2025 Volvo EX90 Still Needs Improvement

The Volvo EX90 is the Swedish brand’s first electric SUV to ride on a dedicated platform and is one of only a handful of three-row electric cars currently on sale in the United States. Its only competitors are the Kia EV9, Rivian R1S, and Tesla Model X—three powerful machines with long range, fast charging, and, for the most part, software-driven features that work well.

The same cannot be said for the EX90—at least not yet. Volvo makes grandiose promises about assisted driving, comfort, and other systems that use software that isn’t working as I write this. Not to mention the many bugs that should have been fixed before I drove the car. Given that Volvo controls all the software, these issues should have been fixed. I just can’t tell you when.

On paper, at least, the EX90’s transmission and chassis are impressive. Despite operating at around 400 volts, Volvo claims the car’s 111.0-kilowatt-hour battery (107.0 usable kilowatt-hours) can charge at a peak rate of 250 kilowatts. That’s faster than the Kia EV9 with its “800-volt” architecture (it’s actually closer to 600 volts in reality), and even faster than the Rivian.

Despite being one of the brand’s first electric vehicles, Volvo uses advanced technology to boost efficiency, such as a front inverter with Silicon Carbide MOSFETs (the rear uses insulated gate bipolar transistors), which many legacy automakers have yet to adopt in their EVs. That’s one of the main reasons why the EX90 can travel more than 300 miles on a single charge.

The SiC front inverter also delivers impressive straight-line performance. The EX90 produces 402 horsepower and 538 pound-feet of torque to all four wheels. An additional $5,000 for the “Twin Motor Performance” package delivers 510 hp and 671 lb-ft, but keep in mind, these are just software changes. The vehicle is capable of achieving these feats from a hardware perspective, even if you buy the 402-hp version.

Pros: Good Range & Charging, Quiet Interior, Solid Straight-Line Performance

Like other large electric vehicles, the EX90 is fast, but it’s not fun to drive. The steering is very stiff. Even at high speeds, there’s little to no connection between the front tires and the wheel itself. In fast or tight corners, you can hear the tires gripping with a desperate hum.

The EX90’s straight-line performance and superb ride—higher-trim EX90s use air suspension—are matched by its quiet cabin. Much of the glass is laminated for added silence, and a low drag coefficient of just 0.29 helps, too. Heated and cooled massaging seats and an impressive 25-speaker sound system complement the rest of the cabin.

The EX90’s cabin is a peaceful place to ponder why there are only two switches to adjust the four windows. A third button behind those two switches is used to toggle between the first and second rows. The lack of physical switches on the EX90 is puzzling. It’s such a serene interior, but it’s also incredibly distracting. It would be nice if all that clever software worked—but it doesn’t.

The pre-production EX90 I drove used a smartphone as a key fob. Connectivity issues made it difficult to start the car again after it had been turned off, and attempts to do so again triggered the vehicle’s emergency seatbelt tensioner, which was very unpleasant.

Even though the back seat was empty, the EX90 often thought there were passengers in the back seat. Then, suddenly, it thought there were two passengers. More friends. The car made a sound, forcing me to tighten my seat belt.

Perhaps the most annoying technical bug isn’t the bug itself, but rather the fact that the EX90 has a very prominent Light Detection and Ranging (or, LiDAR) protrusion on its roof, which is currently not working. The system itself is made by industry leader Luminar, and is capable of collecting a ton of data about the vehicle’s surroundings. Many experts believe that LiDAR is the key to driverless cars or, in Volvo’s case, better safety.

Again, the lack of functionality is due to software integration. For context, there’s even a smart cleaning nozzle on the end of the wiper to clean this sensor, but the sensor itself isn’t active yet. What a bummer.

Cons: Complicated interface, Software needs improvement, Poor steering feel

Volvo now has control over the car’s entire software, which the automaker says will make it easier to fix all of these issues and add functionality. To be completely transparent, I believe that. Many automakers, even non-legacy brands, struggle with software, but eventually, they work out their issues. Still, the statement, “Go buy this $80,000 car that’s not finished,” still makes the EX90 a tough sell.

I’ll say in good faith that Volvo will probably fix all of these issues. I’ll also say in good faith that you should probably wait until they do. Eighty grand is the base price for this thing. I just drove a fully loaded Kia EV9 a few weeks ago for $78,430, and while it had some niggles, it didn’t need to wait for an over-the-air update to get Danny Phantom out of the back seat. It also had switches for each window and physical buttons for things you use often, like climate control.

I’m not a diehard minimalist—okay, maybe a little. But regardless, the Volvo EX90 takes things too far. You can’t program your way out of it. But given its basics, the EX90 is a great EV. It has impressive range and charging performance, and makes competitors with similar battery life seem dated by comparison.

I’m not sure this car is any good. Say what you will about the Cadillac Lyriq; it’s a good car, even if it’s not a great EV. The former is far more important. The EX90 doesn’t feel like a complete vehicle, and only its competitors fit that bill. It’s a good car, a good EV, and for a slightly cheaper price.

Until Volvo can make all the bells and whistles go… uhh… whistle, the EX90 still has a long way to go.