Volvo ES90 Review & Prices

The Volvo ES90 is a big, electric-powered luxury car that makes being comfortable its priority. It looks handsome, feels expensive inside and has enough space in the back to double as a limousine - but that relaxing character is undermined by technology that turns everyday tasks into a test of patience.

It’s like turning up at your idyllic Scandinavian Airbnb to find out it has an app-controlled front door - it’s gorgeous once you’re inside, but interacting with the tech might make you swear.

The ES90’s obvious alternatives are the BMW i5, Audi A6 Sportback e-tron and Mercedes EQE. The Volvo’s clean styling is a bit more appealing than the rather fussy German designs, while its emphasis on comfort definitely feels like a breath of fresh air versus the sporty suspension and aggressive body kits we’re used to.

The Volvo ES90 is an unusual shape, sitting somewhere between a traditional saloon car and a jacked-up hatchback. The front end looks great, with a simple nose and instantly recognisable ‘Thor’s Hammer’ headlights, while the huge wheels range in size from 20 to 22 inches.

Inside, it’s even more convincing. There are soft-touch materials everywhere, a swathe of real, open-pore wood across the dash and fixtures and fittings that feel well-damped and expensive. It’s properly luxurious, especially with the lighter-coloured upholstery. The front seats in particular are outstandingly comfortable.

Volvo ES90: electric range, battery and charging data

Range: 341-426 miles
Efficiency: 3.0-3.9 mi/kWh
Battery size: 92kWh / 106kWh
Max charge speed: 310kW / 350kW
Charge time AC: 15h, 0-100% @ 7kW / 17h, 0-100% @ 7kW
Charge time DC: 22mins, 10-80% @ 310kW / 22mins, 10-80% @ 350kW
Charge port location: Left rear
Power output: 333hp / 456hp / 680hp

There’s enormous rear legroom too, and enough width for three passengers. The large battery does mean the floor is raised up, though, so under-thigh support isn’t the best - but you can stretch your legs out, and even a large rear-facing child seat has enough space to fit without jacking the front seat way forwards.

The boot is a bit less impressive. There’s 424 litres of space, which is less than the 502 litres in the Audi A6 Sportback e-tron and 490 litres in the BMW i5 - though the latter is hamstrung by its saloon opening. The ES90’s backrests can be put more upright for extra space, though.

The bigger weak point in the interior is that everything operates through the touchscreen - including adjusting the mirrors or steering wheel. Attractive graphics can’t compensate for how awkward this is, and during our time with the car the screen frequently became unresponsive or opened the wrong controls.

A choice of large battery packs give the ES90 an official range of between 407 and 433 miles, depending on which version you opt for. We achieved around 350 miles in the real world, which is an impressive figure and more than we managed in the A6 e-tron or BMW i5. The ES90 also charges really fast.

On the road, it’s exceptionally quiet and relaxing thanks to air suspension on some models and loads of sound insulation. It glides over bumps, delivers its power smoothly and feels plenty quick enough.

It doesn’t have a problem with corners, but there’s no incentive to drive it aggressively - it’s a car for making a long journey feel shorter, not for enjoying the twisty roads in between.

Verdict

The Volvo ES90 is a luxurious electric car with superb seats, generous rear space and impressive real-world range. Its comfortable suspension makes long journeys relaxing, however its glitchy software and awkward controls spoil the experience somewhat, while the small boot means it’s not quite the all-rounder its massive size suggests it should be.

If this sounds like your next car, check out the latest Volvo ES90 deals and ES90 lease deals. You can also browse other new Volvo deals and used Volvo stock from our network of trusted dealers. Carwow can help you sell your car when the time comes, too.

The Volvo ES90 starts at around £65,000 for the Single Motor Extended Range in Plus trim. That puts it above the Audi A6 Sportback e-tron, which starts at roughly £63,000, but below the BMW i5 at around £68,000 and Mercedes EQE at about £69,000. The Volvo’s generous standard equipment helps justify its price.

Plus includes a Bose stereo, head-up display and Park Pilot Assist, so it hardly feels like a stripped-out starting point. It’s the sensible choice if you want the ES90’s spacious cabin and relaxed character without getting carried away with extras.

Ultra starts at roughly £75,000 with the same single-motor setup. Its highlights include the impressive Bowers & Wilkins stereo, ventilated front seats and a panoramic roof that can darken electronically. These are lovely luxuries, but that’s a substantial premium over Plus.

The Twin Motor starts at around £79,000, while the 680hp Twin Motor Performance costs approximately £84,000 before further upgrades. Both bring four-wheel drive and the larger battery, but the Single Motor already has more than enough performance for everyday driving.

Wonderfully relaxing to drive on the open road, but its sheer size and poor visibility make it taxing to drive in town

In town

The ES90 feels like a big car in narrow streets. Its width makes you conscious of parked cars and vulnerable alloy wheels, while the substantial front pillars can hide pedestrians or approaching traffic. Raising the driver’s seat helps you see over the bonnet, but the view through the rear window is particularly poor.

The light steering takes some of the effort out of manoeuvring. There are three weight settings, although the middle option feels sensible for everyday use. The turning circle is reasonable for such a large car, but don’t expect to swing around in a narrow road without reversing.

With the air suspension in its soft setting, bumps are dealt with beautifully. It’s comfortable without constantly reminding you how heavy it is.

On the motorway

This is where the Volvo feels most at home. The tested car’s acoustic glass keeps the cabin exceptionally quiet, while the seats remain comfortable enough to make a long motorway stint feel undemanding. Don’t assume the version without the upgraded glazing will be quite as hushed.

The soft suspension setting gives the car a gentle, floaty feel. Standard reins that in without making it uncomfortable, so it’s a useful compromise if you prefer a little less movement. Firm makes the car unnecessarily bouncy.

On a twisty road

The ES90 goes around corners well enough, with decent grip in the dry and smooth acceleration out of bends. It feels balanced for a large luxury car, although it doesn’t encourage you to keep pushing harder.

Switching the air suspension to firm reduces some of the movement through corners, but the improvement isn’t worth the loss of comfort. Having to look down and navigate the touchscreen to change the setting is irritating, too.

Ultimately, the ES90 is more satisfying when you stop trying to make it sporty. Settle into its relaxed rhythm and it makes a persuasive case for choosing comfort.

Masses of passenger space, but the boot is beaten by Audi and BMW alternatives

The ES90’s front seats are some of its best features. They’re both super-supportive and incredibly soft and comfortable, so you can really settle in for a long journey.

The driving position is good, but you might want to sit a bit higher than normal to give yourself a better view over the high dashboard. There’s also loads of adjustment, but using the screen to adjust the mirrors and steering wheel is a real pain, especially if you share the car with someone else.

Storage is pretty decent. There’s a useful central compartment with USB-C sockets, a wireless phone charger, and big cupholders. The door bins are big enough but awkward to access, and to open the glovebox you have to dive into the touchscreen once more.

Space in the back seats

Rear legroom is really good, and even headroom is quite generous despite the sloping roofline. In Ultra models you get electrically reclining rear seats for even more comfort, and material quality is just as good as it is up front.

The high floor does mean long-legged passengers don’t get much under-thigh support, though - they’ll need to stretch their legs out, which granted isn’t as much of a problem as it is in smaller cars. The flat floor and wide cabin mean it’s easy to carry three across, though, and rear passengers get large door bins, USB-C sockets and a comfortable central armrest with neat folding cupholders. There are no seatback pockets, though.

Fitting a child seat to one of the two ISOFIX points on the rear bench could be easier as the doors don’t open very wide, but once it’s in place there’s loads of room and the mountings are easy to find.

Boot space

At 424 litres, the Volvo ES90’s boot is smaller than the BMW i5’s 490 litres or the Audi A6 e-tron Sportback’s 502 litres. The hatchback opening is convenient, but outright space is pretty poor.

There’s a little bit of a lip to lift luggage over, though cars with air suspension do come with a useful control in the boot to squat the rear down making loading easier. There are tie-down points, shopping hooks and a 12V socket, plus a small underfloor storage area. There’s also a front boot, but it opens up high enough that shorter people may struggle to reach to close it.

Build quality and materials worthy of a luxury car, but the software really spoils the experience

The interior is one of the ES90’s strongest arguments. It has a calm, expensive atmosphere with gorgeous materials such as optional wool upholstery or open-pore wood. And unlike a lot of cars, the quality and finish extends into the rear seats as well, so passengers don’t feel short-changed.

The physical switchgear - what little there is - feels solid and satisfying, with a nicer action than in a BMW. The oversized steering wheel and its ambiguous buttons are a bit less appealing though, as they’re not too easy to identify and operate.

The central touchscreen is 14.5 inches across, and runs Google software. This gives you access to Google Maps and downloadable apps from the Play Store - just like a smartphone. Apple users aren’t shortchanged either, with wireless Apple CarPlay available. When it operates as intended, the ES90’s screen is quick and easy to use.

The problem is that it doesn’t always work as expected. During testing we found it unresponsive on several occasions, and some of the more fundamental controls such as opening the glovebox or adjusting the mirrors are needlessly hard to use.

Software updates may improve the interface, but we wish the car had just a few more physical buttons.

There are some lovely extras, though. The available 25-speaker Bowers & Wilkins stereo includes headrest speakers and an Abbey Road Studios mode with adjustable sound settings. The switchable panoramic roof can darken to reduce glare, while soft-closing doors add another luxury touch.

There are two battery sizes available. The Single Motor Extended Range uses a 92kWh unit, while the Twin Motor and Twin Motor Performance gets 106kWh pack. Official range on a charge is 413 miles for the Single Motor and 433 miles for both Twin Motor cars.

That’s not too bad, though the Audi A6 e-tron can go further with up to 468 miles of range, and the smaller Mercedes CLA or Tesla Model 3 can both do over 470 miles.

Real-world performance is quite good, though, with around 350 miles possible from a full charge. The car’s slinky body means motorway journeys don’t rinse your battery too fast, either.

Charging is another strength. The Single Motor can top up at 300kW, rising to 350kW for the Twin Motor cars - giving both a claimed top-up time of 22 minutes from 10-80% at a suitably powerful charger. A home wallbox will take a good while though thanks to the massive battery capacity.

The ES90 pays the expensive car supplement on its yearly road tax due to its list price, but company car tax is as favourable as any EV.

Euro NCAP hasn’t tested the Volvo ES90 yet. It is, however, closely related under the skin to the larger EX90 SUV, which scored a full five stars with particularly impressive crash results.

There’s certainly plenty of safety technology with the usual array of sensors, monitors and collision avoidance systems. Quite nice is the blind-spot warning which will alert passengers if they’re about to open their door into the path of a pedestrian or cyclist.

Not everything worked seamlessly during our testing. The speed-limit recognition sometimes displayed an incorrect limit, and the warning systems could become irritating. The touchscreen also makes some adjustments more distracting than they ought to be.

Volvo ranked an underwhelming 14th out of 30 car manufacturers in the most recent Driver Power owner satisfaction survey, and our own testing makes that somewhat unsurprising. We’ve spent a few months living with an ES90 and it has the same issues we’ve had with other modern Volvos: software glitches.

The button-free key is a regular source of frustration, and we had to swap our original car for another ES90 after an over-the-air update failed and sent some systems haywire. Nothing that will leave you stranded, but enough to test your patience.