Volvo V90 Review & Prices

Once upon a time, in the distant mists of motoring’s past, Volvo estates were all about having massive, wardrobe-swallowing boots that were equally pleasing to antique dealers, well-to-do estate agents, and family buyers alike. These days? The Volvo V90 — just re-introduced to the British car market after a brief absence — is actually more about how stylish it is than how useful it is. It’s closer to a Jimmy Choo handbag than a Samsonite suitcase now.

Which is not to say that the Volvo V90 has lost its appeal. True, it’s a much older design than the current BMW i5/5 Series Touring and Mercedes E-Class Estate, and true too that it has a smaller boot by far than the much more affordable Skoda Superb Estate, but it’s equally true that the V90 is a handsome car, with sleek lines (hence the smaller-than-expected boot) that’s much nicer to look at than any of its alternatives.

While the BMW i5 Touring is an electric car, the V90 sticks for now with plug-in hybrid propulsion (the previous petrol and diesel engines have all been dropped). That’s not the compromise it sounds, though, as the latest T6 and T8 plug-in hybrid engines have lengthy electric-only ranges and as much as 455hp, which makes this big, comfy estate more brisk than brick-shaped.

However, the V90’s age means that the cabin isn’t as roomy nor as cutting-edge as once it was, and both the BMW and Mercedes feel rather smoother and sharper to drive.

The V90 comes with all-wheel drive as standard, which puts it one-up on the 5 Series and the E-Class, but even so it’s lacking in the driver appeal of either of those models.

The cabin is roomy for passengers, but less so for cargo and the V90 can actually carry less than the smaller V60 estate if you’re loading up to the luggage cover. That’s a dramatic turnaround in Volvo estate form compared to classics such as the 850 and 245 GL. A BMW 5 Series Touring now carries way more, and a Skoda Superb Estate can comprehensively out-lug the V90. For many, of course, the V90’s sleeker styling will compensate for the slight lack of load space.

The V90’s interior design is also ageing, and it’s well-behind the Germans when it comes to in-car technology, although that does mean that the touchscreen is also somewhat simpler to operate, and there hasn't been a total removal of all the cabin buttons and switches.

You can check out the latest deals on a new Volvo V90 at Carwow, or if you'd like a used Volvo 90 then visit our used page. You can also browse other used Volvos, and when it’s time to sell your current car, Carwow can help with that, too.

In one sense, the V90 is actually quite well-priced. It comes as standard as a plug-in hybrid, either in T6 or more powerful T8 form, and compared directly with plug-in hybrid rivals, it’s slightly less expensive than the BMW 530e Touring, and quite a lot less expensive than the Mercedes E300e Estate.

However, it’s worth remembering that while the V90 is roughly a match for the 530e in terms of electric-only range and charging, the Mercedes adds roughly ten miles of electric range on a full charge, and can be optionally fast-charged — the Volvo only charges on ‘slow’ AC power, such as from a home charging wallbox.

Equally, it’s worth remembering that the Skoda Superb has vastly more boot space, more cabin space, is hardly less well-made, and costs about two thirds the price of the V90 (although the plug-in hybrid version of the Superb hasn’t been launched yet, so we’re not quite comparing apples with apples there).

The Volvo V90 is comfortable and easy to drive, especially on the motorway, although a BMW 5 Series Touring is more fun on twisting roads

In town

The Volvo V90 comes with an automatic gearbox as standard which makes it a relaxing car to drive around town, helped by the instant response of the plug-in hybrid system’s electric motor, which takes away much of the low-speed sluggishness that used to afflict petrol and diesel V90 models.

One annoyance is the suspension, which can be a little too jiggly over bumps for a posh estate. Ultra-spec models solve this by giving you adaptive dampers with rear air suspension and a Comfort setting that does a much better job of smoothing out the road.

Visibility is pretty good for a car of the V90’s size, and all models come with rear headrests that drop-down remotely to give you a better view out the back of the car. All models also come with front and rear parking sensors and a 360-degree camera that gives you a birdseye view of the road around the car. The turning circle — often a bugbear of Volvos — is pretty massive, though. The V90 needs 12 metres to do a complete about-turn.

On the motorway

The Volvo V90 is ideal for long motorway journeys. It’s quiet, its seats are very comfortable, and it soaks up bumps well, particularly if you get the Ultra version with the adaptive dampers and rear air springs. The Swedish brand gives the V90 autonomous driving aids that mean it can accelerate, brake and steer itself on the motorway and in queues of traffic, which helps take the monotony out of long drives.

On a twisty road

On a country road the Volvo’s body leans in corners, but it’s not excessive and there’s no shortage of grip – it’s perfectly acceptable for what is, at the end of the day, a big luxurious estate car. Although a BMW 5 Series is more fun. Standard four-wheel drive (the plug-in hybrid system comes only in this form, there’s no front-wheel drive version) helps with grip and traction when the roads get slippery.

he Volvo V90 is a roomy practical estate car, but a Mercedes E-Class Estate does have a larger boot and is more comfortable if you’re carrying three passengers in the back

The Volvo V90 misses out on the electrically operated steering column that you get in a BMW 5 Series and Mercedes E-Class Estate, but there’s still plenty of adjustment for anyone to be able to get the wheel exactly where they want it.

All V90s come with front seats that are heated and adjust electrically for height, and you get extendable thigh support for long journeys.

Standard kit also includes a fully electrically adjustable driver’s seat with a memory function that makes it easy to return the seat to your driving position, and you get a heated steering wheel and heated rear outer seats.

In terms of storage, there’s room for your phone under the front centre armrest, you get two cup holders hidden under a shutter on the front centre console, the split-level glove box is big and so are the bins in all four doors – each will swallow a large bottle of water — but overall storage space up front isn’t brilliant. Newer cars with more modern cabin designs offer more room for wallets, keys, phones and so on.

Space in the back seats

There’s nothing to complain about when it comes to the Volvo V90’s back seats. You get loads of knee room and headroom’s good too, even with the optional panoramic sunroof fitted. The middle seat is also comfortable and despite the large lump in the floor, there’s still space for three people’s feet. That said, the Volvo’s narrow cabin – it’s a little tighter than a Mercedes E-Class Estate – means three adults sitting abreast will feel more cramped than they would in the Mercedes.

The Mercedes back seat is also slightly easier to fit a child seat too because its back doors open a bit wider and its ISOFIX mounts are easier to line a child seat up to, although the Volvo’s ISOFIX covers are hinged (rather than removable) so you won’t lose them. And cleverly, the Volvo is available with integrated booster seats for smaller kids.

Volvo’s given the V90’s back seat plenty of handy features including a ventilation vent, three-prong plug socket and a centre armrest with integrated cup holders, although the Volvo’s ski hatch isn’t as handy as the 40:20:40 splitting back seats you get in a BMW or Mercedes.

Boot space

The Volvo V90’s 488-litre boot is seriously on the small side. In fact, it’s actually smaller than that of the (also-hybrid-powered) Volvo V60 estate, and it’s nowhere near the size of the boots you’ll find in the BMW 5 Series Touring (560 litres) and Mercedes E-Class Estate (640 litres). The Skoda Superb’s 690-litre boot is in another class altogether.

There’s a catch, however. Because the V90 comes only as a plug-in hybrid, it’s only fair to compare it with the plug-in hybrid versions of the others, and that does change the picture somewhat. The BMW remains ahead on 560 litres, but the Mercedes is now actually eight litres worse off. The Skoda remains massive at 510 litres in PHEV form, but does slip behind the BMW.

The Volvo’s boot is well designed. There’s no load lip so you can easily slide luggage in and out, a protective chrome strip means you don’t have to worry about scuffing the bumper and the parcel shelf moves up out of the way when you open the boot lid. The boot also has a square shape and a pull-up divider means you can separate luggage.

There’s also extra storage below – though there’s nowhere to store the parcel shelf – and the floor lifts out of the way on gas struts. What you don’t get, though, is a netted divider to separate the boot from the passenger compartment – it’s a standard feature in the BMW 5 Series which costs extra in the V90 – but it does mean the parcel shelf is lighter and easier to remove.

Folding the Volvo’s back seats down is easily done by pressing a couple of buttons at the boot opening and you’re left with large flat load space. Electric boot opening comes as standard, with hands-free opening on the options list.

The Volvo V90’s interior is looking old now, but the upshot is that it’s easier to find your way around than that of some others

The cabin might be getting old in terms of how it looks, but every part of the Volvo V90’s interior feels solid and there are hardly any cheap-feeling plastics. As good as German cars like the BMW 5 Series and Mercedes E-Class? Not quite, but it gets so close it doesn't matter.

The design itself is very Swedish – minimalist, simple and easy to use – with vast swathes of unvarnished wood trims and chrome highlights that make it look posh, but not ostentatious.

You get a clean design thanks to the car’s standard-fit portrait-style infotainment screen which is used to control most of the car’s functions. Some of its icons are a bit small and tricky to press when you’re driving and it would be easier to control the car’s ventilation system using buttons and knobs rather than having to dive into the screen’s menus. That said, the overall system and menu layout is easier to use than the hugely complex setups of newer rivals.

The built-in sat nav is good but suffers from the same fiddly controls as the rest of the infotainment. The screen isn’t quite as responsive as a BMW or Mercedes system, but it does recognise the pinch and swipe gestures you use on your phone. The large home button makes it easy to get back to the main screen and you can configure it to suit your requirements.

Unlike earlier models, the updated V90 comes as standard with a digital instrument binnacle that has clear graphics and various display options — it’s much easier on the eyes than the often too-bright digital instruments of some others. Ultra models also get a head-up display that projects information like current speed onto the windscreen.

All models come with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto so if you get bored of Volvo’s system, you can always default back to the more intuitive menus of your mirrored smartphone screen.

Love your music? Then it’s worth considering the optional Bowers & Wilkins stereo which is fitted to Ultimate models as standard – it has clearer sound and more punch than the Burmester system in the Mercedes E-Class Estate and is cheaper than the Bowers & Wilkins stereo available in the BMW 5 Series Touring.

The Volvo V90 is now only available in the UK with plug-in hybrid power, so you can choose from T6 (350hp) or T8 (455hp) models. Both have lengthy electric-only ranges — 54 miles for the T6 and 52 miles for the T8 — which are a rough match for what BMW offers with the 5 Series plug-in hybrid Touring models, but which are behind the 68 miles that Mercedes claims for the E300e.

The official WLTP fuel economy figure for the T6 is 353mpg, while the T8 claims 313mpg but these are obviously slightly ludicrous laboratory-only numbers. In real-world driving, both models should be able to stretch to around 40mpg when going on a long journey with a flat battery.

Emissions start from as low as 18g/km for the T6 and only rise to 20g/km for the T8, so both V90 versions are ideal for company car buyers — Benefit-in-Kind (BIK) costs start from as little as £80 per month. CO2 emissions that low means that the V90 is technically zero-rated for VED road tax, but because it has a list price of more than £40,000, you’ll have to pay the extra surcharge in years two to six.

The Volvo V90 was awarded five stars for safety by Euro NCAP with impressive 95% and 93% scores for Adult Occupant and Safety Assist tests, respectively.

Standard safety features form a list as long as your arm and include automatic emergency brakes that can detect cars, pedestrians and cyclists, and the V90 can even steer around imminent collisions if there’s no space to stop. You also get Volvo-specific features like run-off-road prevention, which can steer the car back onto the road if you veer onto the verge and run-off-road protection that, if you do fall off the road, primes the car’s seatbelts to hold you tight in place and prevent back injuries. These features go on top of the multiple airbags and stability control systems you get on other cars.

Volvo tends to perform better than other posh brands for reliability and owner satisfaction and the V90 comes with a three-year/60,000-mile warranty, which isn’t quite as good as the three-year/unlimited-mileage cover you get with the Mercedes E-Class Estate.

V90s have been subject to various recalls for things like faulty curtain airbags, blowing fuel pump fuses, faulty wifi modules and melting plastic intakes. Auto Express placed Volvo in 13th place — out of 30 manufacturers — in the most recent Driver Power customer satisfaction survey.