‘Serious fire risk’: nearly 3,000 Australian EV drivers warned not to fully charge cars | Volvo

Nearly 3,000 electric vehicle drivers will be asked to keep their vehicles charged at less than a full charge while the manufacturer develops a solution to a serious fire risk.

The federal ministry of transport published recall notice It’s a move that will affect 2,815 drivers for Volvo EX30 electric vehicles sold in Australia by 2024.

A fault has been detected in the battery of small SUVs, which the recall warns could lead to fire.

“Due to a manufacturing issue, cell modules installed in the high-voltage battery may overheat at high charge levels,” the statement said.

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The recall said drivers can continue to drive the affected vehicles while they wait for Volvo to develop a solution, but they should make sure they do not fully charge the battery.

“Until a solution is found, owners should keep the battery charge level below 70%,” the notice said.

“Once a solution is available, Volvo will contact owners of affected vehicles to request that they make an appointment to have the repair work carried out free of charge.”

Drivers can set the maximum charge level for their vehicle’s battery from the vehicle’s on-screen menus.

The Swedish automaker began warning drivers in other countries about the battery failure in late December and early January, and also issued a recall notice in South Africa.

In the UK, Volvo issued a statement informing drivers that the battery issue does not affect all EX30 models and has not yet caused serious injuries.

“Safety is a top priority for Volvo Cars and although the number of incidents reported is very small, representing approximately 0.02% of the cars we identified as potentially affected, and we have no reports of relevant personal injuries, we take this very seriously,” the statement said.

Volvo is one of Australia’s best-selling electric vehicle brands and the 14th best-selling electric car in 2025 in the EX30 ranking, according to figures released by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industry.