Volvo is leading the way with the development of electric vehicles.
Where other luxury manufacturers are dipping their toes by retrofitting existing ICE models, the Swedes have jumped straight in, boots and all.
The EX30 is one of the new models that completely breaks the mould, following the superb C40 as an electric-only model.
As such, the EX30 occupies a unique space in the market — it's bigger and more spacious inside than what you'd assume a "small" SUV or cross-over would be, and from the outside, looks more akin to what a hatchback would be in terms of size. It's in its own class.
Now, why does it deserve to be the 2025 South African Car of the Year?
As IOL's top motoring fundi Jason Woosey has explained to me (he's on the South African COTY judging panel), the winning vehicles really change the game, shifting the goalposts. And Volvo's EX30 does just that.
Take for example, the key fob. There are no buttons. None. Not a single one. The fob's proximity to the car preconditions the motor and unlocks the vehicle. There is a failsafe zone on the B-pillar you can hold the fob to if you're having trouble getting into the car.
The theme of no buttons continues into the cabin. On the centre console armrest, there are just two buttons to operate the front and rear windows.
There are no buttons on the dashboard — everything is controlled via the massive touchscreen dominating the centre stack. Even the glovebox – now positioned under the touchscreen – drops out via a shortcut on the touchscreen.
Climate control? Touchscreen.
Volume control? Touchscreen.
Speed warnings, active and passive safety features, road sign recognition, etc.? Touchscreen.
Sideview mirror adjustment? Touchscreen, in combination with steering-mounted controls.
The gear selector has moved to the steering column, which continues Volvo's minimalistic approach to the interior.
What this allows for is space. There is so much storage you'll have trouble filling it. The cupholders extend forward from inside the centre console armrest and can be set for either one, or two receptacles.
Beneath the upper storage compartments is a massive shelf that can swallow up even the most voluminous of handbags. There are even hidden cubby holes beneath the "false floor" of this storage space.
Your cellphones are kept from slipping and sliding around by rubberised pads in the upright phone compartments at the fore-end of the lower centre console storage bin, with one of them doubling-up as a wireless charging pad.
The doorbins? Cavernous.
The point is, you won't be caught wanting for place to stow your items.
The interior is quite possibly Volvo's greenest and most vegan yet — most of the interior materials from the dashboard to the door cards to the carpets are all recycled materials. The vegan "leather" trim comes standard on the seats, which are both heated and ventilated.
The EX30 doesn't have a big footprint, but this doesn't translate to the experience inside the cabin. The massive full-length glass roof adds to an air of spaciousness, and the sky-blue interior adds to the illusion of space.
I'm a sucker for a frameless rearview mirror; Volvo's EX30 has frameless side mirrors to boot.
Then, there's the boot.
Due to the fact that it's an electric vehicle, the floor space is eaten up by the batteries, but there's also no wheel well below the boot's floor; the EX30 comes with a puncture repair kit instead of a spare.
It's not the biggest boot; and here's where similarities with a hatchback become more common (more about that in a bit). It's not big, but it's enough. The baby's pram was swallowed up comfortably enough, with ample space for groceries.
Then there's the performance, which takes this car from hatchback territory to beyond hot hatch territory.
Thanks to the electric motors on the EX30 Twin, it races to 100km/h faster than a GTi. Its performance is impressive. The AWD Twin model puts out 315kW and 543Nm, which will rocket you to 100km/h in just 3.6 seconds.
The single motor models aren't too shabby either, with 200kW of power and 343Nm which take a smidge over 5 seconds to reach the 100km/h mark.
Compare that to a GTi, which costs more by the way, with its 184kW and 0-100km/h sprint time of 6.4 seconds, and really, opting for the EX30 is a no brainer.
Plus, with electric power, there's zero lag so the torque is immediate.
What about range, I hear you anti-EV grumbles mumble? The base EX30 priced at R835,500 will take you around 344km on a full charge, and it can reach 80% in under half an hour on a fast-charger.
The extended range models will take you up to 470km on a full charge, and for something with this kind of blistering performance which uses regenerative braking to help charge you up while pottering through South Africa's ubiquitous traffic, you really don't need any further arguments to be made.
The Volvo EX30 looks every bit as futuristic as its tech is, and with Google as the operating system, it becomes even more of an enticing prospect.
"Hey Google, I'm a little cold."
"Ok," Google replies in a helpful tone, "I'm turning up the temperature by two degrees."
"Hey Google, I'm running low on battery."
"Ok," she responds cheerfully, "Here are the nearest charging stations. Would you like directions?"
Volvo's EX30 has what it takes to become South Africa's 2025 Car of the Year when judging happens in March. I know who I'll be voting for.
Hey Google, can you order me a Volvo EX30?
IOL Motoring