Volvo EX90 Review

The Volvo EX90 is a large, electric seven-seat SUV that measures 5.0-metres long, 2.11m wide with the side mirrors, and is 1.75m high. It’s chunky, then, but nothing unusual to buyers of the Mercedes EQS SUV, BMW iX, Audi Q8 e-tron and Kia EV9, all which are potentially rivals to the pure electric Volvo EX90. In fact, Volvo’s own venerable XC90 – which is available with mild hybrid power – will also compete with the EX90, as it’ll continue to be sold for a few years yet. 

This is the first Volvo EX90 model ever, and the first all-electric seven-seater from the Swedish brand. It does share the new SPA2 platform with the Polestar 3 SUV, which you can read more about here – but you can’t get the Polestar with the seven-seat layout that’s likely to be a big selling point for those considering the EX90. 

Range, battery and charging

Underneath the unmistakably Scandi-chic look, the EX90 gets a 107kWh usable lithium-ion NMC battery that’s good for a 374 mile WLTP range. While I’ve only had the chance to drive the big Volvo out in California on shorter test drives (poor me, I know, but someone has to do it…) I’d say that you can expect roughly 300- miles of real-world range in the summer, and more like 260 in winter. Don’t forget that you’ll always get better range in an electric car when you’re doing slower speeds, while faster speeds eat more quickly into your battery charge. A heat pump is standard on the EX90, at least, which will help with winter efficiency.

Charging speeds are up to 250kW, which is very decent, and will get you a 10-80% charge in 30 minutes, while a standard 7kW home charger will take around sixteen hours for a full charge from nearly empty.     

​Vehicle-to-load charging isn’t available yet, but we’re told that it’ll be added to the EX90 in the future.

Practicality and boot space 

Don’t fret, the seven-seat layout is standard with the EX90 – it’s not an optional extra, or anything. As you’d expect, at this price. You also get a very decent 310-litre of boot space even with the third row of seats raised, or you can drop them to leave a flat floor and 655 litres of space. There’s underfloor storage, too, plus a good-sized frunk, so you’re not short of places to keep your cables and other gubbins stored. 

The rearmost seats fold flat into the boot floor electrically, too, which makes it really easy - and you can lower the rear air suspension to make it easier when you’re lugging heavy items into the boot. 

There’re also big cubbies in the centre console, a good-sized glovebox, map pockets in the back, and fairly spacious doorbins, so you aren’t short of places to lose your front door keys. 

There’s loads of space in the middle row of seats, so even tall adults can lounge about in comfort, plus you get heated seats, charging ports and climate control in all three rows of seats. You can also slide the middle row forward to make more legroom for people in the third row, if you like. Just don’t go for a Venti coffee at Starbucks if you’re in the back of an EX90, as the cupholders are a bit on the Demi side… 

The outer middle-row seats tilt and slide forwards with a one-pull lever, and once you’ve clambered in, an average-sized adult will actually be okay. A six-footer will be a bit conscious of a head-meets-roof situation, but this isn’t bad at all by seven-seater standards. 

If you’ve got little ones to strap into your Volvo, it’s good to know that there are four sets of Isofix; two pairs in the middle row, and two pairs in the third row seats.

As for towing, the EX90 can pull a braked trailed of up to 2,200kg, which is useful. Mind you, this is already a 2.8-tonne car, so do be mindful of the total weight of the car and all the other stuff that’s rolling along behind it.

Interior, Design/Styling and Technology

I absolutely love the interior of the EX90. I think I could live in it. The quality is just stunning, and the seats are so comfy and adjustable with all the electric adjustment that you could think of, including for your lumbar support. You even get massage seats as standard! That's what I'm after in a premium car... I also like the diddy screen that’s behind the steering wheel, which gives you a nav readout as well as speed and other essentials (it's very similar to what you have in the Polestar 3), and there’s a huge portrait screen complete with Google Maps, over-the-air software updates, Bluetooth, online connectivity, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. It’s got all the features you want – on the full-fat Ultra trim that’s the only option at launch, anyway. We’ll have to wait and see regards specs when Volvo introduces some other trims a bit later, but it’s safe to say that you’ll always have this infotainment touchscreen and all the features I’ve just mentioned. 

It's pretty good to use, too. It does take some time to get used to the menus, and I’m not sure I’d say it’s as easy to use as the system in the BMW iX or even the Kia EV9, but with a bit of familiarity it’s not too bad at all. And the in-built Google maps and other Google apps are great, too. Okay, so I wish there were some physical buttons to control the air-con and a few other key essentials. And you even have to adjust the side mirrors and steering wheel through the screen. Which really is annoying. Oh well. The voice control really is pretty reliable for climate control commands, so there’s that!

Little details around the cabin, including the Swedish flags, the ‘Since 1959’ strapline engraved on the seatbelt catches, and the general material finish and appearance… It’s all just very lovely. The fixed panoramic roof helps to make it feel light and airy, too. Basically, it feels lush enough to be a true Mercedes EQS SUV rival, which is saying something. 

As for the safety? Wow. I mean, Volvo has a long history of setting the benchmark for safety, and it wants to maintain that with the EX90 so there’s a roof-mounted Lidar (which is a fancy four-way laser system to sense the road and any potential obstructions in it) and more cameras than the Big Brother House. Volvo’s semi-autonomous Pilot Assist system is standard on every EX90, which autonomously brakes, starts, keeps you in lane, reacts to other vehicles, speed limits, junctions and more. It’s clever stuff. 

A 25-speaker Bowers and Wilkins audio system is also a proper highlight of the standard kit list on the Volvo EX90 Ultra.

Motors, Performance and Handling 

The Volvo EX90 is initially offered in two versions – the Twin Motor Ultra and the Twin Motor Ultra Performance. Both have all-wheel drive, but the standard car makes do with a paltry 402bhp for 0-62mph in 5.9 seconds while the Performance model ups that to 510bhp and 4.9 seconds. 

It’s not about the pace in the EX90, really, though. Sure, it’s fast! You can really get up the road quickly, and it’s a proper rush to accelerate hard. But the EX90 is all about the refinement. This is such a quiet car; even be electric car standards, it’s super-hushed. And the ride comfort (in California, at least) was just sublime. This car glides up the road. It’s an absolute joy to cover miles in. It doesn’t even feel ‘wallowy’, as the body control is good and it all even feels quite nimble. Which is impressive for such a massive, heavy car.

Brake regen’ is adjustable, and there’s a one-pedal mode if you want it.

Now, this isn’t a very off-road oriented car. If you want proper go anywhere capability and electric running, the Land Rover Defender PHEV is currently your best bet. But, the Volvo does have height-adjustable air suspension, decent ground clearance and can wade in up to 450mm of water if you need it to, so it’s still going to make light work of the average horse yard or rutted country track. 

Running Costs and Pricing

Okay, okay, the EX90 isn’t cheap. At all. It’s near enough to a six-figure car on list price, while monthly leasing costs are set to start at £1400 per month. Ouch. But then, it is a properly premium car and you perhaps wouldn’t be surprised if Range Rover charged those figures – and that’s the premium level that Volvo is playing at with the EX90. Plus, the EQS SUV is even more expensive (by a big margin), so if you consider the Volvo from that end of the market then it actually seems almost good value. 

The three-year, 60,000 mile warranty is a bit hard to swallow when you get seven years and 100,000 miles of cover on the much cheaper Kia EV9 – and eight years on the Peugeot E-5008! But given that Audi, BMW, Mercedes and Range Rover all also stick with three-year warranties, it’s hard to really say that Volvo’s being anything but competitive. Still seems mad that the cheaper cars have much better warranties, really, but I guess that’s premium brands for you! 

You do, of course, get an eight year, 100,000 mile warranty on the Volvo EX90’s battery. It won’t be the most efficient electric SUV out there – you’ll be lucky to see 2.9 miles/kWh even in summer, so the Mercedes EQS will go further to a charge in the real world, and cost you a bit less in electricity. Mind you, both will be way cheaper to fuel than an equivalent petrol car, so a full battery in the EX90 will cost around £21 on most home electricity tariffs, you’ll still pay roughly 8p per mile provided you charge at home most of the time. Not bad at all for a massive, high-performance SUV. 

Verdict 

The Volvo isn’t without a few issues. That the screen failed on us while we were out in California is a bit worrying, although Volvo assures us that the software updates due out before deliveries start later in 2024 will sort this problem. The other big issue is called the Kia EV9, but we really need to get the Kia and Volvo together to find out if the EX90 can justify its price. I didn’t think it would, but given just how peachy it is to sit in and drive, I think there’s a good chance that it will. Given that I’m normally a champion of the more affordable cars (I’m tight with my money, alright?!) that’s saying something. The Volvo EX90 really is sublime, and I want one. 

Bring on the twin test with the Kia!

Like the Volvo EX90? Try these...

Kia EV9 Review

Mercedes EQS SUV Review

​

Volvo XC90 T8 Recharge Review