DS is less of a known quantity because of its links with Citroen, but the company is attempting to offer a concierge level of service to DS No8 buyers.

Verdict

Winner: Volvo ES90

There’s a bit of a price difference between these two cars, with the base version of the ES90 costing more than the highest-spec DS No8, but it really is a case of getting what you pay for. The Volvo is more luxurious, more efficient and has better space in the back, and yet the base model is so well equipped that it seems frivolous to upgrade to another version.

It’s not without its faults, though. Rear space isn’t as generous as it could be, courtesy of the high floor, and while comfort is good, there’s not much fun to be had from behind the wheel.

Runner up: DS No8

There is a lot to like about the DS No8. The looks will be a matter of taste, but we like that DS has gone out on a limb with the coupé-SUV look after the more restrained DS9, while the cabin’s Art Deco ambience offers a breath of fresh air when compared with more conservative executive rivals.

It’s quiet and refined, and the suspension is largely comfortable, if not as pillow soft as we’d like from a maker that emphasises past luxury. The biggest disappointment is the relative lack of space in the back.

Prices and specs

What we would choose

Volvo ES90

You can add kit from Ultra trim to the Plus model, including electrochromatic tinting of the panoramic glass (£995) and air suspension (£1,995). Vented seats are £800, but Nappa leather (£1,495) is only an option on Ultra cars.

DS No8

The black bonnet and roof cost £500, while you can add smaller 19-inch wheels (£150) or larger 21-inch rims (£1,100). Our car’s brown Nappa leather is a £1,600 add-on; the Etoile model has blue Alcantara as standard.

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• The Volvo EX30 made big promises when it was announced a couple of years ago.
• Edmunds bought one and now, a year later, the verdict is in.
• From an ultra-sensitive driver monitoring system to the key fob that works only half the time, the EX30 has been “a very frustrating car to live with.”

The Volvo EX30 was supposed to be the next great small, powerful, and affordable EV in America. With an estimated starting price of around $35,000, it had a lot going for it—at least on paper.

But that price never materialized, and the first units shipped to the U.S. ended up costing a lot more. Edmunds bought one of those cars, a 2025 Volvo EX30 Twin Motor Performance, for $47,895. One year and 8,000 miles later, the publication is not mincing words: “It’s been rough,” the staff unanimously said about the Swedish small EV, pointing to glitchy software, insufficient driving range, lackluster charging speeds, and an infuriating key fob.

But first, let’s start with a few good things. The EX30 is a properly small car—21 inches shorter than the Tesla Model Y—and it has its advantages. It can be parked pretty much everywhere, and yet it still has enough interior space for four adults.

The seats are really comfortable, the cabin design is creative, and it’s properly quick, with Edmunds clocking the EV’s zero-to-60 miles per hour sprint at just 3.6 seconds—the same as a brand-new Porsche 911 Cabriolet.

However, the good stuff ends here. The biggest gripe with the car’s driving experience is linked to the overly sensitive driver monitoring system, which immediately beeps to alarm the driver when they take their eyes off the road. That may come in handy when there’s an immediate danger, but it’s also extremely annoying because Volvo forces the driver to take their eyes off the road to operate the centrally-mounted infotainment touchscreen that controls all of the settings.

The software experience has been lackluster, with Apple CarPlay sometimes failing to launch. What’s more, there are only two window switches, with an additional “Rear” button that needs to be pressed to operate the rear windows, but the capacitive button itself doesn’t work all the time.

Then, there’s the key, which isn’t actually a key. It doesn’t have any buttons and instead only locks and unlocks the car based on proximity. The problem here, as explained by Edmunds’ staff, is that it only works half of the time. Sometimes, it even locks the car when you try to open the door, which can be extremely frustrating. That said, there is a digital key that fixes all of these issues, but you have to use your smartphone.

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Source: Patrick George

The 2025 model year in Edmunds’ fleet doesn’t have true one-pedal driving, but later models come with the feature baked in.

It’s worth noting that we experienced some of these issues when driving a similar 2025 EX30 last year. Our former editor-in-chief even considered buying a new EX30, but ultimately went for a Hyundai Ioniq 5 because of the issues.

Range-wise, this particular car has 250 miles of EPA-rated range, while the Edmunds range test puts it at 256 miles. If highways are used predominantly, then the range drops to around 200 miles, which is not exactly good for road-tripping, seeing how charging speeds are also not the best, with a peak of around 150 kilowatts and a claimed 10-to-80% time of 26 minutes.

With all this in mind, Edmunds points out that the EX30 has been a very reliable car over the past 12 months. It never broke down, and it never left anyone stranded. Volvo also pushed several software updates that vastly improved the vehicle compared to when it was new. Initially, it was a mess of a car that felt unfinished—it should have been shipped last year with all the features that it has now.

The EX30 has been discontinued in the United States after just two years on sale, so all of these niggles won’t affect any new owners, but those looking for a used one should take all of this into consideration.

Good morning and welcome to The Downshift, or TDS for short.

Quick, dense, and short, TDS gathers the latest automotive headlines from around the globe and places them in one spot. Stories are summarized in a single sentence accompanied by a link for those seeking more information.

The first cup of coffee is gone, and a second is needed. Let’s get into it.

What I’m driving: Spending the week with the 2026 Lexus GX and am truly interested to see how I feel about this thing after the weekend and a road trip up north. At the launch, in a short, curated session I loved the GX and felt it challenged the Land Rover Defender, but after spending a week with it road tripping and towing in the real world I found it loud, crude, thin, and annoying despite it’s gorgeous design. It’s been two years, let’s see how things shape up this time in a new timeline.

After bailing on the electric future and taking a massive loss Honda America planning chief Gary Robinson said hybrids will form the “core” of the automaker’s business and are now expected to overtake pure gas-powered vehicle sales later this decade; Acura’s lineup will shift to be almost all hybrids while Honda’s showroom will be a little more selective on which vehicle gets which powertrain.

Jeep recalled 61,711 Cherokee SUVs because the two-speed power transfer unit in the transmission might experience catastrophic failure.

BMW is working on a less expensive Neue Klasse EV that will wear the 1 Series nameplate.

Tesla raised Model Y prices by $500 to $1,000.

The 2027 Volvo EX60 lineup was priced with a 300-mile variant costing less than $60,000; the electric EX60 also costs less than a comparable plug-in hybrid XC60 model.

Congress now wants you to pay $130 a year to drive an electric car; lawmakers say EV drivers have to “pay their fair share” since they won’t be paying a gas tax, though many states are already charging EV drivers a fee to compensate for the lack of gas tax income.

Volvo confirmed the now dead EX30 will be replaced with an affordable, larger, EV next year; the replacement is expected to wear the EX40 badge.

BYD aims to take on the Land Rover Defender with the Ti7 seven-seat hybrid SUV in the UK later this year.

Ford’s set to launch five “rally-bred” cars in Europe by 2029.

Got a news tip or feedback? Drop us a line at tips@thedrive.com

The only significant way my situation differs from the typical EX30 buyer’s is that I’m not an empty-nester – my wife and I have an 11-year-old daughter in tow. As a result, the EX30’s introduction to Pringle family life has been a diet of short suburban journeys, mainly to and from school, football training and matches, and the shops.

That means I haven’t tested the car’s range at all, although it was a deliberate choice to pick the Extended Range model – as most EX30 buyers do. This can officially manage 296 miles per charge, and while that hasn’t been a concern so far, a welcome side-effect is that I’ve only had to charge the car once in its first three weeks with me.

Tougher tests will come, but for now the EX30 is settling perfectly into its role. I’m enjoying the smooth and responsive electric powertrain around town, as well as the excellent refinement – in terms of both the lack of noise inside the car, and the way the suspension deals with poor road surfaces.

The Volvo is practical enough for our three-person family, and the tech works well, too. I particularly like the built-in Google Maps navigation, Apple CarPlay has worked faultlessly for streaming music, and I easily linked the car to the Volvo smartphone app.

My only complaints so far are that – as in so many cars these days – some of the safety-assist features are a little over-eager (although I’ve programmed a button on the steering wheel to turn off the speed alert with a single press). I’m going to need a while to get to grips with the complexities of the infotainment system, too. Otherwise, I’ve certainly come up trumps with this Volvo.

*Insurance quote from AA (0800 107 0680) for a 42-year-old in Banbury, Oxon, with three points.

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