2023 Volvo EX30 leaked ahead of reveal

The 2023 Volvo EX30 has been leaked almost a week out from the global debut of the all-new compact electric SUV on June 7, with a single side profile image published to Twitter.

Separately, Volvo sustainability centre manager Anders Nyth revealed to Autocar last week that the EX30 will be offered globally with two battery sizes: a 51kWh lithium-iron-phosphate unit and a 69kWh nickel-cobalt-manganese unit.

Nyth also locked in rear-wheel drive and all-wheel drive configurations for the baby high-rider as per the bigger XC40 Recharge Pure Electric and predictably nominated the rear-drive 69kWh variant as “kind of the long-range version”.

Preliminary data suggests the longest-range EX30 will be able to cover up to 480km on a single charge – more than enough for what will clearly be a more urban-centric model, as most light and small SUVs are.

This urban focus is reflected in the EX30’s exterior design, which marks it as more of a crossover than its boxier XC40 stablemate, with a lower and more sweeping roofline, shorter overhangs and a shrunken wheelbase.

It’s unclear exactly how much smaller the purpose-built EV will be than its internal combustion-based cousin, but odds are the EX30 will be a light – rather than small – SUV that will compete with the upcoming Ford Puma EV and facelifted Peugeot e-2008.

The relationship between Volvo’s smallest and largest upcoming electric SUVs is clear for all to see in the leaked image, with the main difference between the EX30 and EX90 ultimately being the scale, however, other discrepancies include the smaller SUV’s clamshell bonnet, extended cladding and more upswept glasshouse.

Autocar is also reporting the EX30 will be the most environmentally friendly Volvo model to date with a carbon footprint 25 per cent lower than the XC40 EV and the fact it has been “designed to be recycled to a high degree”.

Blockchain verification of the lithium, cobalt, nickel, manganese and graphite provenance reportedly adds another layer of eco-friendliness to the EX30’s production equation, essentially guaranteeing the raw materials come from agreed or approved sites.

“You can’t alter one transaction from one place to another without the whole chain knowing it,” Nyth said.

The EX30 will arrive in Australia in the closing stages of 2023 as Volvo most affordable electric model and smallest SUV to date, with a clear focus on Gen-Z buyers.

Related: 2024 Volvo EX30 electric car set for June 7 reveal