Hypermiler.co.uk has uncovered an urgent safety notice issued by Volvo regarding a potential battery fire risk affecting its latest electric SUV, the EX30.
The internal communication, sent to owners under manufacturer reference R10355, identifies a serious defect within the high-voltage battery pack that could lead to “thermal runaway” and a potential vehicle fire.
Update 31/12/2025 – After reaching out to Volvo’s customer service team we have confirmed further details on the “battery notice” you can read it below
Volvo confirms 10,440 EX30s at risk due to Sunwoda extended‑range battery packs
Which models are affected?
The alert specifically targets two of the higher-spec powertrain variants:
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Single Motor Extended Range
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Twin Motor Performance
Owners of the standard-range LFP battery models do not appear to be included in this specific notice at this time. At present, only some “not all” EX30s with the “NMC pack” Extended range 69kwh packs are impacted.
We strongly urge you to contact Volvo to confirm if your car is at risk, not all extended range vehicles are. We’ve covered how to contact them in our latest article below
How to best to contact Volvo about your EX30 battery if you haven’t recieved an email
The Warning: “Stop Safely Now and Exit Car”
Volvo’s quality control team discovered that individual cells within the high-voltage battery may overheat. The risk is significant enough that Volvo has programmed a specific emergency warning into the car’s display (DIM) that reads:
“Danger! Battery overheating. Stop safely now and exit car.”
Emergency “Stop-Gap” Measures
While Volvo works with regulatory authorities to find a permanent fix, they have issued an immediate instruction to all affected owners: Limit your charging to a maximum of 70%.
By keeping the State of Charge (SoC) lower, the stress on the battery cells is reduced, theoretically lowering the risk of a thermal event.
How to set the limit:
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Tap the Vehicle Symbol on the bottom toolbar.
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Navigate to Settings > Charge.
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Select Custom and slide the limit to 70%.
What This Means for Owners
If you own an EX30, please keep a close eye on your inbox for any official communications from Volvo. If your vehicle is affected, you will receive a formal notification via email or through the Volvo Cars app with specific instructions on how to proceed.
For many EX30 owners, this issue is a major blow to the car’s usability. The Extended Range model—marketed for its long-distance capabilities—is effectively being hobbled to 70% of its advertised capacity until further notice.
The notice states that Volvo is working on “effective action” as quickly as possible, but it remains unclear if this will be a software-based monitoring fix or a physical battery replacement.
Should the worst happen, this Emergency High Voltage isolation document may be of assistance
Hypermiler.co.uk has reached out to Volvo Cars UK for a formal statement. We have asked for clarification on the total number of UK vehicles affected and a timeline for a permanent resolution. We will update this page as soon as we hear back.
As below please find the email. Thanks to those who highlighed this issue on the Volvo EX30 UK Facebook group
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I think this article is irresponsibly contributing to the panic about this by burying the information that it is NOT ALL EX30s.
Instead of doing done research and helping us find out the extent of the problem, the authors just repeats what’s already in the forums, and amplifies the sense of FUD. Not helpful.
Thanks for your feedback. I hardly being buried. It’s in the first paraph with a heading “Which models are affected?”, it’s quite clear.
Being EX30 owners ourselves we are doing what we can to help, you’ll also see we just published another article advising how best to confirm if you car is at risk.
no not at all as someone with an affected car im more interested in how they ar going to fix my 50k car than panic
My range went from 290, to 220 overnight, thought then something not right with the battery, now this, lost confidence in my EX30 Dual.
I will now struggle to get to work and back without having to charge some where near work this is a major inconvenience are volvo going to pay or offer up a replacement car what are our legal rights? What if the car does catch fire how will insurers cover this ?