Volvo EX30 vs. Tesla Model Y: A Minimalist Small SUV Battle

Edmunds

5 days ago

Bad: Software woes
If you're going to move pretty much all of the controls into a single touchscreen, then that thing better be rock solid. Unfortunately, it's not, especially when compared to the Model Y. While we don't love that Tesla seems to have a button allergy and had to put a turn signal stalk back into the car kicking and screaming, it does do a great job of keeping the things you'll use commonly one or two taps away.
But in the EX30, if you want to turn on the headlights, you have to go into the settings menu, find "exterior lighting," pick the setting you want, confirm that by pressing a finicky touch-sensitive control on the steering wheel, and then go back to the screen to close the pop-up so you can use the screen again. For those keeping track, that's five separate actions in two different places. Not ideal.
And that's not the only annoyance. There's weirdly no Android Auto, and Apple CarPlay suffers from connectivity issues. And the safety systems are constantly beeping at you. And if you try to set the temperature with the voice commands it does it in Celsius. And the driver's attention monitor goes off if you look away for even a few seconds ... which you have to do to find things in the screen.
The good news for Volvo is that these issues can be fixed via software updates, which are already starting to roll out to our vehicle. The bad news, though, is that for now it all feels like a mess.
Why you'd buy it: Style points
The EX30's cabin is particularly attractive; it shows that you can do minimalism without the end result feeling sterile. There are plenty of different textures and touchpoints that feel great, including the ultra-comfy front seats that are covered in a mix of synthetic leather and a knit fabric made from recycled plastic bottles.
And we also understand if you don't want to drive a Model Y around because they are everywhere and start to blend into blobs when you see too many in one place. The Volvo stands out in the right way, inside and out.
There is one bonus reason we have to mention: For those living in cities, the EX30's form factor might give it an advantage. It's nearly 2 feet shorter than the Tesla, so it's going to lose out on backseat and cargo room by a large margin, but that also makes the Volvo incredibly easy to maneuver in an urban environment where it can fit into tiny parking spaces with ease. Not everyone needs that extra room inside, and if you don't, the EX30 might be the baby-bear-sized SUV you've been waiting for.