Vauxhall Astra vs Volvo EX30

The Volvo EX30 costs £3,065 more than the Vauxhall Astra. For that premium it adds 50 kW faster peak rapid charging and 85 kW more power. The Vauxhall Astra is not just cheaper - it also offers 71 miles more WLTP range and lower energy use, 150 versus 169 Wh/km. On EVcarsguide's combined category scores, the Vauxhall Astra comes out ahead overall.

The Vauxhall Astra is £3,065 cheaper to buy. Running costs are almost identical - about £168 a year either way, at 8,000 miles on an off-peak home tariff. Add 5 years of charging and the Vauxhall Astra comes out roughly £3,145 cheaper overall. These figures cover list price and home charging only - insurance, servicing, tyres and depreciation will move the real total.

EVcarsguide estimates a real-world motorway range of about 191 miles for the Vauxhall Astra and 149 miles for the Volvo EX30 - both below their WLTP figures, because sustained high speed is the hardest case for an EV. The Vauxhall Astra goes roughly 43 miles further between charging stops. Both rapid-charge to 80% in a similar time, around 26-26 minutes.

The two are within 22 mm on width, so neither is meaningfully easier to thread into a tight space. In a standard 2,400 mm bay that leaves about 562 mm of total clearance for the Volvo EX30 and about 540 mm of total clearance for the Vauxhall Astra. The Vauxhall Astra also turns in a 0.5 m tighter circle, which helps with U-turns and multi-storey ramps.

Over a 8-year ownership window EVcarsguide's degradation model projects roughly 84% battery health for the Vauxhall Astra and 90% for the Volvo EX30. That gives the Volvo EX30 a modest edge in retained real-world range. The Volvo EX30's LFP-type pack tolerates daily 100% charging, while the Vauxhall Astra's NMC-type pack lasts longest kept to about 80% for everyday use. Both batteries carry a 8-year manufacturer warranty.