Volvo’s new EX30 Core is a cut-price electric SUV which is cheaper than other overpriced EVs

THREE things I learned on a trip to Volvo’s HQ in Gothenburg.

Toppfart is Swedish for top speed.

Crash test dummies wear make-up.

Volvo’s new dinky SUV is going to be a smash hit.

I’m convinced of it. And here’s why. It’s everything you expect a modern Volvo to be — safe, Scandi cool and sustainable — at a price you’d never expect.

The EX30 Core trim will cost £31,495, give or take a fiver.

 That’s £700 cheaper than a battery-powered Vauxhall Corsa and a whopping £7k less than the ­similar-sized Mokka Electric.

What are you having?

Me too. One hundred per cent no-brainer.

I’m one of ten motoring journos in the world to experience EX30 prototypes at Volvo’s secret test track, half an hour north-east of Gothenburg.

The car is built in China using the same hardware as Smart #1. That’s why Volvo can undercut Vauxhall and others.

 But it is here in Sweden where most of the hard yards are done, carrying out endless durability and comfort tests.

The specially-laid tracks replicate Britain’s bumpy roads and America’s concrete freeways, among others.

First impressions.

EX30 is a proper little Volvo. You know it’s safe — because it’s a Volvo — but it also does a good job of feeling safe, if you know what I mean.

Nice wheel control over bumps and ridges. Nice body control in bends. Grip galore. This test car is the top-spec all-wheel-drive version with two motors, one each end.

Northern Lights mode

It’s a giant-killing 428hp, catapults from 0-62mph in just 3.6 seconds, on to a toppfart of 112mph.

I’m not sure a family crossover needs sports car performance, if I’m honest.

The base version is 272hp and outguns a Golf GTI.

 But drive sensibly and everything is calm and relaxed and as demanding as a spa.

The cabin is predictably excellent. Cool, classy, with lots of recycled materials, a turbocharged Google touchscreen and 1.2-metre wide soundbar across the dash. Plus there’s lots of clever little details to admire.

We like the pop-out armrest drawer for holding drinks and a smartphone.

We like the central glovebox.

We like the proper grippy wireless charging tray. We like the removable bin in the back. With a moose printed on the sides.

We like the huge door pockets, the biggest in any Volvo. That soundbar removes the need for speakers, see.

We also like the Northern Lights mode to illuminate the place at night. There’s a ‘Will it fit?’ guide imprinted in the boot for buggies, luggage and other stuff.

The interior was masterminded by Brit Lisa Reeves. She’s a mum and she clearly knows what people want from a small family car because she’s nailed it.

One thing you won’t see is the invisible safety shield surrounding EX30 like a Ready Brek glow.

This car has 22 “eyes” — cameras, sensors and radar — to help protect passengers and the people around it.

Volvo’s assist systems don’t nag you like others do and only step in when you really need help.

So, that’s the Volvo EX30. Thoroughly modern. Safe, obviously. Incredible value.

Crash safety experts are no dummies

IT’S not every day you see a brand-new £100,000 car slam into a wall right in front of you.

Thankfully, Clive and Mary were fine. The EX90 kept them safe.

I’m at Volvo’s crash lab.

There are no accidents here. Just deliberate acts of violent destruction.

Clive and Mary are crash test dummies. They’re among 70 plastic people of all shapes and sizes who work here.

They all have names.

They all wear uniforms.

And they start each shift by putting on red lipstick eyebrows and blobs of black mascara on their noses. Why? To see exactly where their heads hit the airbags after a shunt.

 Clever. Their pinkies are covered in kids’ finger paint.

As they try to make our roads safer, the Swedes burn through cash quicker than Chelsea in the transfer window. They are obsessed by it. And they’ll never stop.

 Scientists destroy 350 fully-functional cars and trucks a year to back up thousands of computer simulations.

A crack team of Volvo investigators work with the police at real crash scenes.

As Clive says: “Knowledge saves lives. The more we learn about what actually happens in a crash, the safer the cars we can build and the more lives we can save and the more injuries we can prevent. Nothing is more important.”

He really did say that.

Search “Clive Alive” on YouTube on your next tea break. The man’s a legend.