Electric Volvo EX30 Receives Good Design Award 2025

Volvo Cars announced that the electric EX30 won the Good Design Award 2025, highlighting its sustainability, design and lifecycle carbon performance. Learn more.

The electric Volvo EX30 continues to strengthen its position in the global automotive design arena. The compact SUV has received the prestigious Good Design® Award 2025 in the Transportation category, presented by the Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design. Established in 1950, the award is regarded as one of the oldest and most respected recognitions in industrial design.

For the EX30, this recognition is more than another trophy. The Good Design jury traditionally evaluates projects based on aesthetics, functionality, innovation and sustainability — a balance that defines this model. Volvo developed the EX30 as its most sustainable fully electric car to date. According to the company’s published life cycle assessment, the vehicle’s total carbon footprint amounts to approximately 23 tonnes of CO₂e over 200,000 km, calculated using the European electricity mix.

Emissions reductions are achieved not only through electrification but also through material choices. The car incorporates around 25% recycled aluminium, nearly 20% recycled steel and about 17% recycled plastics. The interior features renewable and recycled materials, including textile solutions and flax-based composites. Overall, this approach lowers the EX30’s carbon footprint by roughly a quarter compared with the Volvo XC40 Recharge.

Sustainability does not come at the expense of performance. Depending on the version, the EX30 offers a driving range of up to 475 km (WLTP) in the Single Motor Extended Range variant. The entry-level LFP battery version delivers up to 337 km, while the Twin Motor Performance model accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 3.6 seconds. The result is a compact SUV that combines urban practicality with the brand’s established standards of safety and driving dynamics.

Its proportions reinforce this balance. With wheels pushed to the corners, short and equal overhangs and a long wheelbase, the EX30 achieves a planted stance while maximising interior space. Although it is the smallest model in Volvo’s lineup, it retains the confidence and Scandinavian clarity associated with larger Volvo vehicles.

Since its global debut in summer 2023, the EX30 has become one of the brand’s fastest-growing models. Nearly 100,000 units were sold in its first full year on the market, with cumulative sales approaching 200,000 vehicles. In 2025, production began at Volvo’s plant in Ghent, Belgium, strengthening the model’s European presence and supporting demand in key markets.

The Good Design® Award 2025 adds to a growing list of distinctions, including World Urban Car 2024, Red Dot “Best of the Best” 2024 and Car Design Award 2024. Against the backdrop of Volvo’s updated strategy to reach 90–100% electrified car sales globally by 2030, the EX30 stands out as a pivotal model — combining compact dimensions, broader accessibility and a clear focus on lowering lifecycle emissions.