- The Volvo EX30 is already on dealer lots in Canada.
- The EX30 costs at least $56,438 CAD, or $41,238 USD.
- Canadian-market EX30s all came from China. After these initial run units are sold out, future EX30s will come from Belgium.
The Volvo EX30 is certainly a super-desirable little electric car. Initially announced to be around $35,000, the pint-sized Scandinavian minimalist crossover was slated to come to the United States this past summer. However, the U.S.’s new 100% tariff on EVs made in China put a huge damper on cars built there like the EX30, much to the chagrin of our editor-in-chief Patrick George, who canceled his order and opted for a Kia EV6.
Now, there’s a huge will-they-or-won’t-they cloud hanging over the model. Volvo is reconfiguring the EX30's production from China to Belgium, but it feels like it’s put the whole model line’s U.S. future in limbo.
Well, the messages of doom and gloom aren’t the case if you’re Canadian, though. The Volvo EX30 is already on dealer lots at Volvo dealerships in Canada.
According to both Volvo Cars’ Canadian website and local dealer listings in the greater Toronto area, a base Core single motor EX30 will cost at least $56,438 CAD, including all destination and delivery fees.
Now, this sounds scarier than it really is. Under today’s CAD to USD exchange rate, this is about $41,000. This is more than the $36,245 original announcement of the EX30 back in 2023, but still not as crazy as it looks on paper, although I’m not sure Canadian EV buyers would agree that this is an affordable price.
And yes, the Canadian-market EX30’s are sourced from China. Canada also has a forthcoming 100% tariff on Chinese-made EVs, but reporting from GuideAutoWeb has shed light on how Volvo has skirted the impending tariff. The outlet claims that all Canadian market EX30s were imported at one time, before Canada’s Oct. 1 tariffs were officially implemented.
Since they were in the country before that date, the cars won’t be subject to the new tariffs. They also will still qualify for any Canadian federal EV tax credits or incentives. However, when those cars are sold out, Canada must wait alongside the United States for EX30 units from Belgium.
Now, some may cry foul that Canada is getting a cool car ahead of the United States, but it does make sense. As a whole, Canada’s market is much smaller than that of the United States and is far easier to satisfy. It also generally skews toward smaller vehicles than the U.S., too; this is why historically Canada has gotten some one-off vehicles that likely would have passed U.S. crash or emissions regulations but manufacturers just had no desire to send them our way.
There have been Canada-only gems like the gas-powered Mercedes B-Class, the Nissan X-Trail, the current generation Kia Forte 5 hatchback and the Nissan Micra.
Even in the EV realm, Canada got a full EV version of the latest Kia Soul while the model was canceled entirely for the U.S. market. To many manufacturers, it may end up making sense to make a handful of units to satisfy a smaller market (Canada) rather than overexert and not adequately satisfy both Canadian and U.S. demand. So, unfortunately, it looks like we’ll have to wait until Volvo’s Belgium plant is up and running for us to get our EX30 fix.
Will the price change when the EX30 finally comes in from Europe? That’s not clear, though. Volvo removed pricing from its US consumer site a while ago, but the Canadian build and price tool is working just fine.
If you’re a Canadian in search of a new small EV crossover, perhaps it’s time for you to wander down to your nearest Volvo dealer and give the EX30 a look. I sure wish I could do the same in the United States.
Contact the author: kevin.williams@insideevs.com
