claimed efficiency: 3.4 miles/kWh | Actual efficiency: 3.0 miles/kWh

We're a few weeks into our time with the Volvo EX30 Cross Country and it's been pretty plain sailing so far. Most of our time has been spent doing lots of short trips, with lots of ferrying of children to various clubs, meaning we've only had to charge it once a week. 

After the huge Mazda CX-80 that we ran previously, we're also appreciating the compact dimensions of the EX30 CC. It slips into parking spaces without a fuss, while the clarity of the 360-degree camera is excellent. 

And as we touched on in our first EX30 Cross Country long-term report, it also goes like a rocket ship when you find a clear piece of road. The shove in the back is immense when you stab the throttle, with things that initially seem far off in the distance quickly appearing right in front of you.

Maybe I'm getting old, but this feels a little unnecessary in a compact family SUV. To use that old idiom, it's a bit like having a sledgehammer to crack a nut. 

I'm not the only one – when the Volvo EX30 Cross Country was launched last year, many queried why it was only available with the Twin Motor set-up. It seems like Volvo has listened. Without much fanfare, a look at the Volvo configurator will reveal that the EX30 Cross Country is now available with the less powerful single motor setup that's also available on the rest of the EX30 range.

Delivering all its power to the rear wheels, it's still quick. There's a decent 272PS available that sees 62mph dispatched in as little as 5.4 seconds. That's just as brisk as a Skoda Elroq vRS if you're interested, so it's still fast, while range increases a smidge over the Twin Motor car, increasing to almost 288 miles officially. That's about 15 miles more than our car, though you'll still have to stop and charge before a Skoda Elroq vRS owner will, which has a range of up to 339 miles.

Officially named the P5 Long Range Electric, there's also a decent amount of cash to be saved compared to our Twin Motor model (which Volvo has now called the P8 AWD Electric for 2026). How decent? A £2500 saving is nothing to be sniffed at – it brings the price down to £44,560. If we're sticking with the Skoda Elroq vRS comparison, the EX30 Cross Country P5 Long Range Electric undercuts it by almost £2500.

You can save even more money if you want to, because the EX30 Cross Country is now available in mid-range Plus trim. Unlike the standard car, the exterior looks remain pretty much the same between the Plus and Ultra options, with only the tinted rear windows of the Ultra car giving the game away. Inside, you do miss out on some creature comforts - gone is the panoramic roof and the handy 360-degree camera, as well as things like powered seats in the front. But, if you're prepared to make a few sacrifices, this does bring the price down to £41,260, saving almost £6000 compared to our car. 

And this is probably the configuration I'd plump for if I were spec'ing an EX30 Cross Country myself. I'd miss the airiness of the panoramic roof, but other than that, I wouldn't feel like I'm missing out on anything. Performance is still impressive, too, and you're getting a fraction more range as well. What's not to like?