Autoblog and Yahoo may earn commission from links in this article.The Volvo EX30 makes a lot of smart decisions - it has a NACS adapter so you can charge at Tesla Superchargers. It has a good-sized rear hatch. It's fast. But there are also a lot of real puzzlers in here. Some serious contradictions, some screwups, and the like. After a week, I've rounded up the things that irked me most about the brand's small compact EV.Someone With CTE Did The InfotainmentChase BierenkovenVolvo spends a lot of time on safety. It's their schtick. So, I find it puzzling they let a concussed man do the infotainment. Totally devoid of any physical controls, Volvo probably did up the screen this way to save on costs in its most affordable EV. That same decision compromises safety. You're constantly looking at the screen for one item or another (including the glovebox button), and the driver attention warnings keep telling you to stop. You can turn 'em off, sure, but that defeats the point.Volvo Tries To Do More With LessChase BierenkovenThe steering wheel controls aren't any better. They have serious lag to them; at one point I counted a full five seconds between me hitting the track button and the next starting. Some have multiple functions, which is more than a little annoying. To glean which, you'll have to look into the center screen, triggering the driver alert system. It also feels unbelievably cheap, with the buttons audibly creaking under my touch.The Back Seats Are Not People-FriendlyThere's just not a lot of room in the EX30's back seats. Yes, this is a compact, but it gets to a point. Headroom is just fine - there's 38.3 inches of it. But the legroom is a problem. Taller folks just won't fit well. The only circumstance in which you'll want to fit a third person back here is if they're a double amputee. In spite of the space savings afforded EVs thanks to their low-down powertrains, Volvo hasn't managed to translate much of it to rear occupant space.There's No Damn KeyChase BierenkovenAdvertisementAdvertisementThe EX30 really wants you to use your phone as a key. However, a fob and credit card-like key are also provided. You should use your phone, though, because neither works reliably. Across a week with a car, I'd get stuck yanking on the door handle every fourth time I walked up to the car. Both "keys" lack buttons, which means if the car doesn't "see" you approach, it won't open. Worse, there's no unlock button. So you have to pull out the key, hold it to the door, and yank away till the car realizes you want in.The EX30's Frunk Is Near UselessChase BierenkovenThis is all you get in the front of the EX30. It's built to be a compact EV, which yes, means that the essential parts have to go somewhere. But I'd have liked to get some more frunk space. There's scarcely room for the 11-kilowatt charging cable in here, much less a small bag. It also gets real darn hot up there, and in a car where space is at a premium, giving buyers more storage options is always better.This story was originally published by Autoblog on Jul 23, 2026, where it first appeared in the Features section. Add Autoblog as a Preferred Source by clicking here.