POLAR POWER

Volvo's smallest EV doesn't just join the electric rush — it makes the future feel like it's already here

- By Yash Sunil Photographs Kaizad Adil Darukhanawala

Doubt is fashionable in the electric-car world. Governments keep moving the goalposts, carmakers hedge their bets, and buyers wait for someone else to blink first. Volvo, meanwhile, is acting like none of that noise exists. It's circled a date on the calendar for going all-electric and isn't looking back. The EX30 is the clearest signal yet, a compact SUV that's less about chasing trends and more about making the EV future feel inevitable.

While Volvo already sells electric models in India, the EX30 is different. It's the brand's first EV designed from a clean sheet, with no hand-me-down parts from a petrol sibling. Built on the sustainable experience architecture (SEA) platform, it benefits from the low, wide stance and short overhangs that only a dedicated EV chassis can offer.

The EX30 wears its EV identity with confidence. No fake grille, no pretending to be something it isn't, just a clean, handsome front end that's all the better for it. The designers deserve credit: the EX30 is striking and immediately likeable, channelling the signature Swedish charm we've come to expect from modern Volvos. Think Thor's Hammer headlights, pronounced shoulder lines, and high-mounted rear lights, all wrapped in proportions that cleverly disguise its boxy SUV form with a contrasting roof.