Volvo EX90 - Interior, design & technology

Building on the successful second-generation XC90, which launched the best part of a decade ago, the all-electric EX90 gets a cleaner front end with an evolutionary take on that car’s ‘Thor’s Hammer’ daytime running lights. These are set into pixel-like segments and are animated, giving the car a unique ‘welcome’ signature when you lock or unlock the car. The rear end is typical Volvo, too, with a set of LED tail lights that stretch right up to the roofline.

The standard 22-inch wheels suit the car’s proportions well. They feature an interesting quirk where there’s no Volvo-branded centre cap, with a ‘Volvo’ script on one of the spokes instead. 

Depending on how into technology you are you may think the roof-mounted Lidar might act as a proud symbol of the EX90’s cutting edge software or make it look like a premium London taxi.

Both versions of the EX90 get a selection of no-cost paints. There are eight to choose from, with a dark ‘Mulberry Red’ the stand-out option for us. There’s a lot of gloss black elements to the EX90’s exterior - ranging from the roof rails, window surround and rear bumper and spoiler mouldings.

What is the Volvo EX90 like inside?

The design similarities of the EX90 to the XC90 carry over to the inside, although there are a few quirks to differentiate them. The cabin looks and feels more minimalist than the XC90. This does come at the expense of functionality to a degree but we don’t feel like the EX90 would be a hassle to live with. The dashboard is dominated by the 14.5-inch central screen with few physical buttons to speak of. The steering wheel utilises physical buttons that are also touch-sensitive - they’re perfectly easy to use, however. 

Like the new Polestar 3, the window switches on the EX90 consist of three buttons. To operate the fronts or rears you have to press a touch-sensitive button on the door - it’s a set-up we’ve seen in Volkswagen Group models previously, which have since backtracked on future models. We much prefer a traditional four-switch layout. 

There’s a range of three ‘Nordico’ faux-leather interior colours for the EX90: light grey, light brown or black. There’s also a wool blend option instead of the Nordico which is offered in a mix of black and light grey. We’d certainly opt for a bit of colour in the EX90, which can look a bit drab in pure black. 

What is the interior quality like?

Quality is very good, as you’d hope and expect on a car costing the best part of £100,000. Everything is tightly screwed together, and both the leather trim and more sustainable wool alternative feel high-end. The seats are supportive and comfortable, and ergonomically, everything seems to fit and fall to hand really nicely.

The EX90 will be built in China for some markets, although UK cars will come from South Carolina, USA. The only issue for us that arose during testing was the headlight swivel warning light came on - something that an over-the-air update would sort out in the coming months, we’re told. To ‘reset’ the EX90, the clear volume knob in the centre console needs to be held down - at which point the car’s infotainment system will turn off and on again. 

Sat-nav, stereo and infotainment

We’d love to say the brand learned from mistakes made on the smaller Volvo EX30, but the EX90 was designed first, so that’s not strictly true. Still, it’s good to see the maker’s flagship EV fitted with a set of easy-to-read digital dials and a head-up display – rather than channelling all that essential info through the main central screen.

It makes everything much easier to navigate. The main display runs Android Automotive (not to be confused with the car’s Android Auto smartphone tech) and is super slick and responsive. The inclusion of Google Maps (other apps are available) means you can search for nearly anything and it’ll effortlessly direct you to your destination, updating along the way to avoid traffic or include charge stops. Turn-by-turn mapping can be replicated in the instrument cluster, too.

Unfortunately, the test model didn’t feature Apple CarPlay, as well as some of the car’s advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), because they’re not ready yet. These will be added free of charge over the air (OTA) at around the same time as first customer deliveries. 

The exterior camera set-up is excellent, with a mix of 360-degree views along with a rear-view camera on the big screen to make parking much easier than you might think in such a big car. 

Elsewhere, the incredible Bowers and Wilkins stereo with Dolby Atmos needs to be heard to be believed, while the USB-C ports dotted around the cabin should ensure the family can keep their devices topped up.