Volvo EX90 Review 2024

If you're looking for a large family car that for now at least, is the last word in safety, then the Volvo EX90 is it. The array of safety tech on offer to protect not only you and your fellow occupants, but also other road users is hugely impressive.

But the Volvo EX90 is more than just about safety. Incredibly refined, it's one of the most luxurious SUVs going. 

For now, Volvo is keeping things pretty simple with the EX90 - there's only one trim option and the choice of two motors. 

Volvo's flagship Ultra trim sees the EX90 decked out in pretty much every feature you could wish for, so it really comes down to choosing between the two motors. The standard Twin Motor model is no slouch, hitting 60mph in under 6 seconds, but for an extra £4300 you can have bragging rights with the Twin Motor Performance.

We're yet to try the Twin Motor car, but for most people this makes more sense, being only a second slower to 62mph and delivering the same electric range.

If you're looking for a premium electric SUV, you're not short on choice. There's the closely related Polestar 3 for starters, which by the time you've started to add all the optional extras that the EX90 has as standard, they're pretty similarly priced.

Then there are the Volvo EX90's German rivals - the Audi Q8 e-tron, BMW iX and Mercedes EQE SUV. While entry-level models of all three can be significantly more affordable than the EX90, to achieve a similar performance to match the EX90, you'll find you'll end up paying about the same. And all of these are only available as 5-seater. If you wanted a premium 7-seater then you'll have to dig even deeper for a Mercedes EQS SUV, with prices starting at just under £130,000.

There's also the Mercedes EQB to consider if you want a premium badge on the front of your 7-seat electric SUV. With prices starting at a little over £52,000, it's significantly more affordable than the EX90, but it's a smaller car overall and lacks the practicality, performance and tech of the EX90. 

The excellent 7-seat Kia EV9 should be on your list as well. You'll be paying under £80,000 for a top-spec car that's goes big on practicality, while there's also the recently announced VW ID.Buzz LWB that adds an extra row of seats over the standard car, but it might lack the premium finish and features you're looking for. 

If it doesn't have to be electric, then there's a huge choice of 7-seat cars, including Volvo's own XC90. 

When you're paying upwards of £100,000, you have high expectations, and the Volvo EX90 doesn't disappoint. There's a plush mix of materials that have a lovely tactile feel, and whether you choose the non-leather Nordico or wool trim, both feel high end (though think long and hard about opting for the more sustainable wool alternative if you have young children). 

Made in Carolina in the US, the EX90 certainly feels well put together with our time with it - there's not a hint of a rattle or creak.

Your gateway to every control of the EX90 is done via the huge portrait-orientated 14.5-inch touchscreen display that dominates the central console. 

The system has Google built-in (which is different from Android Auto smartphone mirroring), with Google Maps and Google Assistant. There's also Google PlayStore so you can download other compatible apps such as Spotify and Waze. Wireless Apple CarPlay is coming to the EX90, but won't be available straight away, but if we're honest, we'd be surprised if you need to resort to this as the Google system has been seamlessly integrated into the EX90.

The screen is broken down into sections, with the largest amount of real estate given over to Google Maps at the top. As you'd expect, the mapping is brilliant, while you can also get a feed of the maps fed to the digital dash and turn-by-turn directions displayed in the head-up display. Google Maps will also display charging stops, and is clever enough to anticipate how much charge you will have left at the end of your trip (and if you'll have enough to get home, directing you to a charging point if not). 

Below it is access to media (as well as integrating music apps, the EX90 also has a DAB radio) and your phone. Below that are smart widgets that control the functions of the car and a contextual bar at the bottom of the display that includes access to climate control and the hazard warning light. 

Quality and clarity of the screen is brilliant, while it's very responsive - there's certainly no horrible lag when you press an on-screen button. Some settings are tucked out of the way, requiring three or four presses of the interface to get to the setting you want, but embrace Google Assistant and it'll happily make key adjustments for you on your command.

There's wireless charging as well, though we'd like to have seen space for more than one phone, but there are an array of USB-C ports front and rear, while perhaps one of the EX90's standout features in the stereo. The Bowers & Wilkins system consists of 25 individual speakers with surround sound processing by Dolby Atmos, resulting in a total power output of 1,610 watts to deliver a stunning audio experience. Simply put, we don't think you'll find a better Hi-Fi in any mainstream car right now. 

The Volvo EX90 measures 5037mm long, 1964mm wide (2113mm including mirrors) and 1744mm high, so while there's no denying it's a large car, you'll still be amazed how much space Volvo's engineers have been able to chisel out inside. 

As you'd expect, there's ample space up front, but that hasn't come at the expense of compromising space further back. Those sitting in the middle row of seats will find plenty of leg and headroom, while those relegated to the third row might not relish the thought of a long journey stuck in the back and are best reserved for smaller children.

Volvo's really thought about how all this is going to work with families as well - the middle row of seats can be easily tilted and slid forward one-handed, while the rear seats electrically fold via buttons both in the rear and boot. You don't have to clamber into the boot to pull them back up either - another press of the button will see them pop back up and all you need to do is pull the headrests into place. 

There's no point lugging a family of six or seven around if there's no space to put anything, but the EX90 does well here as well. With all seats in place, the Volvo EX90 has a boot capacity of 310 litres - only 8 litres less than the entire boot of the compact EX30. Pop the rear seats down and use it as a five-seater and the Volvo EX90 has a 655 litres of boot space, while all seats folded away brings this up to 1,915 litres if you fill it to the roof. It's easy to forget, but there's also a 34-litre frunk (or front boot if you will). You'll likely want to pop your charging cables in there, but it's a handy little spot to place smaller items. 

For now, the Volvo EX90 comes with the choice of two electric motor configurations, both powered by a 111kWh battery (108kWh useable capacity). 

The standard Twin Motor model drives all four wheels and produces 408PS and 720Nm of torque. This sees this large SUV hit 60mph in as little as 5.7 seconds, though the top speed has been limited to 112mph.

If that's not enough, then you need to look at the more powerful EX90 Twin Motor Performance model. Using the same large battery, power is increased to 517PS and torque is up to 910Nm, resulting in a 0-60mph of 4.7 seconds - just 0.2 seconds slower than the smaller Polestar 3 and quicker than the fastest Kia EV9. 

While Volvo hasn't revealed if there will be any more variants to come after the initial launch, we wouldn't be surprised to see a more affordable single motor EX90 version appear at some point. Especially as there's a closely-related Polestar 3 Long range Single Motor variant already available. 

Both the Twin Motor and Twin Motor Performance have a quoted combined range of up to 374 miles (though these are preliminary figures), while urban city driving could see the range stretch as far as 464 miles). As with all EVs, expect real world conditions to reduce this, as well as how conservatively you drive. 

For a big EV like the EX90, that's an impressive range, and better than the likes of the Kia EV9, which has a range of up to 313 miles from the AWD GT-Line and AWD GT-Line S models.

Volvo reckons the EX90 is its quietest ever car, and it's hard to argue with that statement. Volvo has laminated the windows and panoramic roof of the EX90 to add improved soundproofing (as well as providing enhanced UV protection) and along with the near-silent operation of the electric motors, the cabin can be an incredibly quiet place to be. There's not a hint of wind noise and the only tyre noise we really experienced on our drive was when it was tackling some pretty rough surfaces on the motorway. You really do feel like you're cocooned in the cabin and shut off from the noise of the outside world. 

This is Volvo's all-new flagship car, so it's no surprise to find a huge array of safety tech as standard on the EX90. 

For starters, the Volvo EX90 is equipped with an advanced lidar (Light Detection and Ranging) sensor that works in conjunction with the car's other cameras, radars and ultrasonic sensors to provide it with a detailed view of what's going on around the car. So much so that it can detect vulnerable road users in complete darkness, while it can spot other road users from up to 250 metres away. 

It then uses this digital picture of what's around you to alert you of potential collisions, even 'pre-charging' the brakes to boost their performance should you fail to react initially. It's not only about helping you avoid a crash, as the tech is also used in an uprated version of Volvo's Pilot Assist adaptive cruise control. The system adjusts to your speed and maintains a safe distance to the car in front, while also insuring you stay in your lane via gentle steering inputs. Building on the previous version of Pilot Assist is the inclusion of Lane Change Assist. When using Pilot Assist, this will find a safe gap in traffic when you indicate to change lanes and help you steer into it. There's also Park Pilot Assist - just as the name suggests, the system can help you get into parking spaces, with the EX90 detecting and subsequently handling all of the accelerator, brakes and steering manoeuvres.

Another clever first for Volvo is the arrival of high definition pixel headlights on the EX90. The EX90 can detect up to five cars and three other subjects thanks to its suite of sensing tech and adjust the shape and intensity of light emitted from the 1.3-million pixels that make up the headlights to reduce glare. 

The Volvo EX90's array of sensors isn't restricted to the outside either. Inside and the EX90 will track your head and eye movements to detect if you're drowsy and suggest taking a break. If you do not respond to scaled warning signals, then the car can bring itself to a stop and activate the hazard lights. 

There's also Occupant Sensing, which will sense a person or animal inside the car once you've left and locked it, sending you a notification to check the car. It'll even switch the climate control back on to avoid heatstroke or hypothermia. 

The EX90 is still to be crash-tested by Euro NCAP. 

As the Volvo EX90 is a completely new proposition, it's too early to report on reliability, but EVs tend to be more reliable than petrol or diesel equivalents thanks to the fact they have less moving parts. We'll update this once cars have hit the roads to report back on any specific issues.

The Volvo EX90 comes with a three-year/60,000 mile warranty, while the battery is covered for up to eight years / 100,000 miles. Any material defect to the battery in this period will be rectified for free by a Volvo dealer.

Insurance groups are still to be set for the Volvo EX90, but if it's anything like the similarly-sized and spec'd Kia EV9, then expect them to fall into insurance group 45 and above (with some in insurance group 50, the highest rank). 

While that is high, for comparison, a top-spec Volvo XC90 Ultimate T8 is in insurance group 44. 

For now, the Volvo EX90, like all other EVs, is exempt from VED (Vehicle Excise Duty) as its a zero-emission vehicle. That means you won't have to pay any road tax when purchasing the car, but it's likely you'll have to pay VED on it in 2025 when the electric car tax rules change. 2025 will see EVs taxed at the same VED rate as a petrol car. 

Another thing to consider is the so-called premium car tax which is applied to cars costing over £40,000 - a charge currently at £410 per year that's applied in the second year of ownership for five years (and transferrable to the next owner). Currently EVs are exempt from this, but it's coming into force in 2025. 

Initially, the Volvo EX90 is only going to be available in top-spec Ultra trim, with other trims added in 2025. 

As you can imagine, a Volvo EX90 in Ultra trim comes dripping in features. Exterior standard features include 22-inch aero alloy wheels, tinted rear windows, fixed panoramic roof, flush door handles with ground lighting, air suspension and gloss black roof rails. 

Inside and there are front massage seats, heated rear seats, four-zone climate control, wireless charging, multiple USB-C ports, 360-degree camera, a central 14.5-inch tablet display, a suite of Google functions ((including Google Assistant, Google Maps and Google Play to access individual apps such as Spotify and Waze), Apple CarPlay, a 9-inch driver display, 13.2-inch head-up display, high-definition pixel LED headlights and a 25-speaker Bowers & Wilkins stereo system. There's also a huge array of safety and driving support tech, including Pilot Assist (adaptive cruise control), Park Pilot Assist, Safety Space Tech and rear cross traffic alert.