Volvo’s new EX30 electric SUV may be small in size, but it’s big on safety

Volvo is set to release its smallest SUV ever with the electric EX30. Despite its compact size, the Volvo EX30 is packed with safety features to protect “both you and others in hectic urban environments.”

In January, Jim Rowan, Volvo’s CEO, confirmed that the brand would release its smallest and cheapest electric SUV this summer.

For the first time, Rowan says, Volvo is aiming the EX30 at a completely different demographic in younger people. He continued to explain the age demographic at Volvo is “a little older than we’d like” and that the brand is looking to get younger generations involved.

To do so, Rowan stresses the importance of a competitive starting price, decent driving range, and the ability to buy online. With the Volvo C40 Recharge and XC40 starting at $55,300 and $53,550, respectively, we can expect the EX30 to be priced around the low to mid $40,000.

Although the EX30 represents several firsts for the brand, Volvo is not stepping away from its core strengths. Volvo’s are known for their safety, and the EX30 will carry on the tradition.

Volvo EX30 takes city safety to the next level

Volvo says the EX30 electric SUV will build on its 96 years of safety innovations and will be “as safe as you can expect a Volvo to be.”

The small electric SUV includes several features to protect you and those around you in the city. As Asa Haglund, head of Volvo Cars Safety Centre, explains:

We have long had a focus on safety in city environments where cars share space with pedestrians and cyclists. With the Volvo EX30 we are taking city safety to the next level, creating a small SUV that is your perfect companion for a comfortable driving experience, while it looks after you and other people on the busy streets of modern cities.

With 60 cyclists getting killed or seriously injured on average by car doors in the UK alone, Volvo is including a door-opening alert system. When you’re about to open the door, the EX30 can warn you with visuals and sounds if there are passing cyclists or other traffic.

Based on Volvo’s safety experience and research on real-world accidents, the EX30 features advanced technology and state-of-the-art structural design to protect divers and passengers.

Volvo says it has reinforced the chassis and safety cage with high-strength steel to help offset the impacts of a possible crash. In addition, the A and C pillars, alongside the roof, are strengthened and optimized for safety.

On the inside, the EX30 is equipped with a new advanced driver alert system as standard. The system features sensors and algorithms designed to detect eye and face movements around 13 times per second to notify you if you are distracted or tired before you even know it.

Volvo says it will share more details on the EX30’s safety and tech during its global debut coming up on June 7.