2025 Volvo EX90 Ultra Twin Motor Performance review

The Volvo XC90 has long been a popular car in the luxury large SUV space, but the question is, can its new electric EX90 counterpart do the same?

Between the XC90 and EX90, Volvo now offers mild-hybrid, plug-in hybrid and electric power in its large SUVs, giving buyers more choice than ever before to pick which one suits their needs best.

Volvo has in recent months dialled back its electrification targets, from a bold plan to sell EVs only by 2026 in Australia, nor will it end global sales of petrol and hybrid cars by 2030 as previously planned.

But it does still aspire to go all-electric, and a boom in sales from the EX90 would certainly help that.

So is the EX90 worth the switch? Let’s investigate.

There are just two grades in the Volvo EX90 range, the Plus Twin Motor and Ultra Twin Motor Performance, costing $124,990 and $134,990, respectively. Both prices are expressed before on-road costs.

Both have dual electric motors, one on each axle for all-wheel drive, but the Ultra, which I had on test here, has more power and torque for a brawny 380kW/910Nm.

As standard, the Ultra features a 14.5-inch infotainment screen and a 9.0-inch digital instrument cluster with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a wireless charger, heated seats for the first and second rows, DAB radio, and a 25-speaker Bowers & Wilkins sound system with 3D surround sound.

It also gets four-zone climate control, a heated steering wheel, electrically adjustable front seats, a panoramic sunroof, leather-look seats, ambient lighting, air suspension, and 22-inch wheels.

There are six exterior paint colours available, with Onyx Black as standard, though all the others are no-cost options. This test car was decked out in Sand Dune, which stands out from the crowd but also feels a little grandad-spec.

For the inside, there are three interior trim choices. This car had a Charcoal Nordico artificial leather, while other options include a creamy Dawn colour or brown Cardamom.

There aren’t many three-row electric SUVs, which could help the EX90 gain ground locally, with its competitors comprising the likes of the cheaper Kia EV9 GT-Line ($121,000) or much pricier Mercedes-Benz EQS450 ($198,200). The BMW iX costs similar money ($142,900), but only comes with five seats.

Meanwhile, the plug-in hybrid XC90 is only a smidge behind in price at $130,990, which might help smooth the road from internal combustion to electric.

All these alternatives are priced before on-road costs.

Find your nearest Volvo dealer here to check the EX90 out in real life and go for a test drive yourself.

At more than five metres in length, the Volvo EX90 is quite a large vehicle, and though it’s in the SUV category, its proportions make it feel almost like a people-mover.

It is 5037mm long, 1964mm wide, 1747mm high, with a 2985mm wheelbase. 

That makes it longer and wider than its XC90 sibling, but not as tall, and with 1mm more between the wheels.

It’s also longer than the Kia EV9 and BMW iX, but shorter than the Mercedes-Benz EQS, and slimmer than all the competitors.

It’s taller than all but the EV9, though, but has a shorter wheelbase.

The exterior is simple, in a classy way, and in its Sand Dune beige paint almost looks like it's made of clay. It stands out from the crowd, but not in a 'Hey look at me' kind of way. The Thor’s Hammer headlights look great too, as do the 22-inch, five-spoke, diamond-cut glossy black wheels.

Its flush window frames – which will help with the aerodynamics – are also a subtle yet classy design feature that give the side profile a simple yet elegant look, especially combined with the flush door handles.

So far so good, until you notice the unsightly lidar sensor stuck on top of the roof and can't stop looking at it. It's like a 'For Hire/Taxi' sign housing found on a London Cab, and looks really out of place on an otherwise sleek and chic front end.

Inside, the cabin is beautiful, and the dark grey leather-look seats are some of the most comfortable I’ve experienced, with the ideal driving position easily found thanks to the highly adjustable electric seats with memory. 

The materials on the dash and doors are all minimalist and elegant, except the light brown wood panels.

While the birch strip running along the dash looks and feels solid, the same material is used on the retractable cupholder cover in the centre console, and the ridges look and feel quite cheap to the touch, even though it's genuine wood.

An enormous panoramic sunroof helps the cabin to feel light and airy, as do huge windows and relatively narrow A-pillars that contribute to notable overall visibility. 

There’s space in the door panels for a slim bottle, and for two in said centre console cupholders, a small bin in the armrest, and an expansive opening underneath it to the floor where the transmission tunnel would be in an internal-combustion car.

The second row is just as luxurious, with full control of heating and ventilation via vents and a haptic touchscreen on the rear of the centre armrest, as well as heated seats, and two USB-C ports. Net map pockets are handy for storing books and toys, and feel well made despite not being constructed of a more substantial material like plastic, leather or even cloth.

There’s oodles of leg room for people of pretty much all sizes. In front of me, I had a foot of space even in the middle, with more on the outboard seats. Head room is decent too, with a hand’s length above me, even with the sunroof cover closed.

With no transmission tunnel, the floor in the back is nice and flat too.

There are ISOFIX anchors on both outboard seats for child seats, as well as three top-tether points, and as standard the EX90 gets a booster cushion that unfolds from underneath the centre seat for kids over four years old.

According to Volvo, the booster is positioned so that the child is “in a good position for the safety belt … and lets the child enjoy a better view (as well as) … moved forward closer to the adults in the front”.

That seems pretty neat; however, in Australia, children aged between four and seven (or until they are tall enough to fit properly in a normal seat) still need to be secured in a child seat. 

So, legally, here you would still need to put a child seat in the middle if you intended to use that position, negating the benefit of having the booster. 

A better idea would be to utilise one of the seats in the third row, where there are two top-tether points. There is still ample room for children and enough for adults. I'm around 167cm, and I was not squished. 

The doors don’t open a full 90 degrees, but the high roof height and low floor make it a breeze to get the kids in and out without bending over or knocking your head.

With the third row up there is 310 litres of space in the boot, which is enough for a few backpacks or a small grocery shop, but fold the rearmost seats down and that space swells to an incredibly healthy 697L. 

I put my pram, three bags, jackets, and a couple of shopping bags in there, and that wasn’t anywhere near enough to fill it even halfway. Pop the second row down too, and you’re looking at a massive 1915L. And if that’s not enough, you’ve still got 34L in the frunk to play with too.

For times when you need to haul heavier items, there is a button that lifts and lowers the suspension to make loading and unloading easier. I used it to take about 10 bags of potting mix home from Bunnings, and it worked a treat.

And if you’re unsure if something large will fit, there is also a handy little diagram just inside the tailgate that shows pictures of what fits, such as a lamp, suitcases, and boxes etc.

In comparison, the Kia EV9 has 333L to the third row, 828L to the second, and 2318L with all rear seats folded, and the Mercedes-Benz EQS has 195L, 880L and 2020L respectively. 

The BMW iX, however, remembering that it’s the only five-seater of the bunch, has a much smaller 500L to the second row and 1750L overall.

The Volvo EX90 has a 14.5-inch vertical infotainment screen combined with a 9.0-inch digital instrument cluster. The former looks a little like an iPad tacked onto the dash, while the latter is like an iPhone turned on its side.

Through the infotainment, you can access wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, which connect easily and don’t drop out, as well as Google connectivity. It’s an easy system to use, with just a handful of apps, though you can add more if you wish via the Google Store.

The basics include functions such as phone, radio, and messages, as well as things like range information and a driving journal, while Spotify and YouTube are also on the main menu.

One feature that is just exceptional is the Bowers and Wilkins system. The sound is exquisite, no matter what you’re listening to. It's hands down the best audio experience I’ve had in a car.

There are shortcuts at the bottom of the screen that make navigating back and forth through the system simple, but like many modern vehicles, the heating and ventilation controls are also contained within it rather than through hard physical buttons.

The layout of the HVAC is straightforward enough, and you can set all the zones differently to suit passengers in each row. 

The cluster is kept deliberately basic, with vehicle settings able to be customised via quick controls or more detailed ones in the infotainment.

Through Volvo’s Connected Services app, owners can access functions such as presetting the climate controls, roadside assistance, charging information, trip data and remote locking and unlocking. But it's only free for the first four years.

This last one is crucial, as without the app (that automatically locks or unlocks the car when your phone is close by), you’ll be forced to use the card that Volvo provides in place of a key.

Several luxury car makers, and even some new, cheaper brands, now use cards instead of keys, and I’ve got to say, I’m not here for it.

To unlock the EX90 with the card, you have to place it on the driver’s door handle, but only on the right side and with the Volvo logo facing down, and you must do so for a few seconds.

Starting the car is a similar story. In the absence of a push button, the card also more often than not needs to be placed face down in the wireless charging pad for you to depress the brake and turn the gearstick (which is on the right indicator stalk) to get going.

It’s all just such a faff and impractical when you are with small children and have your hands full. 

Normally, I would hit unlock on a key fob and head straight for my youngest’s door, or if it has a powered tailgate, just push the button to open it so I can free up my hands by putting their school/kinder bags away first. 

Talking to friends about this feature, a few said it would be enough to turn them off a car based on the card alone.

And it's not the only way Volvo has taken technology "innovation" too far.

There are no rear window controls – you can only open/close by pressing a button on the driver's door, which switches between operating the front or rear windows. The controls for the side mirrors and steering wheel adjustment are within the infotainment system too. The lack of dedicated controls in a $135K car is quite frustrating and would probably grate on owners over time.

The Volvo EX90 is a brand-new model and as yet hasn’t been tested by ANCAP, so it is unrated.

However, the mechanically similar Polestar 3 has a five-star rating awarded in 2025, and with Volvo’s famous safety-first focus, if it does get tested, in theory, it could well achieve a high rating.

The Kia EV9 has a five-star rating given in 2023, while the BMW iX has the same awarded in 2021. The Mercedes-Benz EQS has a five-star result from 2021 applying to EQS450 variants sold from 2023 onwards.

As a safety-conscious brand, it’s no surprise that the Volvo EX90 comes fully loaded with equipment.

It has front and rear sensors, as well as a crisp, high-quality 360-degree camera, blind-spot sensors, front and rear collision warning, adaptive cruise control, autonomous emergency braking, lane-departure warning, lane-keep assist, and parking assist.

It also gets rear cross-traffic alert, a driver fatigue warning, as well as driver attention detection, side door exit warning, and road sign/speed recognition, to name a few.

The cruise control works well, but the lane-keep assist doesn’t particularly. 

Whereas some systems at the lower end of the market can be overzealous, this is almost the opposite and doesn’t seem to intervene as quickly as it should.

The speed limit recognition warning is just a quiet bong and is not at all annoying, showing Volvo has listened to a lot of market feedback about how invasive these warnings can be and worked to make sure that was not their customers’ experience.

However, the driver attention monitor is too quick to chime in, making a fuss whenever you even attempt to prod the heating and ventilation controls in the infotainment. Another reason physical buttons are just a better idea.

Like other Volvo models, the EX90 comes with a five-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty, and the battery is covered for eight years or 160,000km.

Volvo sets service intervals at every 12 months/15,000km, whichever comes first, but for the first five years or 75,000km, the servicing is free.

In comparison, the Mercedes-Benz EQS also has a five-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty, with the battery covered for 10 years or 250,000km. Service intervals for the Merc are set at 12 months/25,000km.

The Kia EV9, meanwhile, has a seven-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty, a battery warranty of seven years/150,000km, and servicing is every 12 months or 15,000km.

The BMW iX has a five-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty, with the battery covered for eight years or 160,000km, while, like other BMW models, the iX has condition-based servicing rather than at set periods.

The Volvo EX90 was quoted $2281.13 to comprehensively insure based on a comparative quote for a 35-year-old male, living in Chatswood, NSW.

Insurance estimates may vary based on your location, driving history, and personal circumstances.

On paper, the Volvo EX90 has a healthy 570km of claimed driving range and an energy consumption figure of 16.9kWh per 100 kilometres (NEDC).

On test, however, I found the picture to be quite different.

My average consumption was a much higher 24kWh/100km, and the driving range displayed versus the theoretical range I should be able to achieve was a bit out of kilter too.

Over the course of a week, I drove around 250km, and only needed to charge once, which I did at a Tesla V4 Supercharger that was putting out 127kW. In 23 minutes, the battery was topped up from 26 to 62 per cent, and it cost me $34.16.

The 26 per cent remaining energy equated to 140km of range left, whereas it should be 148km. That’s pretty accurate. However, at 62 per cent charge, I was quoted 220km of range left, when I should, in theory, have had 353km to play with.

Volvo claims a 10–80 per cent ultra-fast charging time of 30 minutes for the EX90 at 250kW, while an 11kW charger will take 11 hours and 30 minutes or one hour and 37 minutes on a 50kW charger.

The Kia EV9, meanwhile, is quoted as offering 505km of driving range and consuming 22.8kWh/100km (WLTP), and the Mercedes-Benz EQS offers 592km and 20.5kWh/100km (NEDC).

The BMW iX xDrive50 is claimed to be capable of 630km of driving range and has an energy consumption of 23kWh (WLTP).

The Volvo EX90 is powered by dual electric motors producing a whopping 380kW and 910Nm in its top-spec Ultra Twin Motor Performance guise, while the entry version with the same set-up makes a lesser, but still powerful, 300kW/770Nm.

Both variants use the same 111kWh battery – the largest capacity in its class – and offer rear-biased all-wheel drive.

Put your foot down and it is blisteringly quick for a car that weighs almost three tonnes. Volvo claims a 0–100km/h time of 4.9 seconds for the Ultra. I’m not sure when a large family SUV needs to do 0–100km/h that fast, but it goes like the clappers, and you’ll never find yourself wanting more.

It’s worth noting, though, that you need to push the ‘performance AWD’ button every time you get in to fully send power to all four wheels, as it auto resets to being off.

All that power and torque blows its competitors out of the water too, as even in their top-spec guises, none offer more than 300kW or 700Nm.

For reference, the plug-in hybrid XC90 comes closer with 340kW, but has less torque at 709Nm.

Unlike many modern vehicles, the EX90 doesn’t have drive modes as such, rather you can just tweak the steering and suspension to your liking, making either one soft or firm.

Although the steering is sharp and responsive in either setting, helping the large SUV to handle confidently through tight corners, I found the sweet spot to be firm steering combined with a soft suspension to make driving and parking around town the most comfortable experience possible.

Thanks to the adaptive air suspension, the ride in the EX90 is excellent, and it almost floats over most surfaces, gliding along in a way befitting of its luxury aesthetics. 

It can be slightly firm over small, sharp patches, and sometimes wallowy over dramatic changes in the road camber, but largely is unfussed and absorbs bumps well. The ‘one-pedal’ regenerative braking setting is good, but can be a little jerky. Having it off makes for a more pleasant drive, but the compromise is less energy being fed back to the battery to improve range.

Throw in, too, how supremely quiet it is, and it’s a real joy to drive. There’s no whacky fake EV sound going on, and good insulation means there’s almost no invasion from the wind or tyres either – despite riding on 22-inch 265/40 R22 grippy Pirelli Scorpion rubber.

The EX90 is easy to park, despite its size, thanks to the 360-degree camera, but the view can be a bit lurchy at times.

Yes, the Volvo EX90 is capable of towing up to 2200kg with a braked trailer.

This rating is similar to a Hyundai Palisade, Volvo XC60 or Kia Sorento, and the Volvo has an unbraked capacity of 750kg, with a 575kg payload.

For XC90 fans weighing up going electric, there is a lot that is familiar and a lot to like about the EX90.

Like its sibling, it has enough space for a small army, a luxurious interior and excellent road manners.

And five years of free servicing is still a good deal.

The only real letdowns are that some of the ADAS features could be better, and the key card has got to go. For a family hauler, it is an incredibly impractical feature. 

Otherwise, Volvo has done a great job of making this large SUV appealing in almost every sense. It is more luxurious than the EV9, but also (much) less money than the EQS and only $5K more than the XC90 PHEV.

Seven seats, crucially with top-tether points to make all rear rows useful for young families, seals the deal too for me. Even accounting for a dip between claimed and real-world driving range, Volvo is onto a winner.

A born-and-bred newshound, Kathryn has worked her way up through the ranks reporting for, and later editing, two renowned UK regional newspapers and websites, before moving on to join the digital newsdesk of one of the world’s most popular newspapers – The Sun. More recently, she’s done a short stint in PR in the not-for-profit sector, and led the news team at Wheels Media.

Read more about Kathryn Fisk