The 2025 Volvo EX90 electric SUV will offer a sophisticated interior radar safety system and up to 310 miles on a charge when the three-row family SUV goes on sale late this year.
But owners will have to wait for software to enable some key features, including another world first for a production car: front lidar to detect obstacles — people, vehicles and animals up to 930 feet away in darkness and virtually any kind of weather.
The six- or seven-seat EX90 — which strongly resembles Volvo’s popular XC90 gasoline and plug-in hybrid SUVs — is vital to the Swedish brand’s electric strategy.
Built in Charleston, South Carolina, it should qualify for full state and federal EV incentives, unlike Volvo's smaller, Chinese-made EX30, whose U.S. sales launch has been delayed.
EX90 prices will run from $79,995 to $89,345, excluding $1,295 destination charge.
Sales should begin in the fourth quarter of 2024.
2025 Volvo EXC90 trim levels and prices
Volvo EX90 Twin Motor Plus: $79,995
Volvo EX90 Twin Motor Ultra: $84,345
Volvo EX90 Twin Motor Performance Plus: $84,995
Volvo EX90 Twin Motor Performance Ultra: $89,345
Source: Volvo. Prices exclude $1,295 destination charge.
Driving impressions
The big new EV is quiet, smooth and powerful.
All-wheel drive is standard, as is a 111 kWh battery that delivers a useable range and reasonably quick charging times for family trips. Electric motors mounted on each axle deliver 402 horsepower in regular models. Software changes turn the power up to 510 hp in performance trim, which adds $5,000 to the sticker.
I spent a day driving a loaded EX90 Twin Motor Ultra Performance through hills, highways and neighborhoods in Southern California. My test car stickered at $89,345.
Acceleration is outstanding, 4.7 seconds 0-60 mph in the performance model, 5.7 with the standard tuning.
The EX90 is about 3 inches shorter than internal-combustion powered XC90s. Its big battery assures its considerably heavier — 5981 pounds in the case of my lavishly equipped vehicle, which included an adaptive air suspension, among other features.
It drives like a big car, but the adaptive air suspension in my test vehicle smoothed out rough surfaces. The steering was direct.
Volvo offers a sport mode, but it’s buried deep enough in the operating system that I never became aware of it during my day at the wheel.
My test vehicle wore 22-inch Euro-spec summer tires, but neither ride quality nor road noise was troubling.
Good materials, complicated controls
The interior is ostentatiously modest, if that’s possible: sustainably harvested open-pore wood trim, carpets and other surfaces using recycling PET from pop bottles and wool blend upholstery.
It all looks and feels terrific.
The front and middle rows are comfortable. Third-row leg room is very limited — for short drives or small children. Cargo space behind the third row is also tight.
An advanced radar system alerts the driver to people or pets left behind when walking away from the SUV.
Volvo’s minimalist approach to controls has mixed results. A small rectangular screen immediately behind the steering wheel delivers key information: speed, driving range, navigation, speed limit. A clear head up display supplements the little screen, while touch points on the steering wheel arms handle cruise control and audio.
There’s also a volume dial in the center console, but all other features reside in the 14.5-inch portrait-oriented touch screen. It keeps primary climate control functions – temperature, fan, seat heating and cooling – available at all times, but a lot of other functions lie multiple levels below.
I found the touch screen to be insufficiently responsive, often requiring multiple taps to activate a function.
In addition, Apple CarPlay will not be available until Volvo delivers an over the air update.
2025 Volvo EX90 key features
Six or seven seats
All-wheel drive
Radar detection of rear-seat occupants
Lidar front object sensing expected in 2025
Integrated child booster seat
You’ll get these features, eventually
The EX90 will come with hardware for several features that won’t initially work.
That includes its industry-first lidar system, which can identify objects more than 900 feet in front of the EX90, regardless of light or weather conditions. Software to activate that system is expected in 2025.
Software to allow bidirectional charging, which means the vehicle can power you house in a blackout — will also be available later.
Apple CarPlay will also be a late addition. Android phones should be fully compatible from the start, since Volvo uses the Google Automotive operating system.
How fast? How far? How much?
The big 111 kWh battery delivers 296-308 miles of range, according to Volvo. It can be charged at up to 250kW, a speed that will take the battery from 10% to 80% in 30 minutes. Overnight charging at 240 volts — the way most EV owners do the vast majority of their charging —should deliver a full battery every morning.
Prices start at $79,995, hefty, but the base model — called “Plus,” go figure — comes with plenty of goodies.
Stepping up to Ultra, which starts at $84,345, adds features including:
Air suspension
Active chassis control
Massaging front seats
Standard 21-, optional 22-inch wheels
Optional 25-speaker Bowers & Wilkins audio
The Performance package is available on both Plus and Ultra models. It adds $5,000.
The EX90 is one of the few luxury three-row EVs on the market. The Tesla X and Rivian R1S are its primary competitors. It’s price and features stack up favorably.
What could be better?
The price includes hardware for lidar sensing of objects up to 900 feet away, but that system won’t work until Volvo delivers an over the air software update, probably sometime in 2025.
The EX90’s reliance on touch screen controls overcomplicates some common tasks.
Minimal third-row leg room.
The touch screen should be more sensitive.
Apple CarPlay not available at launch.
The phone-as-key feature was inconsistent. Sometimes the doors unlocked automatically as I reached the vehicle, sometimes not. It failed another tester completely, leaving him stranded by the side of the road.
There’s no sunshade for the full-length glass sunroof. Despite tinting to block infrared radiation, the interior glass gets hot on sunny days. Volvo sells an accessory shade for $245. I didn’t have the opportunity to evaluate it.
The EX90 brings electric power — lots of it, in the Performance models — to Volvo’s historic core audience: practical, safety conscious buyers.
It’s one of the first three-row luxury electric vehicles on the market, and its range and charging capability should make it suitable for all road trips as well as everyday driving.
2025 Volvo EX90 at a glance
All-wheel drive three-row midsize electric SUV
Base price: $79,995 (Excluding $1,295 destination charge)
Model tested: Twin Motor Performance Ultra
Price as tested: $89,345 (Excluding $1,295 destination charge)
Powertrain: One electric motor on each axle
Transmission: Single-speed direct drive
Output: 510 hp; 671 pound-feet of torque
Estimated range: 296 miles
Battery: 111 kWh
Charging limit: Up to 250 kW
Charging time: 250 kW DC — 10%-80% in 30 minutes; 240v AC charging time as little as 11 hours.
0-60 mph: 4.7 seconds
Top speed: 112 mph
Wheelbase: 117.5 inches
Length: 198.3 inches
Width: 77.3 inches without mirrors, 83.2 inches with mirrors
Ground clearance: 8.5 inches base, 9.4 inches max with air suspension
Cargo space: 11.4 cubic feet behind third row; 23.6 behind second row; 45.5 behind front seat
Curb weight: 5,981 pounds
Assembled in Charleston, South Carolina
Contact Mark Phelan: 313-222-6731ormmphelan@freepress.com.Follow him on Twitter@mark_phelan. Read more onautosand sign up for ourautos newsletter.Become a subscriber.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: 2025 Volvo EX90 has looks and tech, but key features are delayed
