2026 Volvo EX30 Cross Country First Drive: Hey There, Off-Road-Lookin'

Motor Trend

14-07-2025

Volvo sure knows how to make lemonade out of lemons. The current trade environment scuttled the Swedish automaker's plans to spearhead the new EX30 lineup in America with a single-motor, surprisingly affordable model, forcing it to adopt higher pricing. You now can only buy the EX30 now in Twin Motor spec, and only in higher-level Plus and Ultra trims. But like cocaine is to Rick James, power is a helluva drug.
The 2026 Volvo EX30 Cross Country offers off-road styling and a powerful, 422-hp Twin Motor setup, starting under $50,000. It features a lifted ride, larger tires, and improved suspension, delivering charm and a ton of performance for its size.
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The EX30's higher-than-promised pricing starting at $44,195 is almost entirely smoothed over by the Twin Motor's 422 hp—a ridiculous figure for a vehicle this small. If that weren't enough to make buyers forget the cheaper, $36,000-ish single-motor EX30 that never materialized, Volvo has put yet another appealing spin on its entry-level EV: the new Cross Country variant.
Combining the same muscular Twin Motor drivetrain with off-road styling touches and some hardware upgrades, the 2026 EX30 Cross Country doesn't promise much extra capability in the dirt, but it overdelivers on charm. As a bonus, even though it'll only be sold in top-tier Ultra trim, prices are expected to sneak in under fifty grand—just $2,000 or so more than the normal EX30 Ultra. The Look Is the Hook
If you think the regular EX30 is cute, the Cross Country and its exclusive black-plastic-covered snoot (complete with a topographical rendition of a mountain peak), fender flares, and bumper trim is pugnaciously adorable, like a toddler puffing their chest and clenching their tiny fists.
Volvo backs up the visual toughening with a 0.8-inch lift, half of which comes from unique springs (softer than the normal EX30's, as are the anti-roll bars) and half from larger-diameter tires. A set of 19-inch wheels with street tires are standard, but buyers can upgrade to a smaller set of 18-inch wheels wrapped in all-terrain rubber, either as a standalone option or as part of an option group that also includes teeny mudflaps and a roof rack. Almost No (Fresh) Compromises
Final range figures are forthcoming, but the EX30 Cross Country isn't expected to suffer a huge driving range hit from its marginally taller height. The all-terrain tires are likely to have the biggest effect, but Volvo hasn't provided estimates for what that impact looks like.
Both the 19-inch street tires and the all-terrains are narrow, so it's possible the Cross Country's range works out to whatever a regular EX30 with the largest wheel option delivers. Standard EX30 Twin Motors are EPA-estimated to deliver up to 253 miles, with the big-wheel versions dropping that by only 3 miles.
On the road, where the entire EX30 Cross Country drive took place, it's clear there's little airspace separating its ride and handling from the regular EX30's. You can tell the suspension is a hair softer, as the ride quality is even better than in the already good non–Cross Country models. Stomping on the accelerator pedal results in the CC squatting onto its rear tires somewhat, but that's the only other giveaway that this EX30 sits higher off the ground and on squishier springs.
The EX30 Cross Country otherwise exhibits the same tight handling and excellent body control as other EX30s. One highlight that carries over? The stubby and substantial EX30's surprising lack of fore-aft pitching over speed bumps and other abrupt road impacts. Typically, vehicles this small and tall have a tendency to rock back and forth—not the EX30, nor the Cross Country.
One asterisk? We haven't yet sampled the EX30 on those all-terrain tires, which could introduce squirminess to the handling as well as elevated noise inside the otherwise hushed cabin; we just won't know until we drive an EX30 with them. We will note that the tires—Cooper Discoverer ATTs sized 235/55R18 on a display-only Cross Country we poked around—look awesome and should help the EX30 hump farther down a muddy two track or snowy driveway than the normal rubber.
Strapping 422 hp and 400 lb-ft of torque worth of electric motors to a 4,200-pound small SUV makes it supremely quick. The Cross Country might be a hair slower than your everyday EX30, depending on its tires, but expect a mid-3-second 0–60-mph time. Does a small EV SUV need to keep up with Porsche 911 Carreras? No. Is it fun? Yes.
As on other EX30s, drivers can unlock a hint of extra immediacy from the Twin Motor setup by selecting the Performance All-Wheel Drive mode. This keeps the front motor engaged all the time—it also, curiously, locks you out of full one-pedal driving—at least provided the battery is above 80 percent charge. Below that, or with Performance All-Wheel Drive turned off, the front motor engages as needed, a process with a barely detectable hesitation. There is no 'sport' mode, nor are there any other drive modes in the traditional sense, making this button and the stability control defeat button the two biggest personality changers onboard.
The rest of the Cross Country experience—good and bad—matches that of other EX30s. The minimalist cabin is rife with clever cost-reducing moves, from the speakerless front door panels (most audio comes from a TV-style sound bar at the base of the windshield) to the pair of centralized window switches that pull double duty controlling the rear windows (a nearby button changes which bank of glass the switches operate). The built-to-price thing is mostly glossed over by the interior's attractive design and high-end touchpoints such as the metal door handles and classy air vents, although the cost-saving cleverness feels less justified now that the cheapest EX30s cost about 10 grand more than the headline-grabbing initial price.
And some interior materials (many of which are recycled) could be read as either cool or cheap depending on which of your senses is used to interact with them. The woven flax encased in resin trimming the dash and doors looks like burlap frozen in carbonite yet feels like a laminate kitchen countertop. The textured hard plastics covering the lower half of the dashboard and doors have an interesting texture like a pickup truck's bedliner—an appropriately durable-seeming choice for areas near occupants' shoes.
There's no getting around the EX30's size. It's tiny. But the packaging makes the most of the space allowed. The back seat has decent legroom and plenty of headroom, even if it accomplishes both by positioning the cushion close to the floor. Most adults will sit with their knees higher than their butts, and there isn't much toe space under the front seats for taller riders. Kids will do fine, though.
Same goes for the cargo area, which has plenty of useful cubbies and a reconfigurable cargo floor that can hide belongings in a large, shallow space below. The rear seats fold flat, and raising the cargo floor to its higher position lines it up with the folded seat backs to form a large, flat area. A 0.2-cubic-foot bin under the hood (frunk!) is big enough to hold the mobile charging cable and little more. Need more cargo space? Order the natty roof rack and basket accessory. Ushering in Improvements for All EX30s
Volvo has already improved some EX30 aspects since launching the SUV earlier this year, and they make their first appearance on the Cross Country before going out to other EX30s by way of over-the-air updates. Most notable among them is a third regenerative braking setting—off, for coasting—as well as a more aggressive 'high' setting (there's also a 'low' option). The new high regen makes for easy one-pedal driving, though its slowing effect when lifting one's foot off the accelerator pedal is a little abrupt. The low mode is smoother, though it doesn't slow the EX30 as rapidly, so you'll ultimately end up using the brake pedal, especially in dense traffic.
Owners can expect further updates to connected systems, including the vertically oriented central touchscreen. That display runs Volvo's newest software and boasts a clean layout, Google Built-in navigation and assistant, and snappy response thanks to its Snapdragon chipset. Much like in entry-level Teslas, the screen is a loner—there are no others inside, meaning there's no traditional gauge cluster ahead of the driver. Speed and driver assistance animations live in the top section of the screen; nav can either take up the entire bottom section or the middle bit, leaving audio and phone widgets as shortcuts to those menus. Climate controls stay visible across the bottom. While some dislike condensing virtually every control into the touchscreen—there are no physical buttons on the dash—others will quickly get used to it.
Leaning on an old name and the off-road aspirations it represents, Volvo has pulled yet another rabbit out of the EX30's hat here. The Cross Country faithfully hews to the lifted ride height, additional body cladding, and generally Subaru-y vibes defined by the original Cross Country model, a V70 station wagon variant, and survived today by the V60 and V90 Cross Country wagons. It's the first Volvo SUV to wear the Cross Country branding—rather than have XC lettering in its name—and the first EV to do so, as well.
While hardly transformative, the EX30's Cross Country makeover gives it a distinct personality that's mostly vibes but distinct and fun, nonetheless. The upgrades are similar to what Hyundai bundles in the XRT trim level added to the Ioniq 5 this year. Although that EV is similarly priced and larger, it can't match the Volvo's big-time power or its Lilliputian lure. If the EX30 Cross Country fits you, or rather you fit it, it goes on sale later this year.