Battery size: 88 - 102 kWh
Miles per kWh: 4.4
E-Rating™: A+
Max charge rate: 350 kW
Range: 406 - 437 miles
Introduction
The new Volvo ES90 is, according to its maker “in a class of its own, combining the refined elegance of a saloon, the adaptability of a fastback, and the spacious interior and higher ground clearance of an SUV.”
Translated from marketing speak, that means that this 5.0-metre long premium electric car looks like a bit saloon-ish, but has a slightly higher ride height than a normal executive saloon, and has a hatchback boot instead of the deep, letterbox-shaped space that you get with traditional saloon body.
Despite all of that less conventional stuff, the Volvo ES90 is still a direct rival to cars like the BMW i5, Audi A6 e-tron and Mercedes EQE to name just a few. In fact, possibly its biggest rival is of Volvo’s own making; the Polestar 3 shares a lot of tech with the ES90, and costs a very similar amount.
The ES90 will have a couple of battery options when it goes on sale later this year, both of which manage a range of over 400 miles, but read on for more details on that.
Styling and Dimensions
It’s been a while since Volvo had a big saloon in its range and this is definitely the sibling of the EX90 isn’t it? With those familiar Volvo ‘Thor’s hammer’ headlamps and C-shaped tail lights, you can’t miss the brand style language. The car I had an early look around is the Volvo ES90 Ultra. This will be the first trim level to arrive, but other trims will follow. The Ultra sits on huge, 22-inch open spoke wheels and I think it looks great. It really oozes style in that understated Scandinavian way.
And let’s give a shout out to the colour - Auror Silver! It’s very Northern lights, isn’t it? And wouldn’t it look particularly lovely on an estate version of the ES90? No word on that, yet, though…
Interior
Let's get back to that multitasking, because technology is where the ES90 really impresses. It’s the second Volvo - following the EX90 - to be built using a new ‘Superset tech stack’ and at the heart of it are two computers which use something called Dual NVIDIA DRIVE AGX Orin configuration. Nope, I have no idea what that means, either. But according to the geeks I know, it can do 508 trillion operations per second, which is about 15 times faster than the latest smartphones. It’s really fast. And it needs to be, if it’s to cope with all the complex systems on this car - for everything from driver assistance to safety tech. It also means that the ES90 will be upgradable in future with all sorts of autonomous driving features, although Volvo is tight lipped about when that may come.
The ES90 Ultra that I filmed for your viewing delight, is packed to the rafters with kit in here including a 14.5-inch central display, electric everything, front and rear heated seats, a 25-speaker Bowers and Wilkins stereo, wireless phone charging and lots more. There’s even an air-purification system and pixel-LED lights on every ES90, as well as – this being a Volvo – loads of safety equipment. The voice assistant is actually really good, too, so you really can rely on it to change the cabin temperature, seat heating and all of those routine adjustments.
And - praise be! - there’s a screen behind the steering wheel for your speed readout. You don’t have to rely on the central touchscreen for that, as you do with the Volvo EX30 and Tesla Model Y. Thankfully!
Speaking of which, I can’t chat about a new Volvo with mentioning safety can I? Thanks again to all the tech and those super-fast chips, the ES90 takes safety to the next level with a system called Safe Space Technology, powered by a whole array of different sensors: one lidar, five radars, seven cameras, and 12 ultrasonic sensors. It scans the car’s surroundings, detecting obstacles even in complete darkness, and enabling proactive safety features like collision avoidance.
Inside, an advanced driver-understanding system keeps an eye on you to make sure you’re not getting too tired and that you’re paying proper attention to the road. It all combines to make it very safe. And that's why you want a Volvo, right?
As for the rear seats? Well, there’s tons of room back there; it’s really comfortable and gorgeous up front, and in the back. The pano roof is likely to be standard on all the ES90 models in the UK, which is great news as it really floods the interior with light.
Boot Space
The Volvo ES90 gets a 468-litre boot, which is roomier than the boot you get in the Mercedes EQE but not as large as the BMW i5’s load space. Mind you, the boot aperture is nice and big, and with the seats dropped you get a whopping 1256 litre - although the seats don’t fold completely flat. There’s also a 22-litre frunk, which is about big enough for your de-icer and scraper but you’ll have to be a cable-folding ninja to get a cable in there.
Battery, Charging and Efficiency
The ES90 uses many of the same bits underneath as Volvo’s EX90 SUV that we saw last year, but it’s had an upgrade to an 800V system – which is essentially a more powerful electrical system - to boost the charging speeds. That means that the Volvo ES90 can charge at 300 - to 350kW depending on the model you go for, making this one of the fastest charging electric cars on sale. It’s even faster charging than the Porsche Taycan! That means that you’ll get a 100-mile range boost into the ES90 in under ten minutes, or a 10-80% charge will take some 15- to 20 minutes depending on which battery you’ve got, and (of course) provided the rapid charger you’re plugged into can support those speeds.
The ES90 also comes with bi-directional charging, allowing you to power your home or return power to the grid that helps lower electricity cost. It’ll also be ready to go with Plug and Charge in some markets, including the UK. This is where you register your details with the car and then plug into a charger without having to tap your card or activate anything on an annoying app. Just plug in, and the car will charge. A heat pump is standard on every Volvo ES90, too, which helps with cold-weather efficiency.
As for range, the Volvo ES90 Single Motor has an 88kWh NMC battery giving a 406 mile WLTP range, complete with a 333hp motor powering the rear wheels for a 6.9 seconds 0- 62 time. It can charge at a maximum of 300kW. The Volvo ES90 Twin Motor gets a 102 kWh NMC battery, with all-wheel drive, 449hp, a 5.5 seconds 0-62 time, can charge at up to 350kW and has 437 miles of WLTP range.
If that’s not enough performance for you, the Twin Motor Performance has the same battery but 680hp, knocking one and a half seconds off the acceleration time.
Incidentally the ES90 also comes with its own battery passport - a blockchain enabled record that traces critical raw materials including lithium, cobalt, nickel, and graphite so you can check they have come from an ethical source.
Running Costs and Pricing
Pricing for the Volvo ES90 hasn’t been confirmed, yet, but expect it to start at around about £70,000 for the Single Motor, while the higher spec Dual Motor models will probably push the price close to £88,000. Equipment levels will be high though, as we’ve already seen with the Volvo EX90 and Polestar 3.
Verdict
Obviously, we’ll have to wait until we’ve driven the ES90 and to draw any final conclusions. But I have to say that I do really like this car. It’s so lovely to sit in, the tech’s really impressive, and while it’s not cheap I think the price seems pretty reasonable given the range, equipment and space. Sure, I have been thinking that Polestar’s now doing Volvo better than Volvo, if you know what I mean, so it’ll be interesting to see what you lovely lot think of this compared to the Polestar 3. On this evidence, I reckon the ES90 could be a winner.
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