The verdict: Solid performance, range and charging fundamentals combine with Volvo’s trademark restrained luxury and sharp style for one of the better three-row luxury electric vehicles on the market — just make sure you’re OK with some features arriving after your purchase.
Versus the competition: At the moment, the true three-row luxury EV space is fairly sparse, with only the Mercedes-EQ EQS, Rivian R1S and Tesla Model X providing a real comparison. In this company, pricing is also fairly close quarters, so it’ll come down to preference and priorities.
This is a big one. I mean that both literally and figuratively — think of the new 2025 Volvo EX90 as the all-electric alter ego to the gas-powered XC90, the longstanding flagship SUV for the Swedish brand. The XC90 has long been Volvo’s largest and most important model, serving as the brand’s first SUV all the way back in 2003 and as the debut model for Volvo’s soft relaunch with the second gen back in 2016 (which won our Best of 2016 award).
So, it stands to reason the new EX90 would be prioritized as its first and most important electric vehicle, especially since the XC90 routinely swaps places with the smaller XC60 for Volvo’s U.S. bestseller. Not so: The XC40 Recharge (now EX40), C40 Recharge and EX30 all beat the EX90 to the punch, with the new three-row serving as the fourth distinct EV and the second of the new ground-up EX breed.
Related: 2025 Volvo EX90: 3 Rows, 300-Mile Range, Under $80K
Electrification hasn’t been the easiest path for Volvo. The U.S launch of the intriguing and hotly anticipated EX30 was struck down by the significant tariff on Chinese-built EVs enacted in August 2024, while the EX90 trudged through its own eight-month delay before production kicked off at its Ridgeville, S.C., plant. Development woes and significant software issues were allegedly the root cause of the EX90’s failure to launch, the same troubles cited for its Polestar 3 sibling.
Charging Ahead
A bit of doom and gloom, but Volvo doesn’t seem perturbed in the slightest. EX90 preorders were so popular, the books were closed through 2024 after a few months, with the EX30 ostensibly hot on its tailgate when production moves wholesale to its Ghent, Belgium, facility to circumnavigate tariffs.
All that’s still to come. In Newport Beach, Calif., a row of champagne-colored EX90s gleamed in the California sun, all in identical spec, with brimmed batteries set for a few hundred miles through SoCal’s sprawling assortment of mountain roads. (Per our ethics policy, Cars.com pays for its own airfare and lodging when attending such manufacturer-sponsored events.) In an ideal (and level) environment, the longest-legged EX90 will hum through a Volvo-estimated 308 miles before depletion, though our juicy Twin Motor Performance version was rated for 296 miles.
For the moment, you can only have the EX90 in dual-motor flavor, with the base Twin Motor rated at 402 horsepower and 568 pounds-feet of torque, and the aforementioned Performance with 510 hp and 671 pounds-feet. Battery capacity is unchanged between trims at 111 kilowatt-hours, and DC fast-charging capability peaks at 250 kilowatts max.
Cockpit Couture
Those are a pretty solid set of figures made even better wrapped in Volvo’s fetching Scandi-futuristic threads that interlace sculptural art-museum aesthetics with eco-friendly materials, including upholstery options that range between blended wool and Nordico, a synthetic leather material. And if you blot the entire order form out, it arrives dripping with requisite luxe doodads like soft-close doors, massaging front seats, a Bowers & Wilkins premium sound system and laminated side windows. Even the standard feature set is ritzy, with the base trims packing a panoramic glass roof (that I believe needs a shade cover), backlit wood trim, a 360-degree camera system, head-up display and integrated air purifier with an alarmingly detailed particulate-matter breakdown.
The digital architecture on Volvo’s infotainment is almost — almost — worth more written space than driving dynamics, as there’s beaucoup to unpack with this latest user interface. I’ll hit the high (and low) points since there’s an equal blend of stuff I like and loathe. As is the trend, Volvo eschews physical controls for digital ones, with the overwhelming majority of vehicle functions handled by the vertically oriented 14.5-inch center touchscreen. The interface is noticeably reactive, with app and menu switching handled with essentially no delay, matched with a high-refresh display and rich colors. Menus are mostly straightforward, with the lower portion of the screen offering pinned vehicle apps that are likely to be frequently used, like climate and seat functions.
Missing: Have You Seen These Features?
Google Built-In was also neat, but its forced use due to a lack of Apple CarPlay is less so, though Volvo says this connectivity is coming in a future update. Actually, there’s a fair bit of previously promised kit missing at launch, including smart charging (or scheduled charging), a light-themed display mode (like you’d find on your smartphone), bidirectional charging and reduction of phantom battery drain. Oh, and lidar functionality — while each EX90 is shipped with lidar hardware sitting prominently at the top of the windshield, the system remains in “data collection” mode and does not provide any meaningful application for the moment.
Currently, all EX90s rely on the familiar combo of radar and cameras for the suite of driver-assistance systems, leaving some of the EX90’s promised safety tech on the digital shelf. This means I was unable to sample its semi-autonomous functions, hyped as they might be. Company reps on hand at the EX90 media drive emphasized these features were “coming soon” and would be pushed to vehicles through over-the-air updates.
Back to what is offered. A frustrating seat, steering wheel and mirror adjustment system was one of my biggest complaints, though I recognize owners using the Tesla-esque driver profiles saved on the digital key ecosystem will find this to be a one-time issue. More on that in a bit, but all driver adjustments are handled through the screen and directional controls on the steering wheel, making it a slow, somewhat cumbersome process.
Creature Comforts
What physical interior accoutrement remains is quite nice. The available 25-speaker thumper from Bowers & Wilkins sounds as good as any top-shelf sound system I’ve experienced, and general attention to detail is excellent. The bleach-white wood trim was a killer contrast against my test car’s wool upholstery, and most of what appeared as metal either was metal or was an impressive facsimile.
Seat comfort is top notch, matched by above-average ride quality from the optional adaptive air suspension. Delve into the vehicle settings nested in the center UI and you’ll find toggles for chassis and steering, each offering a choice between standard and sporting settings.
How It Drives
Naturally, I toggled both to the more aggressive position for the miles burned through the mountain passes. I found little difference in comfort and modest difference in body roll when switching between suspension settings, but both my drive partner and I found steering inputs too sensitive with the steering set to the Performance mode. Very few folks will purchase this larger three-row EV for its handling, but mechanical grip is strong, though much of that likely comes down to our Performance trim’s Pirelli Scorpion summer tires.
Really, it handles much like other performance-lite trims from BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Audi. There’s enough capability for occasional fun during your run to that remote trailhead, but it’s hardly going to threaten something with an M or AMG badge — by design, of course. Steering is light and wholly artificial, same as its brake feel. One-pedal driving functionality isn’t as strong as I hoped, with what I believe to be less max resistance at city speeds than other EVs offer.
When you stop torturing the EX90 on a slithering California backroad and drive it on regular workaday streets, it’s a wonderful slab of Scandinavian serenity. As I said, the ride is comfy and isolating enough to match its premium positioning and price tag, but the EX90’s 6,100-pound bulk proves hard to hide over more drastic crags. It’s preternaturally quiet beyond even what’s expected of a modern EV, so I cranked the Bowers & Wilkins system to escape my own (very scary) thoughts.
A horsepower figure of 510 is oodles on paper, but it doesn’t feel tremendously quick here. That 3-ton mass cuts the power down to what seems like 350-ish ponies, and Volvo’s 4.7-second 0-60 mph run is experientially right on the money — again, not really an issue here since the target audience is intra-urban commuters, but it’s still nice to bully Mustang GTs and Golf GTIs between lights.
Passenger Pampering
Really, this is a car for your passengers. Aside from the little metal touches peppered throughout the cabin, second-row materials match the front, with full climate controls and heated seats on our maxed-out trim. Passenger room in the second row is phenomenal, with third-row capacity “fine” at best that should likely be used solely for kiddos or adults you really don’t like. Still, at least your standard-size enemies can take their mind off knee pain with dedicated air-conditioning vents, overhead lights, speakers, cupholders and USB-C charge ports.
Cargo stowage behind the deployed third row is usable for a respectable amount of luggage or a full day of shopping. It’s expectedly voluminous with everything folded flat — the third row is powered — and cargo load-in is made easier by a trick rear suspension-leveling system that allows the air suspension to significantly lower and raise depending on your needs with two hard buttons in the cargo area.
More From Cars.com:
- 2025 Volvo EX90: 3 Rows, 300-Mile Range, Under $80K
- 2025 Volvo EX30: Small Package and Price, Big Range
- BMW X5, Lexus NX, Volvo XC90 Earn IIHS Top Safety Pick+ Awards
- How New Chinese Tariffs Could Affect Your Next Car
- Which Vehicles Offer Built-In Child Booster Seats?
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I like the 2025 EX90. I find it to be a charming, effortlessly elegant three-row luxury EV that will make existing Volvo customers ecstatic and brand looky-loos intrigued. Any issues I had with nested controls on the screen are simply carryover frustrations I remember having with the extant screens on the standard XC90 and other gas-powered Volvo products.
Still, steel yourself for the price of entry, with the current base price of the EX90 sitting at $81,290 (all prices include destination). That’s more than $23,000 more than a base 2024 XC90, and our top-spec EX90s cracked the checkbook at approximately $94,640 before any relevant tax rebates. If that’s a lump you’re willing to swallow, I’d suggest waiting for production to smooth out and those promised OTA updates to land before locking your order in.
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