2026 Volvo EX30 Cross Country Makes the All-Terrain Trim Electric
The new EX30 CC has standard all-wheel drive, a raised ride height, skid plates, and available all-terrain tires.
Volvo hasn't yet announced pricing, but we expect the rugged to cost around $50K when it goes on sale later this year.
When Jack Frost—or Kung Bore, his Swedish title—arrives in Lapland, it can be a nasty affair. Winters are frigid, dry, and unsympathetic; noses turn blue, breath lingers in the air, and oversized down jackets become a regional uniform. Ice-caked roads and blood-freezing temperatures are merely obstacles to work around for the Swedes. Volvo is native to the country and well-versed in making vehicles that can handle hostile conditions. The 2026 Volvo EX30 Cross Country is the latest to get the brand's all-terrain-ready Cross Country treatment. It's also the first electric model to wear the badge.
The Cross Country nameplate has largely been reserved for Volvo station wagons, appearing on models such as the V60 and V90. All of them have featured standard all-wheel drive, a raised ride height, and rugged bodywork, making them more capable in adverse conditions and SUV-like enough to expand their market appeal. Volvo has experimented with some other segment-blending Cross Country models as well, from the V40 Cross Country hatchback to the S60 Cross Country sedan. While the V40 CC stuck around for seven model years, the S60 CC bit the dust after just three.
When it comes to the Cross Country version of the EX30, it features the same electric powertrain as the standard dual-motor all-wheel-drive model, producing 422 horsepower and 400 pound-feet of torque. Juicing its electric motors is a 64.0-kWh battery pack that Volvo estimates can deliver 264 miles of range on a single charge. When the electrons run out and the EX30 CC is plugged into a DC fast-charger, Volvo claims it can go from 10 to 80 percent in 26 minutes.
Of course, the Cross Country recipe remains nearly the same as it always has been. Its ride is raised 0.7 inch compared with the standard SUV. Volvo also softened its springs and rear anti-roll bar for added comfort and more predictable low-grip handling. Front and rear skid plates protect its belly, and flared overfenders give the little off-roader a more assertive appearance. The Cross Country EX30 also has exclusive 18-inch wheels that can be had with available all-terrain tires for an extra fee. So, despite an unfamiliar powertrain, it's business as usual.
The EX30 CC also adds unique boreal flair inside and out. Its front and rear body panels feature a dark grey color that adds dimension to the EV's otherwise one-note exterior. The front one adds texture too, with a topographic etching of the Kebnekaise mountain range in Arctic Sweden. The EX30 CC also wears its heritage on its door panels, which were designed to resemble a type of granite stone native to its home country.
We recently got a taste of the EX30 Cross Country's specialized capabilities on rather unique terrain in its native environment. Driving on over a meter of ice atop a frozen lake in Lulea, Sweden, the Cross Country felt in its element and remarkably composed. While studded Michelin X-Ice North tires provided our test car with massive traction, its nimble chassis is what gave us the confidence to flick the CC into slick corners without the fear of frosty repercussions. Its cushy springs ate up icy bumps and its 10-percent-softer rear anti-roll bar helped make quick direction changes smooth and pleasantly uneventful.
On particularly slippery sections, the Cross Country's electronic stability control system did a good job of tempering torque and keeping the car moving in the right direction but admittedly we didn't keep it on for long. Even with ESC and traction control partially off, it was exceedingly easy to catch slides and maintain control while sending it sideways on the sub-zero test track.
Since we didn't have an opportunity to drive the EX30 Cross Country on dry pavement, it is hard to say how its tweaks will translate to non-winter conditions. But even on ice, it is obvious that the Cross Country is tuned to ride comfortably and handle playfully on any surface.
To encourage customers to embrace the EX30 Cross Country's adventurous side, Volvo wants customers to think of the EX30 Cross Country as an experience rather than just an SUV, so it will offer a "Cross Country Experience" package along with the purchase. Part of the package includes special incentives for outdoorsy accessories, including discounts on the aforementioned A/T tires, a roof basket, and mud flaps. There's also an opportunity to rent out a fully equipped cabin in Swedish Lapland to experience firsthand the conditions that inspired the EX30 Cross Country. Volvo says that if you book the cabin, which is available from February 21 to March 21, 2025, it will have a car waiting for you and will recommend a selection of outdoor activities to fully immerse you in the Scandinavian winter experience.
The 2026 Volvo EX30 Cross Country is expected to go on sale in the United States sometime later this year. U.S. customers only recently started taking delivery of the standard EX30 Twin Motor Performance models after a whirlwind of changes were made to the rollout schedule since last June.
With underpinnings borrowed from Chinese parent company Geely, standard EX30 models were initially manufactured in Zhangjiakou, China—making them susceptible to tariffs recently imposed on Chinese-built EVs by the U.S. government. While it is unclear where the EX30 Cross Country is being built, Volvo is moving production of U.S.-bound EX30 models to its factory in Ghent, Belgium, this spring. The move could reduce import woes and keep costs down for both the standard EX30 and Cross Country models.
Volvo hasn't yet released pricing for the new EX30 Cross Country. However, we expect it will cost more than the current Twin Motor Performance trim it's based on. Since that model starts at $46,195, the Cross Country will likely approach the $50,000 mark.
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Car and Driver
a day ago
- Car and Driver
Cadillac Vistiq vs. Volvo EX90 Tested: Three-Row Electric SUVs Compared
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Compare Cars Specifications Specifications 2026 Cadillac Vistiq Sport Vehicle Type: front- and rear-motor, all-wheel-drive, 6-passenger, 4-door wagon PRICE Base/As Tested: $79,590/$82,215 Options: Radiant Red Tintcoat paint, $1225; 6-passenger seating with second-row captain's chairs, $800; black roof, $600 POWERTRAIN Front Motor: permanent-magnet synchronous AC Rear Motor: permanent-magnet synchronous AC Combined Power: 615 hp Combined Torque: 649 lb-ft Battery Pack: liquid-cooled lithium-ion, 102 kWh Peak Charge Rate, AC/DC: 11.5/190 kW Transmissions, F/R: direct-drive CHASSIS Suspension, F/R: multilink/multilink Brakes, F/R: 13.5-in vented disc/13.6-in vented disc Tires: Goodyear Eagle Sport All-Season 285/45R-21 113H M+S TPC Spec 3194MS DIMENSIONS Wheelbase: 121.8 in Length: 205.6 in Width: 79.8 in Height: 71.0 in Passenger Volume, F/M/R: 62/54/35 ft3 Cargo Volume, Behind F/M/R: 80/43/15 ft3 Curb Weight: 6226 lb C/D TEST RESULTS 60 mph: 3.6 sec 100 mph: 9.1 sec 1/4-Mile: 12.1 sec @ 114 mph 130 mph: 16.8 sec Results above omit 1-ft rollout of 0.3 sec. Rolling Start, 5–60 mph: 3.8 sec Top Gear, 30–50 mph: 1.8 sec Top Gear, 50–70 mph: 2.3 sec Top Speed (gov ltd): 132 mph Braking, 70–0 mph: 176 ft Braking, 100–0 mph: 362 ft Roadholding, 300-ft Skidpad: 0.80 g Interior Sound Idle: 29 dBA/1 sone Full Throttle: 72 dBA 70-mph Cruising: 67 dBA/21 sone C/D FUEL ECONOMY AND CHARGING Observed: 75 MPGe 75-mph Highway Range: 250 mi EPA FUEL ECONOMY Combined/City/Highway: 86/93/78 MPGe Range: 305 mi -- 2025 Volvo EX90 Twin Motor Performance Ultra Vehicle Type: front- and rear-motor, all-wheel-drive, 7-passenger, 4-door wagon PRICE Base/As Tested: $90,640/$94,640 Options: Bowers & Wilkins premium audio system, $3200; 22-inch 5-spoke Aero wheels, $800 POWERTRAIN Front Motor: permanent-magnet synchronous AC, 241 hp, 310 lb-ft Rear Motor: permanent-magnet synchronous AC, 268 hp, 361 lb-ft Combined Power: 510 hp Combined Torque: 671 lb-ft Battery Pack: liquid-cooled lithium-ion, 107 kWh Peak Charge Rate, AC/DC: 11.0/250 kW Transmissions, F/R: direct-drive CHASSIS Suspension, F/R: control arms/multilink Brakes, F/R: 15.8-in vented disc/15.4-in vented disc Tires: Pirelli Scorpion MS F: 265/40R-22 106H M+S VOL R: HL295/35R-22 111H M+S VOL DIMENSIONS Wheelbase: 117.5 in Length: 198.3 in Width: 77.3 in Height: 68.8 in Passenger Volume, F/M/R: 58/51/21 ft3 Cargo Volume, Behind F/M/R: 74/36/14 ft3 Front Trunk Volume: 2 ft3 Curb Weight: 6083 lb C/D TEST RESULTS 60 mph: 4.1 sec 100 mph: 11.2 sec 1/4-Mile: 12.9 sec @ 106 mph Results above omit 1-ft rollout of 0.3 sec. Rolling Start, 5–60 mph: 4.3 sec Top Gear, 30–50 mph: 2.5 sec Top Gear, 50–70 mph: 3.2 sec Top Speed (gov ltd): 116 mph Braking, 70–0 mph: 167 ft Braking, 100–0 mph: 346 ft Roadholding, 300-ft Skidpad: 0.86 g Interior Sound Idle: 29 dBA/1 sone Full Throttle: 69 dBA 70-mph Cruising: 66 dBA/20 sone C/D FUEL ECONOMY AND CHARGING Observed: 70 MPGe 75-mph Highway Range: 250 mi Average DC Fast-Charge Rate, 10–90%: 127 kW DC Fast-Charge Time, 10–90%: 43 min EPA FUEL ECONOMY Combined/City/Highway: 81/83/78 MPGe Range: 300 mi C/D TESTING EXPLAINED Reviewed by Joe Lorio Deputy Editor, Reviews and Features Joe Lorio has been obsessed with cars since his Matchbox days, and he got his first subscription to Car and Driver at age 11. Joe started his career at Automobile Magazine under David E. Davis Jr., and his work has also appeared on websites including Amazon Autos, Autoblog, AutoTrader, Hagerty, Hemmings, KBB, and TrueCar. This content is imported from Third party. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.
Motor Trend
a day ago
- Motor Trend
Tested: The 2025 Volvo EX30 Performance Copies Tesla's Worst Habit
Pros Wicked quick acceleration Fun to drive Funky, stylish interior Cons Where's the $36K version? Dismal range and unremarkable charging Too small for most American car buyers Tesla's influence shows up everywhere in the 2025 Volvo EX30. You see it in the speedometer relegated to a corner of the infotainment touchscreen. You see it in the gear selector stalk that doubles as the cruise control switchgear. And you see it in the credit-card-style key that's meant to be a backup to using your phone for unlocking and starting the vehicle. All of this is cost-saving minimalism cleverly passed off as modernism, an art that Tesla—and now Volvo—has nearly perfected in its pursuit of making attainable (and profitable) EVs. The Volvo EX30 fails to deliver its promised affordability and range, costing nearly $10K more and achieving only average range in MotorTrend tests. Despite its performance and design, it's a niche luxury EV rather than the mainstream, budget-friendly option initially promised. This summary was generated by AI using content from this MotorTrend article. Read Next Of all the parallels between the EX30 and a Tesla, the strongest similarity is one that no automaker should imitate: the mile-wide gap between what the automaker originally promised and the car it eventually delivered. Just two years ago, Volvo introduced the EX30 as the cheap and cheerful cure for too-expensive EVs with a $36,245 starting price and 275 miles of range. Yet the only EX30 you can buy in the U.S. right now and for the foreseeable future costs nearly $10,000 more than that and landed well short of 200 miles in MotorTrend's Road-Trip Range test. Volvo set out to build the $35K EV that Tesla has long teased and appears to have come to the same conclusion: It can't be done. (Chevy has proven otherwise.) Trading Value for Performance It's a shame that the launch turned into a bait and switch because the $46,195 Volvo EX30 Twin Motor Performance is awesome in its own right. Imagine an electric Volkswagen GTI with 422 hp and 400 lb-ft of torque, and you'll have a pretty good idea of what it's like to drive. Presented with a gap in traffic or an empty roundabout, the EX30 rockets through with an exuberance that matches its Moss Yellow paint. It is not, however, a rowdy little hooligan of a hatchback as the specs suggest. Exercising characteristic restraint, Volvo delivers all that oomph as a shove rather than a gut punch. The EX30 launches with the faintest scrape of spinning tires, and power builds linearly over the first 20 or so mph. Hitting 60 mph in 3.2 seconds has never felt so civilized. When the EX30 zips past the quarter-mile mark in 11.8 seconds, it does so up against the 112-mph speed limiter that Volvo rolled out across its lineup five years ago in the name of safety. Similarly, the EX30 steers and turns and tackles bumps capably without ever feeling overtly aggressive. Its 110-foot stop from 60 mph and 0.87 g of cornering grip are decent for a 4,190-pound vehicle on all-season tires but hardly the makings of a four-door sports car. For a Volvo, that's perfect. The EX30 Twin Motor Performance is fun to hustle and pleasant to commute in, making it a great daily driver. How to Make a Cheap Car Feel Expensive The danger of buying the expensive version of a cheap car is that so much of a car is designed and engineered for the lowest-priced model. That's the story of the Ford Maverick. At $33,000, it feels like a value. In a $43,000 model, you can't ignore the flashing and exposed edges on many of the injection-molded plastic parts. Like the Maverick, the EX30 uses texture and color to turn cheap interior materials into eye candy. Unlike Ford, Volvo has engineered the fit and finish so that those materials also look and—where it matters—feel expensive. The sense of quality is furthered by the cabin's thoughtful and innovative design. The glove box drops from the center of the dash to give the front passenger more kneeroom. Instead of a conventional center console, a bin slides out from below the fixed center armrest with a clever, independently sliding top plate that allows you to allocate the space for cupholders or catchall storage. As noted at the beginning of this story, it's not hard to find where Volvo has cut cost from the bill of materials. Look at how simple the climate vents are. The front doors have been stripped of nearly all electronics, with the driver and passenger sharing two window switches in the center console to control all four windows. The front speakers all live in a soundbar running across the top of the dash, which unfortunately takes a toll on the audio system's sound quality. What would have been easily justified trade-offs in a $36,245 EX30 are tougher to swallow at our test car's $48,395 sticker price, but the cabin is ultimately an industrial design masterpiece. Funky and original, the EX30 feels like the spiritual successor of the quirky 2008–2013 Volvo C30. The EX30's petite size reinforces the connection with that decade-old Volvo. The four-door EX30 measures about an inch shorter than the two-door C30 (and 5 inches shorter than the Toyota Corolla hatchback). As a result, the rear seats are only functional if your kids have the anatomy of a Squishmallow and emptying a full Costco cart into the EX30's 12.4-cubic-foot cargo hold will test your Tetris skills. The most consequential cost-cutting measure naturally shows up in what's the most expensive part of any EV, the battery. The EX30's lithium-ion pack stores 64.0 kWh of electricity, less than the late (but soon-to-be-resurrected) Chevrolet Bolt EV. Officially, the Volvo EX30 Twin Motor Performance is rated for a reasonable 253 miles on a full charge. At a steady 70 mph in the real world, though, we achieved an impractical 180 miles. That 29 percent gap between the window sticker and our measurement (which admittedly only looks at 95 percent of a full charge) makes the EX30 one of the worst performers in the MotorTrend Road-Trip Range test. Its fast-charging performance is similarly underwhelming. Power peaks at 153 kW and quickly tapers off, delivering enough juice in 15 minutes to cover just 87 miles at 70 mph. Given the EX30's size, limited range, and mediocre charging, there are far better options at this price point—pretty much any EV at this price point—for anyone planning on road-tripping their electric vehicle. Getting Techy Tesla's influence is palpable in the nearly button-free dashboard. The EX30 runs nearly all its major controls through a scaled-down version of the Android Automotive–based infotainment system found in the larger EX90. Thankfully the EX30 hasn't been plagued by the litany of software quality complaints owners have logged against Volvo's new flagship EV, and our reviewers took to the user interface quickly. We like that you can download apps such as Spotify and Waze directly to the 12.3-inch touchscreen and that it offers the familiar comfort of Apple CarPlay and Android Auto for those who aren't ready for such newfangled ideas. The EX30 comes in two versions, the standard Plus trim and the $1,700 Ultra upgrade that adds a 360-degree camera system, automated parking, ambient cabin lighting, a cabin air filter, LED headlights, and Pilot Assist, Volvo's conservative take on Tesla's Full Self-Driving. It can center the EX30 in its lane, slow or accelerate with traffic, and even guide the vehicle through a lane change, but all of this requires the driver to keep their hands on the wheel and eyes on the road. We appreciate a cautious, safety-first approach, but the value of Pilot Assist seems marginal compared to Ford's BlueCruise or GM's Super Cruise. Given its limited capabilities, we'd be inclined to pass on the Ultra trim to try to keep the price in check. A Lesson Learned? The Volvo EX30 Twin Motor Performance's straight-line speed, polished driving dynamics, and fetching design tug at our emotions, but it's hard not to feel jilted once you climb out of the driver's seat and look at the vehicle in the larger context. Volvo originally pitched the EX30 as a value play that would get more Americans into EVs. Instead, we got a tiny hot rod of a luxury car for a niche buyer. For now, the work of pushing EVs into the mainstream will have to be carried out by larger, cheaper, longer-range alternatives such as the Tesla Model Y, Hyundai Ioniq 5, Kia EV6, Ford Mustang Mach-E, and Chevy Equinox EV. Should Volvo someday figure out how to bring the entry, single-motor EX30 to America (specs for which are included on the U.S. media site), we hope it's learned an important lesson: Wait until you're shipping the cars to the U.S. to announce the price.
The Drive
3 days ago
- The Drive
Ford's Next-Gen "Breakthrough" EV Debuts on August 11: TDS
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