2025
Volvo EX90

The EX90’s link to the existing XC90 SUV is easy to see from its squared-off edges, tapering third-row side windows, and distinctive front and rear lights. But the electric EX90’s smoother surfaces and flush door handles hint at how its designers prioritized aerodynamics for better efficiency.

Approach the car and the headlights will “awaken” with an animation that calls to mind an opening eyelid. On the rear, segmented taillights follow the edges of the liftgate. There’s no grille. Instead, there’s a flat front reminiscent of many other EV designs, including the Volvo XC40 Recharge and Ford Mustang Mach-E.

Perhaps the EX90’s most noticeable design feature is a little bump above the top of the windshield. It houses a lidar sensor that’s part of the suite of devices that scans the vehicle’s surroundings for various safety and advanced driving assistance systems—more on those later.

Volvo continues to play up its Nordic heritage with minimalist design. The EX90 gets a leather-free interior with lots of flat surfaces, unadorned spaces, and hidden lighting that glows from behind natural wood finishes. A lot of the interior materials are recycled plastic.

As is the fashion on so many vehicles these days, there’s a big, 14.5-inch tablet-like touchscreen in the middle of the dashboard, and another screen behind the steering wheel. We are dismayed to see only one physical control aside from the control stalks behind the steering wheel: A big knob with a pause/play symbol. It sits in front of the cupholders between the front seats. Volvo says it also serves as a volume knob.

The infotainment system has various Google apps built in. We’ve used a similar system on the Polestar 2 and found it to be unintuitive and confusing. We’re hoping Volvo’s promise of more processing power will help it run more smoothly. The layout and home screen also appear to be slightly reconfigured. In any case, despite the Google tie-in, drivers will still be able to use both Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. And they will be able to use their smartphone as a key.

We’ve only seen glimpses of the EX90’s third row, but we don’t expect the rearmost seats to be the most comfortable ones in the house. As is the case with most midsized three-row SUVs, the current XC90’s third-row seats are best suited for young kids, and we can’t imagine the new vehicle’s design will uncover that much more free space.

Volvo says the U.S.-spec EX90 will have about a 300-mile range—longer than the current standard version of the Rivian R1S, but less than the Tesla Model X.

Power comes from a 400-volt, 111-kWh lithium battery that can charge from 10 to 80 percent in about a half hour at a fast public charging station, and is routed to all four wheels through two electric motors. The first version to go on sale will be good for 496 hp. Volvo hasn’t shared any details about other drivetrain options, but the similar Polestar 3 will offer a 517-hp variant.

The EX90 is also capable of bi-directional charging. Like the Ford F-150 Lightning, Genesis GV60, Hyundai Ioniq 5, Kia EV6, and Nissan Leaf, it will be able to send power back to a home during an outage, or power electronic devices or even other vehicles while away from an outlet.