The New Volvo ES90 Is a Stylish Electric Sedan With an SUV's Stance

Yahoo

05-03-2025

The newest addition to Volvo's growing stable of full-electric vehicles is a clever remix of the brand's familiar design elements and new technologies. Meet the all-new 2026 Volvo ES90. A tall sedan with an SUV twist, this class-bending vehicle is expected to arrive sometime next year boasting impressive range and wicked-fast charging thanks to its 800-volt EV architecture.
The ES90's crossover design isn't dissimilar to its Swedish cousin, the Polestar 2. Both EVs blend a sedan's proportions and three-box roofline with the utility of a liftback rear hatch and SUV scale. However, with its 122.1-inch wheelbase within a 196.9-inch bumper-to-bumper stretch, the ES90 is significantly larger than the P2 in every dimension. That makes this less a Tesla Model 3 competitor and more an alternative to the full-size Model S, though even here the Swede stands apart with its more upright proportions -- owed to its SUV-esque 7.1 inches of ground clearance and elevated seating position -- and slightly longer wheelbase.
For the best idea of how big the Volvo will be, you could pop over to your local Toyota dealer and have a peep at the Crown, which is a similarly sized but slightly different take on the sedan-utility-vehicle chimera.
Volvo's design language is well established, so there aren't too many surprises to be found in the ES90's design. Its essentially a sedan variant of the EX90 electric SUV, from the "Thor's Hammer" headlamp light signature to the minimalist interior with its clever use of premium, sustainable materials. The rear end, however, is where you'll find my favorite design detail. Just above the horizontal C-shaped tail lights -- a hallmark of the brand's sedans -- you'll find vertical LED segments flanking the rear glass, a nod that echoes and links the ES90 to the design of Volvo's SUVs.
Beneath the rear liftgate, the ES90 boasts 14.97 cubic feet of cargo space that expands to 25.89 cubes when the rear seats fold flat to accommodate bulky items. That's joined by a 0.78 cubic foot frunk under the hood. That's about the size of a large backpack, which isn't much, but serves as a nice cubby to keep a charging cable or roadside emergency kit tucked out of the way.
Like the EX90, the ES90 has a prominent lidar hump at the top of its windshield both powering and drawing attention to the brand's next-generation driver assistance technology. It's a bit of overkill for today's safety features, the automaker told me previously at the EX90 debut, but this "Volvo for Life" approach provides future-ready overhead for tomorrow's safety technologies and over-the-air updates that may come over the lifetime of the EV. The lidar sensor is joined by five radar arrays, eight cameras and a dozen ultrasonic sensors located around the exterior feeding data to the collision mitigation, pedestrian safety, lane keeping assistance and adaptive cruise control features today, but may eventually help power more automated driver aid systems down the road.
The ES90 is also outfitted with interior radar and camera sensors that are used to power the driver alertness monitoring system and full-cabin occupant detection. The latter, I'm told, is submillimeter-scale sensitive and able to detect even "the soft breathing of a sleeping baby" in the back seat and alert a forgetful parent leaving the vehicle.
Prospective owners will have their choice of three different configurations when spec'ing their ES90: Single Motor, Dual Motor and Dual Motor Performance. The Single Motor setup mates a 92 kilowatt-hour battery pack with a 245-kilowatt motor on the rear axle, delivering around 329 horsepower, 354 pound-feet of torque and a 0 to 60 mph sprint in 6.7 seconds.
The Dual Motor config installs a 130 kW motor on the front axle and a 300 kW unit at the rear, powering both with a larger 106 kWh battery pack. Total output climbs to 442 hp and 494 lb-ft of torque, while the 0-60 hustle drops to 5.3 seconds. Finally, Dual Motor Performance turns up the wick with 220 kW and 280 kW for the front and rear axle motors, which works out to 670 total hp and 635 lb-ft of twist. The quickest configuration of the trio launches to 60 mph in just 3.9 seconds.
Volvo estimates that the ES90 will cruise up to 404 miles with the smaller battery or 435 miles on the big pack, but that's on the more generous European WLTP testing cycle. US EPA estimates are still forthcoming, more demanding and usually end up around 10% lower.
The ES90 will be the first Volvo car to make use of an 800-volt version of the brand's SPA2 EV architecture, which comes with the advantages of improved efficiency and faster charging compared to the 400-volt underpinnings of the EX90. Volvo claims the Single Motor electric crossover will be able to charge from 10% to 80% in around 20 minutes at a 300-kilowatt DC fast charging station or a 350 kW plug for Dual Motor models. The ES90 will also arrive "hardware ready" for bidirectional charging at home and with support for plug-and-charge payment for more convenient charging at public stations on the road.
Globally, the ES90 will feature a Combined Charging System port for AC and DC fast charging. The automaker hasn't announced whether it'll use CCS or the North American Charging Standard in the US, but (like the EX90 already does) it will certainly support both connections and Tesla's Supercharger network via adapters.
Inside, Volvo's minimalist and airy Scandinavian design is highlighted by an optional electrochromic glass roof that goes from 99% opaque to transparent with the touch of a button. The EV's spartan dashboard is home to a 14.5-inch central touch display, a 9-inch digital instrument cluster and, invisible to all but the driver, a windshield projected head-up display.
Infotainment duties are handled by the ES90's Google Built-in software suite, which makes native use of Google Maps for navigation, Google Assistant for voice command and search and the Google Play Store for finding and downloading all sorts of music and media streaming apps. For those who'd rather bring their own apps, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay phone mirroring are supported. An iPhone, Apple Watch or Android phone can also be used to unlock and start the EV via the Digital Key Plus feature. Meanwhile, Google Home integration allows easy integration with tech outside of the car.
Volvo says the ES90 will have the brand's quietest cabin ever. To fill the silence, shoppers will have their pick of three audio system options with the top spec Bowers & Wilkins rig boasting 25-speakers, 1,610 watts of amplification, Dolby Atmos playback and the automaker's new Abbey Road Studio Mode, which I was able to go ears-on with last year.
The 2026 Volvo ES90 will be the sixth full-electric vehicle in the automaker's global portfolio, joining the newly renamed EX40 and EC40, the compact EX30, the Chinese-market EM90 electric minivan and the flagship EX90 SUV. European drivers will get the first crack at the new ES90 when the order books open today. The automaker says that reservations will open in more markets "later this year and into 2026," so it may be a while before you'll be able to reserve one in North America (and longer still before the first examples arrive.) In the meanwhile, watch this space for updates on US pricing and range estimates.