Volvo was among a select few electric vehicle makers to release a massive, premium electric seven-seat SUV last year when it introduced the EX90 to the world.
Not only did the huge crossover bring some serious Scandi styling and sophistication to the electrified people-moving market, it also promised the next generation of Volvo’s safety systems – all powered by myriad sensors, cameras and a hulking great Lidar perched atop the windscreen.
Unfortunately, said Lidar wasn’t active in time for launch, only there to harvest data in order to train Volvo’s software. This was down to the fact that the Swedish company simply didn’t have the compute power to realize its dream. The vehicle was also plagued with numerous software bugs and issues, which we won’t get into right now.
As a result, Volvo’s financials didn’t look great last year, with the company posting a $1 billion operating loss in the second quarter of 2025.
Safety smarts
It feels a bit awkward kicking a first drive off with a chat about computing power and safety systems, but it feels important here, not least because the marque’s ‘Superset’ stack basically defines this EV.
Underneath the skin sits the previously mentioned Nvidia chips, which deliver a staggering 500 trillion operations per second – almost twice that of the EX90.
This allows the aesthetically intrusive lidar unit (which remains a bone of contention with any car designer) the multiple cameras and sensors to constantly collect and analyze data from the complex work around the vehicle.
As promised but not quite delivered with the EX90, this means the limousine-like ES90 can offer an advanced active safety suite that doesn’t necessarily intervene on the daily drive. In fact, if you’re in control, not fatigued and paying attention, you probably won’t notice them at all.
“It’s probably something that’s quite difficult to test on real roads,” explains Volvo’s senior advisor for safety, Thomas Broberg. “Because these new safety systems only really activate when they need to. So basically, if you are driving badly,” he says.
A great example of this is the lane-keep assist function that, in some vehicles, kicks in as soon as you get even remotely close to the road marking or road furniture.
In the ES90, this system generally gives plenty of leeway and only kicks up a fuss when you start straying dangerously close. However, if the tech detects that the driver is getting a little tired or distracted, it starts to virtually ‘narrow’ those road markings so the systems gently intervene earlier.
The same goes for speed alerts and other notifications, as these remain relatively subdued until you start blasting through 30mph zones or regularly ignoring road signs. The more you do this, the more the car steps in to sort things out.
It’s exactly how active safety should be, it’s just a shame it takes unfathomable amounts of compute power and years of software development to get to a stage where every journey isn’t accompanied by a cacophony of bleeps, bongs and ghost interventions.
Silence is golden
Okay, so let’s get back to more traditional test drive far, such as the styling, performance and range.
As you can probably tell, the ES90 takes the form of a saloon or fastback (rare these days), only one that Volvo says has the “higher ground clearance associated with an SUV”.
This is more likely down to the fact that the all-wheel-drive, twin-motor variants come sporting absolutely gargantuan 106kWh battery packs, which will naturally raise the ride height somewhat, seeing as they are stashed underneath the floor in Volvo’s SPA2 architecture.
The resulting design is elegant, if a little unconventional, and very roomy inside, with copious amounts of space for both front passengers and those lounging in the rear. There’s plenty of electronic adjustability in the sumptuous faux leather seats and those in the back can stretch out their legs with ease.
Cynics will point out that this is very much a car for the Chinese market, seeing as it’s manufactured in Chengdu, but Magdalena Molin, business program manager for ES90, says that a surprising amount of Chinese customers like to drive themselves or their families, so this isn’t merely a limousine for ferrying wealthy business folk around.
No matter if it does, because it rides beautifully, almost gliding over the road surface and the interior is completely sealed from the outside world. It is beyond peaceful in the cabin, but occupants can also enjoy a phenomenal 25-speaker sound system from Bowers & Wilkins that comes complete with a new Abbey Road Studios Mode.
When activated, occupants can completely change the sonic attributes of the track they are listening to, making even the poppiest tracks sound like they have been recorded in London’s famously analogue recording studios.
Fast charger
Unlike the larger EX90, Volvo’s latest model boasts an 800V electrical architecture, which means it can charge at speeds of up to 350kW, drastically reducing the amount of time required to plug in.
That said, both the 443bhp ES90 Twin Motor and the 671bhp Twin Motor Performance variants feature the previously mentioned 102kWh battery packs that offer around 435 miles of range on a single charge, but will naturally take longer to brim, given the size.
The model I tested – a rear-drive, 329bhp Plus Single Motor Extended Range variant – delivers a claimed 401 miles and plenty enough power to get the car up to motorway speeds with ease. In fact, the 680hp twin motor option just seems a bit daft.
This isn’t a ‘dynamic’ car by any stretch of the imagination, as the gargantuan 5m long saloon doesn’t feature rear-wheel steering and felt particularly large when threading it through some of the narrow streets of our French Riviera test route.
Sure, the additional horsepower of the dual motor option assists with some straight-line overtaking, but it’s not essential to enjoying this relaxed and comfortable cruiser.
The interior feels perfectly premium and Volvo’s top spec Android Automotive-based infotainment system sits pride of place in the centre of the dash. It’s down to personal taste, but I think at this premium level it could do with better integration with the rest of the dashboard, as it feels a little bolted on.
And, quite predictably, I am going to bemoan the fact that almost everything is committed to touchscreen, including adjusting the wing mirrors – something you will want to do when reversing this imposing machine and its very easily scuffed 22-inch alloy wheels.
Visibility out of the thin sliver of rear glass is also particularly poor, meaning the driver has to rely heavily on reversing cameras and sensors when parking, so it’s a good job those work particularly well.
A tough sell
While this sort of vehicle traditionally sells well in China, it struggles in most other markets and Volvo has already gone on record to say that the ES90 won’t go on sale in North America any time soon, due to the volatile nature of tariffs and incentives.
In the UK, prices start at £69,760 (around $93,300 / AU$144,00) for the ‘entry-level’ Single Motor Extended Range model, rising to £79,160 (around $106,000 / AU$163,500) for the Ultra trim level that adds things like front massage seats, the aforementioned Bowers & Wilkins sound system and plush air suspension.
Prices then rise all the way to £87,960 (around $118,000 / AU$181,500) for the range-topping Ultra Twin Motor Performance models, which puts it in the same territory as things like the Porsche Taycan, which is not as lounge-like inside but is certainly the much better EV to drive.
Then there are things like the excellent BMW i5 and Audi A6 e-tron, as well as the rangey Lucid Air if you are based in North America.
What’s more, Volvo’s sibling brand Polestar also offers the Polestar 4 for a lot less and an upcoming Polestar 5, which is based on exactly the same platform and is arguably a better looking machine – albeit with less space in the rear.
As brilliant, refined and comfortable as the Volvo ES90 is, it doesn’t feel like it’s going to set any sales charts on fire.
It’s just too expensive, too much of a niche product and, when the USP is a very clever but intangible safety system, it’s too difficult to explain the benefits of the impressive compute power that underpins it.
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