Almost 3,000 electric vehicle drivers will be asked to keep their car less than fully charged while the manufacturer develops a solution to a serious fire risk.

The federal transport department has issued a recall notice for Volvo EX30 electric vehicles sold in Australia during 2024 in a move that will affect 2,815 motorists.

A fault has been identified in the battery of the small SUVs, which a recall warned could cause a fire.

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

Drivers can continue to use the affected vehicles while waiting for Volvo to develop a solution, the recall said, but should ensure they do not fully charge its battery.

“Until a remedy is made available, owners should keep the battery charge level below 70%,” the notice said.

“When a remedy is available, owners of affected vehicles will be contacted by Volvo requesting them to schedule an appointment to have the repair work carried out free of charge.”

Motorists can set a maximum charging level for their car’s battery in the vehicle’s on-screen menus.

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

In the UK, Volvo issued a statement advising motorists that the battery issue did not affect all EX30 models and was yet to cause serious injuries.

“Safety is a top priority for Volvo Cars, and while the number of reported incidents is very small, representing around 0.02% of the cars we have identified as potentially affected, and we have no reports of related personal injuries, we are treating it very seriously,” the statement said.

Volvo is one of Australia’s top-selling electric vehicle brands, with its EX30 ranking as the 14th highest selling electric car in 2025, according to figures released by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries.