Overview

Although inevitable in this world of rapidly rising prices, the Volvo EX90 is the first car from the brand to cost more than £100,000. Admittedly the range starts from around £85k, although that’s hardly bargain basement, is it? Crucially, it’s a good £20k more than the deeply impressive Kia EV9, our current favourite electric seven-seat SUV.

But if you can ignore the price, the EX90 offers a comfortable ride, a longer range than other seven-seat EVs, and plenty of luxuries. Combine that with its spacious interior and exceptional safety performance, and – like the XC90 – Volvo has made another large family car worthy of consideration.

It’s the electric equivalent of the XC90, but is completely different underneath and has been designed from the outset to be an EV. It shares its underpinnings with the Polestar 3, but the EX90 is more focused on outright practicality than a lounge-like rear seat experience. It faces a fairly small pool of electric SUV rivals with three rows of seats, with its main rivals being the far more expensive Mercedes EQS SUV and far cheaper Kia EV9. We’d also recommend the Peugeot E-5008 as a more efficient and cheaper, if shorter range, alternative that’s surprisingly good in row three.

It was more than two years between Volvo first revealing its EX90 and it arriving on sale, with the firm facing several software hurdles to overcome in its development. Part of this delay was down to its advanced driver assistance technologies that should make it one of the safest cars on the road. The small box at the front of the roof is what houses the lidar sensor, which are used for self-driving cars – something the EX90 should be capable of later on in its lifespan.

Two trims and three power outputs are available. The range kicks off with single motor rear-wheel Plus, with a faster, slightly longer range twin motor four-wheel drive version also available. Top Ultra trim is twin motor only, with a Performance motor option available that knocks a second off the 0-62mph time.

Scroll down to read the Parkers review on the new Volvo EX90 and whether it justifies its hefty price. We’ll explore all aspects of the car, including its practicality, interior quality, technology, driving experience and running costs before offering our final verdict. If you’d like to learn more about how we reached our verdict on the EX90, check out our how we test cars explainer page.