Volvo EX30 - long-term-review

Uh oh, there’s a problem with some EX30s. Volvo’s asking affected owners to limit recharging to 70 per cent – not 80 or the full 100, which TopGear.com is keen on doing – because there might be a very small risk of fire.

Volvo’s identified a potential issue with the high-voltage battery cells made by a particular supplier on some EX30s built between 2024 and 2026: the Twin Motor Performance ones, and the Single Motor Extended Range ones. We’re running the latter, and both cars of course get the larger 69kWh NMC battery, as opposed to the entry level EX30's 51kWh LFP unit. 

“In rare cases, the battery can overheat when charged to a high level,” Volvo told TopGear.com, “which could in a worst-case scenario lead to a fire starting in the battery.

“Safety is a top priority for Volvo Cars, and while the number of reported incidents is very small – representing around 0.02 per cent of the cars we have identified as potentially affected – and we have no reports of related personal injuries, we are treating it very seriously,” it added.

That ‘treating it very seriously’ will amount to a recall “as soon as possible” for a fix on affected cars, while in the meantime, it’s asking certain owners to limit recharging up to 70 per cent.

“We will contact them again as soon as a fix is available,” said Volvo, noting that no other car it makes is affected by this notice, and indeed not all EX30s are affected. Mercifully, TopGear.com's EX30 isn't on the list.