All Volvo EX30 electric vehicles manufactured in 2024 are being recalled in Australia due to an issue that could potentially lead to a fire. And there’s no real fix yet. Here’s what we know.
What Does The Volvo EX30 Recall Issue Involve?
On 9 January 2026, a notice was published on the Australian Government’s Vehicle Recall website (Notice: REC-006524) warning that all variants of the EX30 manufactured in 2024 were affected, totaling 2,815 cars.
The warning provided is the battery cell modules may overheat at high charge levels, and if this occurs, it could lead to a vehicle fire.
What’s The Fix?
At the time of writing, there was no proper fix identified and until one is, owners have been advised to keep the battery charge level below 70%. This can be set in the Charging setting menu in the vehicle display (Settings > Charging).
When a fix is available, affected Australian owners will be contacted by Volvo requesting them to schedule an appointment to have the repair work carried out at no charge.
The contact points for this recall are:
- Contact phone: 1300 787 802
- Contact email: [email protected]
- Contact website: https://www.volvocars.com.au
- Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) checker
There’s also a downloadable VIN list available here in CSV format for owners to check their vehicle against. The VIN on a Volvo EX30 in Australia can be found on the dashboard (visible through the windscreen), on a label in the driver’s door jamb, in the Volvo Cars app, via the centre display (Settings > System > About), or on registration/servicing documents.
It was disappointing that there was *no* related EX30 announcement on the Australian Volvo website when I checked as recently as an hour ago. And as far as I’m aware, there haven’t been any press releases from the Australian division yet either.
However, in the UK the company has reportedly released a statement indicating while there have been no reports of related personal injuries (yet), Volvo is treating the situation very seriously. Apparently, Volvo began notifying regulators in various countries about the battery issue last month.
In Australia, the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications, Sport and the Arts is the responsible regulator for this recall.
Which Company Manufactured The Batteries?
The Volvo EX30 uses Nickel Manganese Cobalt (NMC) batteries for extended-range and performance models.
Volvo sources batteries for its EX30 from several manufacturers. These include Sunwoda for extended-range NMC packs in markets such as the UK, US, and China, and CATL along with LG Chem1.
About the Volvo EX30
The Volvo EX30 is a compact, all-electric 5-seater SUV. The EX30 is built in China and based on the Geely SEA EV-only platform. Volvo is owned by Geely.
Volvo Australia announced pricing and details for the EX30 in June 2023, with the first customer deliveries beginning around late 2023/early 2024.
The MY 2025 Volvo EX30 is priced at $66,290 drive away in Australia for the Single Motor Extended Range Plus and $73,580 drive away for the Twin Motor Performance Ultra. That’s without optional extras.
The Single Motor Extended Range Plus NMC battery’s capacity is 69 kWh and offers a WLTP range of up to 480 km according to the Australian Electric Vehicle Association (AEVA). The Twin Motor Performance Ultra also has a 69 kWh NMC battery and a claimed WLTP range of up to 460 km.
Electric Vehicles And Optimal Charging Levels
For daily use, some EV manufacturers recommend charging to a maximum of 80% to 90% to preserve battery health and longevity. Consistently charging to 100% can accelerate the degradation of certain lithium-ion battery cells over time; particularly in NMC chemistry batteries. It doesn’t appear to be such an issue where LFP (Lithium-Iron Phosphate) batteries are used.
For daily driving and outside of this recall, Volvo usually recommends charging the EX30 to 90%.
Battery charging rates slow down significantly after reaching 80% in all electric vehicles. This is a safety feature, as shifting to a slower ‘trickle charge’ prevents risk of overheating, reduces chemical stress, and prolongs battery health.
That’s why when topping up an EV at public charging stations when out on the road, the generally accepted etiquette is to charge to 80% and then move on to free up the charger; particularly at busy locations.
Footnotes
- LG is no stranger to battery recalls, but given multiple potential manufacturers, LG’s involvement (if any) in this recall isn’t clear — nor is whether the issue is at a battery manufacturer’s end, or Volvo’s. ↩
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There are at least three cars based on the same platform. Are these also affected?
We have LiPO battery in our EV.
The different battery chemistry allows LiPO batteries to charge to 100% without the adverse effects of 100% charging to Li-ion batteries.
There should be an explanation of the different chemistries on charging in the above article.
Just to be clear – this is Volvo being highly precautionary
There have not actually been any fires in any of the ‘affected’ vehicles
This is not actually a battery issue, it is a software issue.
Australian Government says it’s a manufacturing issue, not a software issue.
“Due to a manufacturing issue, the cell modules installed in the high voltage battery may overheat at high charge levels.”
If you have a link directly to a Volvo announcement stating otherwise, please provide it.
It’s good to know that Alistair has inside information on this- obviously a direct line to the (software) engineers at Geely.
Hmmm. Would you believe….
I own a EX30 its VIN is on the list but I’m not concerned.
It is a brilliant car to drive. We have done 40,000km in it, 12,000km towing a caravan. Battery SOH is 97% after one and a half years.
The battery would have been stressed pulling the van through the Snowy mountains and if it was going to catch fire that would have the time.
Best cat I have ever had.