The 2025 Volvo EX90 is the latest 3-row electric SUV to join the brand’s expanding EV lineup. But does this new SUV provide the Volvo luxury we’re all used to or does it feel like every other electric vehicle out there?
Performance
Motors – Here in Canada, the 2025 Volvo EX90 is only available with one powertrain. At least for the time being. It’s called the Twin Motor Performance and, as the name implies, two electric motors provide a combined output of 510 hp and 671 lb-ft of torque (380 kW & 910 Nm). Despite its hefty weight of 2,748 kg (6,058 lbs), the EX90 can accelerate from a stop to 100 km/h in 4.9 seconds according to Volvo. In the United States, there’s a less powerful version of this Twin Motor powertrain that produces 402 hp and 568 lb-ft of torque (300 kW & 770 Nm).
With the Performance AWD option selected in the infotainment system, the Volvo EX90 is just like any other EV. It has quick and responsive acceleration. But by default, this option is turned off when starting the car so the accelerator response is not as snappy in the normal drive mode. In fact, it has quite a delay if you stomp your foot on it, almost like a 1980s turbocharged car. But after a delay of 1 or 2 seconds, the computer gradually provides full power.
Charging, Range, & Efficiency – The 2025 Volvo EX90 has an estimated range of up to 499 km (310 miles) but this depends on a number of different factors. The wheel size, the climate control usage, your driving style, the ambient temperature, and so on all factor into the amount of range you can squeeze out of the 111 kWh battery pack. During my week with the SUV, I averaged 19 kWh/100km (3.27 miles/kWh) of efficiency.
Recharging the EX90 can be done up to a speed of 250 kW. At that rate from a DC level 3 charger, 10% to 80% takes approximately 30 minutes. From a more common 50 kW DC charger, the same battery charge takes about 3 times as long. From a level 2 charger at 48 Amps, Volvo claims the battery can be fully recharged in 10 hours while from a slower 10 Amp level 2 charger, it’ll take upwards of 45 hours to fully recharge. The EX90 can also be charged from a Tesla supercharger, though an adapter will be required as the SUV comes equipped with a CCS style plug.
Braking – Like many other EVs, the Volvo EX90 uses regenerative braking to recoup some electric energy. It has a one-pedal mode with two different functions. “On” is like a traditional one-pedal with strong regenerative braking slowing the car down when lifting your foot off the accelerator pedal. This mode brings the car to a complete stop in a smooth manner. “Auto” uses the navigation system and other sensors to automatically adjust the amount of regen braking. For example, if there’s no vehicle ahead, it will not provide any regen force. If a vehicle ahead slows down by a bit, only a small amount of regen force is applied. Personally, I don’t like this mode because it always changes. I prefer the standard “On” mode.
As for the physical brakes, they are strong and the brake pedal does not move on its own… unlike some other EVs.
Handling – The 2025 Volvo EX90 has a calm driving demeanor. It doesn’t encourage you to go fast (top speed is limited to 180 km/h (112 mph) by the way) nor push it through corners. That being said, it is planted through turns thanks to the low center of gravity and body roll is kept in check by the suspension. Air suspension with adaptive dampers are optional but the standard setup is adequate for an SUV such as this. Steering weight can be adjusted through the infotainment system to feel light or firm.
Comfort
Ride Comfort – One area where the 2025 Volvo EX90 excels is with the ride quality. Despite this demo vehicle not being equipped with the optional air suspension, the ride is still plush and not overly floaty.
Further aiding to the comfortable ride are the seats. Volvo has always provided some of the most comfortable seats in this segment and the ones in the EX90 are no exception. They have just the right amount of adjustments with enough padding. On the Ultra trim, these are also massaging.
Interior Space – The interior dimensions of this EX90 are almost identical to those of the gasoline-powered XC90. Legroom is similar across all three rows of seats while the EX90 provides just a tiny amount of more headroom across all rows. For my above average height of 6’4”, there is more than enough space in the front seats and just enough in the 2nd row seats behind my driving position. The 2nd row seats can slide forwards and backwards and can recline. There’s also a child booster seat integrated into the middle position. The floor is completely flat and the EX90 is available with captain’s chairs just like the XC90. The 3rd row is tight for adults with not much legroom nor headroom. The opening to get into those back seats is also on the small side. But in the EX90 if you don’t need those 3rd row seats, they can be folded down via a button to either side of the 2nd row seats or buttons in the trunk. And these 3rd row seats are electronically operated.
Speaking of the trunk, the EX90 has 385 L (13.6 cu-ft) of cargo space behind the 3rd row seats. Behind the 2nd row, cargo capacity increases to 1,056 L (37.3 cu-ft) and behind the front row, the EX90 has 2,135 L (75.4 cu-ft) of cargo space. There is a little bit of storage under the trunk floor, along with a spare wheel, and there’s 45 L (1.6 cu-ft) of space in the frunk.
Noise, Vibration, & Harshness – Another area where the Volvo EX90 really shines is with cabin noise. It is remarkably quiet. Tire noise is the most prevalent sound that is audible in the cabin on highways but it is a few levels lower than in some other luxury EVs. Wind noise is negligible and there are no fake EV sounds coming from the speakers when accelerating quickly.
Odds and Ends
Pricing – The 2025 Volvo EX90 is the most expensive vehicle the Swedish brand has on sale at the moment. It starts at $110,000 CAD ($81,290 USD) and can go up to $132,905 CAD ($95,140 USD) when fully loaded.
Gadgets – The 2025 EX90 Plus comes already equipped with a lot of convenience features. Some of these include leather upholstery, heated front & 2nd row outboard seats, a heated steering wheel, 4-zone automatic climate controls, 3-rd row A/C, a head-up display, a wireless phone charging and key charging pad (more on that later), a panoramic moonroof, and a hands-free power liftgate. Some of the optional convenience features include a Bowers & Wilkins audio system, ventilated and massaging front seats, and power side bolsters for the front seats.
The main focal point of the EX90’s interior is the new 14.5″ tablet style touchscreen. It has Google Built-in but it does allow the use of wireless Apple CarPlay. There are also different apps that can be installed into this system including YouTube. Every function of the car, except for the volume control, is integrated into this one touchscreen. It can make for a distracting drive if you want to change the temperature for example. Thankfully, some controls can be operated with voice commands. But others require you to dig through this infotainment system. The layout of the menus is fairly intuitive and it doesn’t take very long to familiarize yourself with the system. Sadly, Volvo has removed the “Headrest fold” option to drop the 3rd row headrests. You now have to do it from the back.
Another gadget that you get in the EX90 is the roof mounted LiDar system. This uses lasers, along with multiple cameras and ultrasonic sensors, to create a 3D version of the environment around the car. The LiDar allows the EX90 to see objects and pedestrians up to 250 meters away in pitch blackness and alert the driver to an obstruction in front of the car. You can get a visual representation of what the car “sees” on the small screen in front of the driver. Volvo also says that this system will enable the EX90 for level 3 autonomous hands-free driving but for the time being, it is not available. The LiDar and cameras just collect data for now. The car does have an adaptive cruise control with lane follow but it requires the driver to keep at least one hand on the steering wheel at all times.
Interior Design – The materials of the EX90’s interior are top notch. There’s real wood trim along with real leather lining the dashboard, door panels, and center console. But it’s a very minimalist interior design. If you’re a fan of Tesla’s interior styling, then you’ll love this one because it looks very similar. For those that prefer physical controls, you’ll hate this interior. There’s only one physical knob in the entire interior and that is the volume and media skip knob.
But what irks me more is that a lot of the functions have been copied from Tesla. If you want to adjust the exterior mirrors, it has to be selected in the infotainment system first and then use the right steering wheel mounted controls. If you want to adjust the steering wheel column, it’s the same process. To turn on the Pilot Assist, it’s a pull down of the right stalk, just like a Tesla. The left stalk returns to center when activating the right or left turn signals, just like a Tesla. The window controls consist of just two window switches and if you want to open the rear windows from the front, you have to press a capacitive button and then use the same window switches to open or close the rear windows. This is more like Volkswagen rather than Tesla. The Volvo EX90 doesn’t even have a traditional key fob anymore. It’s just a small rectangular box that gets detected by the car as you approach or leave it. However, it must have a small battery or a big drain on power because I’ve heard that it quickly loses power thus preventing owners from getting into their EX90s. To recharge the battery, the key fob has to be placed on the wireless phone charging pad. Thankfully, the EX90 can be unlocked or locked via a smartphone but I haven’t been able to start the car without the key fob somewhere inside the car.
I understand that these simplified controls make for a cleaner design and reduce costs for the company, but those costs are never passed down to consumers and it increases distraction as now the driver needs to take their eyes off the road to make sure they select the item they want in the infotainment system. Additionally, having screens in place of physical controls doesn’t make for a luxurious interior. If screens mean luxury then luxury watch makers like Rolex, Tudor, Richard Mille would just place a screen on their watches. But they don’t.
Exterior Design – The 2025 Volvo EX90 has an exterior styling that is an evolution of the current Volvo vehicles design. Thor’s Hammer daytime running lights are made up of individual LED segments and they open up to reveal the actual headlights. The vertical tail lights are also broken into multiple segments while the C-shaped portions are squared off like the EX30. In side profile, the EX90 looks like a larger version of the EX30 and less like the XC90. The standard 20” wheels look a bit small for this SUV and I’d upgrade to the larger 21” or 22” wheels. The frameless mirrors look cool and the pop-out door handles are for better aerodynamic efficiency. And finally, the LiDar sensor on top of the roof is small compared to some prototypes but it still reminds me of a London taxi.
Safety – The 2025 Volvo EX90 is being touted as one of the safest vehicles on sale today. As I mentioned earlier, the LiDar system can “see” much further than any radar or camera based system and with greater accuracy. Additionally, all safety & driver aids are standard features on the EX90. This SUV also has a strong safety cage made out of high strength steel for both the occupants and the battery pack.
Warranty – The 2025 Volvo EX90 is covered by a 4 year / 80,000 km new vehicle warranty. The battery pack is covered by an 8 year / 160,000 km warranty with Volvo claiming that it will hold up to 70% of its charge capacity during that period, whichever comes first.
Conclusion – The 2025 Volvo EX90 is a quiet and comfortable 3-row electric SUV with enough driving range. But along the way, it lost its Volvo identity. The interior looks sterile and the functionality of most controls can become infuriating to operate. They copied other EV manufacturers, mainly Tesla, but they didn’t add their Scandinavian flare. To me this does not feel like a Volvo product and I’d rather get the XC90 T8 instead.
Thank you to Volvo Canada for providing the vehicle. www.VolvoCars.com
2025 Volvo EX90 Gallery
