Volvo EX30 vs Kia EV3

It’s time for another compact electric SUV showdown – this time, we’re putting the Volvo EX30 and Kia EV3 up against each other.

Do you like quick, clever and stylish electric cars?

Do you want that quick, clever and stylish electric car to be affordable?

Would you like your affordable, quick, clever and stylish car to have a decent range?

Excellent. You’re in the right place. We’ve once again taken two of the coolest – and newest – electric cars on the market and thrown them into the ring to find out which one is best.

It’s a hobby. 

It gives me the same feeling that I had when I was younger when my brother and I used to pit his toy soldiers against each other. But with cars. 

Today we’re taking Volvo’s newest SUV – the Volvo EX30 – and putting it head-to-head with Kia’s baby EV3.

But if you’re after a compact electric car lease, which one should you go for? Read on to find out. 

Overview

We’re big fans of the little Volvo EX30.

Volvo never misses when designing SUVs, and the newest Volvo EX30 is no exception. It’s the baby of the SUV line-up, a compact electric SUV that’ll slot quite happily into your family life.

And it’s a desirable one. It’ll look great on your driveway, even better zipping down the motorway, and you’ll be turning heads when you turn into any car park.

If you’re going to lease a compact electric SUV, this is an excellent option.

But what about rival, the Kia EV3?

It’s the South Korean manufacturers latest EV, following behind the already-popular Kia EV6 and EV9. But it’s more compact, eventually replacing the Kia Soul EV as the smallest electric car in the line-up.

There’s a definite family resemblance between the EV3 and the EV9, with Kia leaning into that futuristic, boxy, spaceship look. If you’d asked a child 30 years ago to draw a car from the future, it would probably look something like the Kia EV3.

Except the Kia EV3 doesn’t fly, or drive itself around.

Not yet, at least.

Looks

Volvo EX30

There’s no denying that the Volvo EX30 is a Volvo.

Which is a weird sentence, granted, but there’s just something about a Volvo that has you pointing at it and saying ‘isn’t that a nice Volvo’ before you’ve even spied the badge.

Elements like the ‘Thor’s Hammer’ lights and chunky lines give it away, and tidy it up into a very nice and compact package. It really is like someone took a Volvo EX90, put it on a very hot wash, and shrank it.

When it comes to paint, the EX30 is available in a number of fetching two-tone options, including Cloud Blue and Moss Yellow. If you’re not a two-tone sort of person, it’s also available in all over black if that takes your fancy.

Inside, the EX30 is just as delightful. It feels properly upmarket. If you’re after a premium-feeling car without the premium-feeling price tag, the EX30 hits that sweet spot very well. The build quality is impressive, the whole package feels very well put together, and the finishing materials look and feel good.

Volvo have also used a lot of recycled materials in the making of the EX30, taking the naturally low CO2 status of the EV and running with it.

The recycled materials used in the trim include waste from jeans factories, fishing nets, disposable plastic bottles and chopped-up uPVC window frames. According to Volvo’s figures, more than one-sixth of the plastic, one-sixth of the steel and one-quarter of the aluminium in the whole car is recycled.

Even the cabin is designed to save energy and materials, with its simple, minimalist Scandi vibe. 

Kia EV3

In terms of exterior look, the Kia EV3 is not that dissimilar to the Volvo EX30.

It’s a little more futuristic, a little sharper, but it’s definitely still an SUV. It bears resemblance to the seven-seater EV9, but in a delightful compact package.

If you like your car to stand out from the crowd, then you’ll love the EV3.

The interior of the EV3 continues the trend of nicking details from the EV9, with the two cabins sharing the same infotainment system and design inspiration. 

It’s well-built and the overall quality is good, with plenty of different materials used throughout the car to boost the aesthetic, and make it both look and feel appealing. It might be Kia’s budget EV offering, but they’re not scrimping on the finish to achieve the smaller price tag.

Like Volvo, Kia have leaned into the sustainable element of electric driving, with plenty of recycled fabrics and plastics used across the car's interior, from the dashboard to the seats to the doors.

Though it’s not quite as minimalist as the cool-as-a-cucumber Volvo, with the EV3’s hat-trick of screens and finishing flourishes. 

Practicality

With both cars being compact SUVs, they straddle the line between practical family car and nippy little city runaround very nicely. Not so big that you’ll struggle to park, but not so small that you won’t be able to take it on a family holiday.

Volvo EX30

Volvo have labelled the EX30 a crossover, and ostensibly it is. But in terms of size, it’s pretty much a taller hatch. 

It’s the smallest car Volvo have built for some years, and it makes sense in the line-up, slotting underneath the still-compact-but-not-quite-as-diddy Volvo EX40. 

Though saying that, the Volvo EX30 still isn’t what you’d call a very small car. Sure, it’s on the compact side. But if you’re looking for something for a smaller family, it’s still a decent size. And it’s much easier to park. Especially in those multi-storey car parks that are almost definitely shrinking the spaces, like aeroplane seats.

You won’t have any issues with space in the front of the car, even if you reach the lofty heights of six feet and above. 

There’s plenty of head and elbow room to avoid clashing, and the seats slide back a decent amount so your knees aren’t making friends with the glove box. Taller people will also be fine in the two outer rear seats, though it might start to get a little cramped if you’re trying to carry three adults in the back.

It does have a flat floor though, so if your friends and/or family don’t mind getting a little cosy, they’ll at least have plenty of room for their feet.

The boot is also practical for the size.

It comes in at 400L with the seats up and expands to 904L with the seats down, but also has a useful height-adjustable floor. With the floor raised to its highest position and the rear seats (which fold in a 60/40 configuration) down, you get a lovely flat surface to pack all your belongings onto, making tip trips and Ikea days out a breeze.

There’s a 61L frunk, handy for stashing mucky charging cables in, and plenty of clever little storage bits dotted throughout the cabin to hide away all of life’s odds and ends (or your emergency snack supply)(we’d go for some chocolate eclairs). 

Kia EV3

The Kia EV3 is also practical for its size – and in fact, it is a touch bigger than the Volvo, if space is something you’re worried about.

Like the EX30, taller people will have no issues fitting into the front, and the interior is so wide that you won’t be in any danger of brushing shoulders.

There’s a little more space in the back for adults too, with the rear of the EV3 coming in slightly larger than in its Swedish rival. Shoulder room will still be fairly tight, but there’s plenty of head and leg room.

The EV3’s cabin has decent storage too. 

The door bins are a little small, but the centre console has plenty of trays, cupholders and cubbies, as well as a slide-out tray under the central armrest. You could use it to rest a laptop on if you need to work while parked. But you could also use it as a very handy food tray, if you wanted to indulge in a little car picnic.

Need more space in the boot?

You’ll want to go for the EV3 over the EX30 – the boot comes in at a very respectable 460L, though the frunk is only 25L. Still good enough to stow away charging cables and keep them a bit tidier, or hide away muddy wellies after a walk.

Technology

This is where it starts to get good when you go electric – there’s so much cool stuff you can do with an EV, and manufacturers aren’t shying away from cramming their newer vehicles with as much tech as possible.

Kia EV3

The Kia EV3 is absolutely packed with screens. 

In total, there’s nearly 30in of screenage across three displays, including a 12.3in instrument cluster, 12.3in infotainment display, and a 5in air con panel tucked between the other two.

But despite the sheer amount of screens, they’re not overwhelming. 

The instrument cluster is clear, customisable and easy to read, while the central infotainment screen is crisp and simple to use. And though many functions are tucked away in those screens, the steering wheel does have some physical switchgear, and there are actual buttons for the climate control underneath the smaller screen.

Kia also claims to be the first to bring Vehicle-to-Load (V2L) charging to the more compact end of the EV market.

V2L is available on the top-spec EV3, and it’s quite a nifty bit of kit to have. It lets you charge and/or power external appliances or devices like laptops and phones. Avid camper? You could even power an electric cooker or coffee machine with your car.

Or snuggle up with a TV and a loved one and have an EV3-based movie night.

Volvo EX30

While the Volvo EX30 doesn’t have the V2L capability, there’s still plenty of tech for you to get your teeth into. The 12.3in touchscreen was co-developed by Google, and it’s one of the best on the market.

As standard, you get Android Automotive, which includes Google Maps and Google Assistant. Apple CarPlay is available, but Android Auto (a different bit of tech to Android Automotive) isn’t.

The touchscreen is crisp and quick to respond, and though there are no physical buttons or switches for the most-used functions, and you do have to delve through several screens to get to what you need, the voice control is very good and will make life easier on the go. 

Range

In many newer EVs, short range is a thing of the past. 

Despite their keener pricing, both the Volvo EX30 and the Kia EV3 come with pretty decent ranges, depending on the model you pick.

And with the average driver in the UK covering 142 miles a week, you’ll have no issues getting there and back again, especially if you have access to an at-home or workplace EV charger. 

Volvo EX30

The Volvo EX30 comes in three different guises when you’re looking specifically at range. The Single Motor, with its smaller 49kWh battery, has an official WLTP Comb range of 213 miles, which should be good for everyday driving with no issues.

Need more range?

Hop up to the Single Motor Extended Range, with a larger 64kWh battery which is good for an official claimed range of 295 miles.

Want more fun?

Take a gander at the Twin Motor Performance. It has a second electric motor driving the front wheels, making it a four-wheel-drive with 422bhp and a 0-62mph time of 3.6 seconds (the same as the Tesla Model Y Performance). The extra power does drop the range to 279 miles though.

But the trade-off might just be worth it.

Kia EV3

The Kia EV3 has two battery sizes on offer – a smaller 58.3kWh number or the larger 81.4kWh. Both are bigger than the respective batteries on offer in the Volvo though, so if you’re looking to balance range and price, it’s likely the EV3 that’ll win your heart.

The Kia’s smaller, entry-level battery has a WLTP Comb range of 267 miles, while the larger has an official range of 372 miles.

For a compact EV, they’re not bad stats.

Specifications

Kia EV3

Coming to the home stretch now – a quick dash through the trim list.

Even in the entry-level Kia EV3 (the Air) comes well-equipped, and honestly it’s got pretty much everything you could need if you’re looking to keep costs down. 

As standard, the Air has heated front seats, heated steering wheel, automatic LED headlights, automatic air conditioning, keyless entry and start, and cruise control – amongst other bits of kit. 

If you do have a bit more cash to flash, step up to the mid-spec GT-Line trim, which adds larger 19in alloy wheels, sportier styling, automatic flush door handles, wireless phone charging, rear privacy glass and electrically adjustable driver lumbar support.

The EV3 range is rounded out with the GT-Line S, which comes with basically everything you could think of, including an upgraded eight-speaker Harman Kardon stereo system, customisable head-up display, electrically adjustable heated and ventilated front seats, heated outer rear seats, electric tailgate, and optional heat pump.

On the safety front, every EV3 comes with automatic emergency braking, blind-spot collision avoidance, and a driver attention warning system, while the top GT-Line S gets blind-spot monitoring cameras and parking collision avoidance.

Volvo EX30

Over in the Swedish camp, the Volvo EX30 is also available in three specifications: Core, Plus and Ultra.

Again, even the entry-level Core comes with plenty of kit, including a rear parking camera, rear parking sensors, automatic LED headlights with active high beam and 18in alloy wheels. 

Upgrade to the mid-spec Plus and you’ll also get a Harman Kardon audio system, dual-zone climate control with a heat pump, heated front seats and steering wheel, and front and rear parking sensors. Ultra, the top dog of the line-up, brings with it a 360-degree camera, automatic parking tech, a panoramic roof, 20in alloy, power-adjustable front seats and tinted rear windows.

And you know the EX30 is packed with plenty of safety tech – it is a Volvo, after all. As standard, it gets automatic emergency braking, rear cross-traffic alert, traffic-sign recognition, and a system that alerts you if you start to open a door when a cyclist or car is approaching.

Handy. 

Verdict

Making a decision is hard.

Making a decision is doubly hard when you’re deciding on your next car lease and you’ve got two very good choices in front of you.

We don’t envy you.

But ultimately, it really does come down to personal choice. Both a Volvo EX30 lease and a Kia EV3 lease would do you well, whether you need a car just for you, for a small family, or for you and a furry friend.

If range is your biggest priority, then the Kia EV3 might just clinch it for you.

Equally, if you’re looking for something well built and safe, you won’t go far wrong with the Volvo EX30.

Whichever car you pick, we’re sure you’ll rack up many happy miles. Even if there are a few back-seat arguments along the way.