Owners of Volvo's smallest electric car have been unable to fully charge their vehicles for four months due to a fire risk warning, affecting over 10,000 UK motorists, according to multiple reports. In December, Volvo told drivers of its EX30 electric SUV not to charge above 70% because of battery overheating that could potentially trigger blazes in rare cases. In February, Volvo issued a formal safety recall for 40,323 examples of the EV sold across global markets to replace parts linked to the problem.
Volvo Cars UK confirmed that 10,365 affected cars are on Britain's roads. However, fewer than 0.1% of affected cars have been repaired due to delayed delivery of parts from China. According to Daily Mail - Money, a Volvo spokesperson described that fewer than 10 UK EX30s have been inspected and fixed because the first components arrived in Britain only in recent days. The spokesperson added that now parts are arriving daily, repairs are expected to ramp up from this week. Affected customers will be contacted when parts become available at local dealerships.
It takes time for parts to arrive from the other side of the world.
Owners of Single Motor Extended Range and Twin Motor Performance EX30 models with a 69kWh battery produced between 2024 and 2026 are told not to charge over 70%. Volvo stated that the chances of the rare issue are significantly reduced below 70% charge. With 70% charge, the Extended Range model's range falls from 295 miles to around 207 miles. Volvo offers charging vouchers to customers covering higher daily mileages, and in exceptional cases, drivers reliant on their Volvos for long distances may receive additional support.
We have fixed less than 10 cars because the first parts only arrived last week, and it takes time to contact customers, schedule a suitable time for them to bring their cars in, and find space in the workshop to replace the parts.
Now that the parts are coming in every day, we expect repairs to ramp up from this week.