The good and bad about the 2025 Volvo EX90, the company’s new electric SUV

Enlarge / After launching some smaller and cheaper electric vehicles, it was time for Volvo to push the boat out with a flagship SUV, the EX90. (credit: Jonathan Gitlin)

Volvo provided flights from Washington to Orange County and accommodation so Ars could drive the EX90. Ars does not accept paid editorial content.

An early convert to the idea of an all-electrified lineup, Volvo has taken a slightly different tack to most other automakers as it electrifies its product range. Where most would start off with a big and expensive electric vehicle first, it did the opposite, starting out with small and affordable. That means it’s now time for a flagship EV, an all-new three-row SUV called the EX90, which we’ve driven ahead of US deliveries toward the end of this year.

That’s later than Volvo planned, and as you’ll see, some EX90 features have fallen even further behind and will need to be enabled via software update in the future. Because while the EX90 is a good demonstration of a new, tech-forward approach to car design, it’s also the latest example of automakers adopting the “minimal viable product” approach from the tech sector.

Volvo has developed an all-new platform for larger EVs, which the EX90 will share with other brands within the Geely group, notably the Polestar 3 we drove a few weeks ago. The Volvo is a little longer than the Polestar, and unlike the SUV from the upstart startup, the EX90 is a three-row, with seats for either six or seven depending on whether you opt for a bench or a pair of captain’s chairs for the middle row.