Our Volvo EX30 long-termer hits a new high for efficiency. By Natalie Middleton.

Volvo EX30 Single Motor Extended Range RWD Ultra

List Price £43,295 | BiK 3% | Official range 296 miles | On fleet range 269 miles | Efficiency 4mpkWh

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After a comprehensive effort on a recent long-haul journey, I’ve hit a new high for efficiency in the Volvo, racking up a figure of 4mpkWh and extracting 269 miles out of its single motor extended range powertrain compared to its official 296-mile figure.

Such efforts were led purely by not wishing to stop and charge very late at night on my own and instead wanting to get a wriggle on with getting home.

Although I’d planned the journey well and knew it would be a tall order, there were some extra problems. As it was so hot, the Volvo started out with 294 miles rather the usual 296 – although it could have been a lot worse if the weather had gone the other way.

A 2.5-hour queue to exit the venue carpark at the other end didn’t help either – and while I’d forced the sat-nav to opt for the same, shorter but slower 110-mile route back as I’d taken on the way there, it eventually made me come back via a weird 128-mile route up the M5 and along the A303 due to claimed road closures. This would have left me with a 2% state of charge but I put my best eco practices into effect and got back with 11% and a very comfortable 31 miles of range left. It was on track to actually be over 40 miles but some rather inconsiderate hills on the A303 put paid to that.

There were some highs – literally – and lows along the way. I realised I’d been driving with the one-pedal mode left on for weeks so switched that off to make the most of coasting. But then reactivating it again for heavier traffic meant going back into the Volvo’s centre display and this was too distracting on the move. Oh for a button or paddles on the steering wheel…

Outbound, despite the inclement 26-degree summer heat, I decided to switch off the air-con and open the windows slightly; when asked, the EX30’s Google Assistant advised me the latter is more efficient up to 50mph, although I’ve seen a figure of 45mph since.

My laidback eco driving probably added about another half an hour to the journey. But it equally did save me the time and hassle of stopping in the wee small hours to charge along with the cost of rapidly adding some kWh. All in all, a win all round.

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After a few weeks of pootling around, the EX30 and I have been on some longer trips, testing out its efficiency.

At handover time, the Volvo Brand Ambassador said that sticking around 60mph on motorways and dual carriageways should see the baby EV’s range match the distance mile for mile.

That didn’t quite work out for me on my first longer excursion – a 204-mile round trip to Silverstone and back – but I only lost around an extra 20 miles each way and used up just over 240 miles while knocking up 3.9mpkWh and an average 42mph. I’d not been able to fully charge before leaving and had about 270 miles in all, but made it back to our home charger with a comfortable 27 miles to spare. Importantly, although I was in a hurry on both journey legs, it made more sense to drive slower and carefully – as editor John Challen spotlighted in our latest Fleet World mag, it’s predominantly quicker to drive slower and make it to your destination in one go without having to charge en route.

I repeated this formula a couple of weeks later on a trip to Bath University. At just 112 miles all in, this was a mere walk in the park for a Volvo and its 296-mile official range. The country roads along the way dropped the average speed to 33mph but hiked up the efficiency to 4.2mpkWh.

Overall, I’m getting 3mpkWh at an average 26mph – but that’s with no attempt at eco driving, other than the two aforementioned journeys, and with me normally battling to meet some deadline.

I’m also loving the driving experience in the Volvo. Not just the sheer straight-line speed mentioned last time but its ability to pull away instantly and cleanly from standing, and at low speeds (making it less worrying to overtake parked-up buses, for example) and on the motorway (putting paid to anyone trying to attempt a cheeky undertake). It also handles well – pleasingly agile, stable and comfortable whether that’s on a country road or a motorway. This is the only test car I have found to date that can make the speed humps in the local business park palatable and unlikely to shift a molar or two.

My only gripe is the overzealous driver safety features. The lane keeping assist can suddenly yank you over, the road sign warning system thinks that a fair few local 60mph roads are actually 30mph and I’ve lost track of the number of times that the Volvo has warned of a imminent collision as it’s not aware of cars turning off in front of me. I’m now deactivating these systems on start-up for most journeys.

The Rear Cross Traffic Alert is amazingly helpful however when you’re reversing out among parked cars. The funniest of all is the driver alert when it thinks I’m tired. I’ve lost track of the amount of times I’ve been doing my best Carpool Karaoke, only for the EX30 to think I’m yawning and suggest I take a break! Probably doing everyone a favour though…

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“Woah…” That was pretty much what I was left thinking after hopping into the driver’s seat of our new EX30 long-termer in the wake of turning down a handover from the Volvo delivery driver (you know you’re in for a premium experience when they’re called a ‘Brand Ambassador’) and heading out from the drop-off lane at the train station in the nearby city.

I knew the gear selector and park brake are on the right-hand-side steering wheel stalk, the glove box is only opened via a button on the 12.3-inch central portrait touchscreen and that the car powers down automatically after you walk away with the key fob. But that was it.

Therein followed a quick learning experience; that the window controls are on the central armrest (ditto in the rear), that I wouldn’t be able to adjust the wing mirrors until I was stopped (via the touchscreen, it turns out) and that I really wasn’t sure where the wipers were (on the left-hand-side steering wheel stalk with the indicators). This is quite a radically different driving experience to match the radical looks.

But by the time I got home some 10 minutes later, I was zipping around like I’d been driving the car for days and quite happy behind the wheel.

The youngest Middleton, meanwhile, was more than happy to be picked up in front of his school mates in the Volvo – and quickly playing with the settings (he found the wing mirror controls!), adjusting the ambient lighting and linking to his Spotify account. And days on, both junior Middletons are still enthralled by the EX30 interior.

Interestingly, they were also rather enthralled when I first found a stretch of empty open road to stretch the baby Volvo SUV’s legs and partially test its acceleration capabilities (0-62mph in 5.3 seconds!). A car to end teenage complaints about family road trips!

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Volvo’s recently revealed c.£70k ES90 electric saloon may be turning heads as the brand’s technological flagship but our new longtermer is a little more mainstream and certainly more accessible.

A challenger to models such as the Hyundai Kona Electric, plus the Kia Niro EV and EV3, it may be Swedish in spirit and its minimalist looks – including Volvo’s iconic Thor’s hammer LED headlamp design – but it sits on the modular Sustainable Experience Architecture (SEA) platform developed by Volvo parent firm Geely and also used for new models such as the technically linked Smart #1.

It’s also decidedly futuristic in design, both inside and out, while tying in nicely with the EC40, EX40 (formerly the XC40 Recharge) and the top-rung EX90 and incoming ES90.

Notably, it also comes in with a very competitive £32,850 lead-in price for the entry Single Motor version in Core trim.

Ours is kitted out in the top Ultra grade and comes in at £43,360 OTR, sadly putting it in scope of the VED expensive car supplement, but with an extensive list of equipment that means there’s zero options on our model – everything, from the panoramic sunroof to the Harman Kardon Premium Sound system and the 20-inch five-spoke diamond-cut alloys come as part of the Ultra spec.

We’re also in the mid-range Single Motor Extended Range RWD powertrain, which marries up the 272hp rear motor also used in the Single Motor version but with a larger 69kWh battery for an official 296 miles of range (versus 210 for the entry model). To my mind, a range of around 300 miles is where you can really start to relax, even for longer journeys, although it’ll be interesting to see how it translates in real life and with my predominantly suburban mileage.

The figure I’m most excited about though is the 5.3 seconds for the 0-62mph time. That’s certainly not the profile for our typical long-termers and definitely one we’re looking forwards to testing out on the open road.