The electric Volvo EX30 has so much going for it but takes tech too far

​It pains us to write this but… this is just too much. It’s gone too far. We have reached peak digitalisation of cars.

When you have to tap the screen to open the glove box or tap several times to adjust the door mirrors (yes, you read that right) we both feel it has gone too far.

We are in no doubt that the Volvo EX30 is a stunner. It is new and fully electric and, in keeping with the Volvo mantra, it is sturdy and safe.

It may well be fun to drive too, but we couldn’t get past the over-reliance on the fancy touch screen.

There is no driver’s digital display nor is there a Heads-Up display. It is all on the 12.3” portrait-style screen that is positioned right in the middle of the dashboard.

It’s a really good system and houses everything, but that is our biggest gripe here.

Even the speedo is on the screen, so if you are bold enough to want to know what speed you are travelling at and brazenly tilt your head or move your eyes towards the screen you are notified of the fact that you are no longer looking straight ahead.

Another gripe of ours is the key which comes in a credit-card shape and is VERY losable. Now, we must acknowledge that if you were to own one of these cars you would more than likely download the app and have it on your phone, meaning you will open and lock the car merely by stepping away or towards the car. Bingo.

But for our test week we had to, annoyingly, swipe the card on the B-Column each and every time we wanted to open or lock the car.

OK, so that’s the negatives out of the way, let’s move on to the positives as there are far more of those.

Aiming to be a fully-electric brand by 2030, the new ownership (Chinese giant Geely) means this new model is less Swedish. That also means the price point is pretty good and better than you would expect of the popular brand.

Before grants, this is priced from €44,995 which means it is one of the best value premium EVs out there.

To look at, the designers have produced a clean and simple design that is dominated by lovely front nose bookended by their now-standard ‘Thor’ headlights. The rear doesn’t come with a wow factor but at night it looks gorgeous with the LED lighting effects.

Step inside and the cabin is spacious and airy (fewer buttons to get in the way, obviously) and far nicer than you’d expect of a car that can be sitting in your driveway for a little over €40k once the grants kick in.

There are some lovely touches inside too, like the door trim panels that are made of variations on the recycled plastics, and metal door handles which help lift the entire feel.

The first row is very practical, with good-sized door bins and a large open storage area between the seats. That area has its own shallow lidded section with two USB-C sockets, and there are two slide-out cup-holders in the centre armrest. There’s also a wireless phone charging pad at the base of the dashboard.

In row two, passengers get a nifty and convenient slide-out storage area in the centre console all for themselves, but space isn’t in abundance here.

While headroom is good the legroom is tight enough.

The boot boasts a relatively small 318 ltr and there is a small, but always useful, 7-ltr ‘frunk’ too.

The well-priced base model uses a 49kWh lithium-iron phosphate battery, which is cheaper to build and potentially more robust than traditional lithium-ion packs. It’s not as energy-efficient, though, so the range of that basic EX30 is just 344km.

If range is a sticking point for you then there is a bigger battery, a 64kWh unit, based on the usual lithium-ion chemistry. With the same 272hp electric motor as the basic version, this Extended Range model offers up to 474km on a single charge.

Driving wise it is quick (without being silly) and easy (without allowing you to get complacent) and has one of our favourite one-pedal driving experiences going. That system creates regenerative braking and can bring it to a complete stop.

The real range isn’t too far off the SLTP claim, but it is worth noting that the 474km range in our higher- spec test car was closer to 430km over the course of our week-long test.

One thing we both noticed early on and got to really like was how light the steering was.

Of course, this being a Volvo it can be adjusted (for motorway driving) and because it is an EX30 it was all controlled through a few touches of the screen.

Like on other cars we’ve driven recently we would opt for the smaller 19” alloys if given the choice to allow for a less firm driving experience. Not that the 20” offered a particularly hard time.

We both liked the squared-off steering wheel, and the surround-view camera system is second to none.

So, all in all, they have themselves a great car here. It’s just such a shame that they shoved everything behind the screen.

We have got used to most applications and features requiring a swipe of a screen nowadays, but we think this has gone too far.

It must be acknowledged, though, that buyers may get used to it, thanks to muscle memory and more patience.

And if they do – they have a cracker in their driveway.