Volvo ES90 (2025 - ) Electric review

While the starting price looks (relatively) more reasonable than the EX90 on which it is based the ES90 is a big, premium car at a big, premium price. If you can afford that then running costs are unlikely too high on your list of worries, though you’d best make sure you’re ready with a cheap, off-peak domestic electricity tariff if you’re going to be topping up that gigantic battery on your home charger. Which you best had, because doing so on the public charging network really will cost a fortune. Indulgent or not, company drivers can still save a packet in tax for as long as those incentives last as well.

Volvo is now part of Chinese automotive giant Geely, from where much of its shared tech comes. Not a bad thing necessarily, though the foundations for the ES90 are ‘more Volvo’ than others like the EX30. Which might be good news given some of the tech glitches we’ve heard about on that model. Early impressions of the related EX90 weren’t much better, and the tech on all these models is fearsomely complex. Many of the early niggles can – and have – been addressed with remote over-the-air updates, though, at least sparing trips to the workshop or dealer.

An incredibly complicated array of sensors supposedly prepare the ES90 for self-driving where and when regulations permit. But if that’s the case we reckon the black boxes still need their L-plates on after a supposedly automated lane change tried to steer us off the road. This was especially worrying because systems like this demand your total trust, given the ES90 will merrily change lane with a tap of the indicator stalk even if your eyes are fixed on the horizon. Others like BMW at least insist you do the basics of a mirror check before the car initiates the manoeuvre, which feels safer to us. Sheer size, woeful visibility and the need to delve into touch-screen menus to select critical functions like foglights also seem at odds with Volvo’s safety-conscious image.

The ES90 is a massive car, that huge on-road footprint thankfully translating to fantastic interior space for driver, front seat passenger and those in the back. Especially those in the back, in fact, there being acres of legroom and – on the higher spec cars like the one we drove – a powered backrest for those who prefer a sofa-like slouch. The glass roof helps it feel even more spacious, this able to go from clear to opaque at the touch of a button if the sun is getting a bit fierce on the higher spec Ultra. This also gets fancier air suspension, which wafts convincingly on a cruise but rattles your teeth at town speeds on all but the smoothest roads. A pity, given so much effort has gone into making the cabin so quiet, calming and restful. For such a big car the boot isn’t quite as spacious as you’d hope, either, the floor rather shallow and the sloping roofline limiting space. This and the ride comfort on the bigger wheels on our test cars risk accusations of style over content for the ES90, the (considerable) extra cost of the EX90 SUV worth paying if practicality is important.

Volvo does great interiors, the combination of lighter colours, recycled or repurposed materials and stylish design as distinctive as it is luxurious. Virtuous as well, with much of the sustainably sourced interior still feeling of very high quality. Technology is a huge part of the ES90 experience, too, essential info for the driver coming on a small screen behind the wheel or projected onto the windscreen while the giant, portrait-orientated screen does everything else. The Google-powered interface is slick, sharp and easy to use but too many of your everyday interactions are layers deep in the menus and, like many within the wider Geely family, supposed ‘convenience’ features like repurposing steering wheel controls for adjusting mirrors and wheel position are anything but. Standard spec on the lower of the two trims looks decent, meanwhile, with a Bose stereo and a regular, non-dimming panoramic roof among the nice-to-haves. But you need to go up a trim level for the really nice stuff, this including the incredible Bowers & Wilkins hi-fi, the fancier suspension, heating and ventilation for the seats and more.

Three self-explanatory batteryand motor options here, comprising Single Motor Extended Range, Twin Motor and Twin Motor Performance. We drove the first and, while it’s got less than half the power of the top one, it felt plenty fast enough while official range a smidge over 400 miles is sufficient for most needs. The warm weather and low-speed town driving of our test drive will have flattered the efficiency figures but the Volvo seemed closer to its official claims than the equivalent Hyundai Ioniq 9 we drove to the launch event, which is hopeful on that score. Knock yourself out if you really feel the need for more power or range but this one would do us fine. 800V electrics unlock faster-than-average charging if you can plug into anything powerful enough, and helps futureproof the ES90 for ever-faster infrastructure appearing on our roads. That’ll cost, though, and most of the time you’ll be better off keeping that mahoosive battery topped up at home.