New Volvo ES90 looks a lot like a Polestar 4 with a rear window, and costs nearly £70k

The new Volvo ES90 has finally been revealed after months of shadowy teaser images and drip-fed tech specs. It’ll act as the brand’s flagship executive saloon car, taking on established rivals such as the BMW i5 and Mercedes EQE, as well as the newly launched Audi A6 e-tron.

Last week, Volvo confirmed the new model would get a brand-new 800-volt electric architecture (the EX90 SUV currently uses a 400V system) that it says will use a massive 106kWh (102kWh usable) battery to propel the ES90 to a maximum 435-mile range. The maker claims its Twin Motor flagships can charge at up to 350kW, adding 186 miles of range in 10 minutes. The car is also capable of bi-directional charging.

Moving the ES90 to this new architecture meant Volvo had to upgrade every component in the electric system for the new saloon, from the battery cells and electric motors, to the climate and thermal management systems. We understand the saloon will also benefit from lighter e-motors and other parts, which will not only reduce the car’s weight, but also maximise the car’s efficiency, acceleration and range.

Volvo ES90 Design

But the big news now will be the ES90’s polarising styling. It gets an almost crossover-like look and a swoopy hatchback-style profile not dissimilar to the Polestar 4 – a car also built under the watchful eye of parent company Geely. However, the two cars don’t share a platform – the Polestar sits on SEA (Sustainable Experience Architecture), while the Volvo is on the same SPA2 (Scalable Product Architecture) as the EX90.

Volvo insists the ES90 is “fully in a class of its own” and combines “the refined elegance of a sedan, the adaptability of a fastback, and the spacious interior and higher ground clearance of an SUV”. 

The front end is familiar Volvo, with the same headlights and pixelated ‘Thor’s Hammer’ daytime running lights and separate fangs previously seen on the EX90. The blanked-off grille section has been slimmed down for the saloon, with a similar cutout in the lower bumper. On the roof, the visible LiDAR stack, which wasn’t initially functional on the EX90, will be operational from the outset on all ES90s.

To the side, the ES90 gets a slim glasshouse with a high beltline, giving a kind of faux-crossover vibe. Volvo is marketing the car as a saloon, despite its hatchback body; the boot is hinged from the roof and opens to reveal a 424-litre capacity with the rear seats in place, or 1,256 litres with the bench folded down. There’s a 22-litre frunk, too.

At the back, we see further similarities to its EX90 sibling, with C-shaped tail-lights and separate elements that extend skywards up the steeply raked rear window. This screen is a point of prominent discussion, given that the similar-looking Polestar 4 contentiously does without, apparently to protect rear headroom.

Volvo ES90 interior and tech

The ES90’s cabin is all but indistinguishable from the EX90 SUV’s, with the same 14.5-inch central screen, nine-inch digital instrument cluster and head-up display. The main difference is the cleaner centre console; the EX90’s tall central tunnel has been replaced by a lower, more open design – playing on the car’s EV-specific platform. The rotary volume control is gone, though a new roller switch now sits beneath the main screen.

The ES90 name follows the convention that began with the EX90 and EX30 electric SUVs. It denotes that Volvo’s next EV will be the zero-emissions replacement for the S90 saloon. However, due to the new model’s electric-specific architecture – plus its five-metre length and 3.1-metre wheelbase – space in the back seats of the ES90 will surpass that offered in its predecessor. 

The “luxury” rear seats feature a lounge armrest and can be individually and electrically reclined. Four-zone climate control, a panoramic glass roof and heated seats in the front and rear come as standard, while top-spec cars get electrochromatic glass, a 25-speaker Bowers and Wilkins stereo, and laminated side and rear windows to reduce cabin noise. 

Volvo ES90 powertrain options

Three powertrains are being offered to buyers in the UK. The base ES90 Single Motor is powered by a 92kWh (88kWh usable) ‘Standard Range’ battery that offers 404 miles of range. Its rear-mounted e-motor produces 328bhp and 480Nm of torque, propelling the big saloon to 62mph in 6.9 seconds. The company says the ES90 is “engineered for supreme ride comfort” featuring “dual-chamber air suspension” and an “active chassis”.

Above this is the ES90 Twin Motor, which uses a 106kWh (102kWh usable) battery for that headline 435-mile range. The added motor on the front axle boosts the power output to 443bhp and 670Nm, which slashes the 0-62mph time by more than a second, to 5.6 seconds. 

The final model at launch is the ES90 Twin Motor Performance, with 671bhp and 870Nm –  enough for 0-62mph in four seconds flat. Despite the jump in power, this version has the same projected 435-mile range. All models have an identical 112mph top speed.

Volvo has said the ES90 will be a “software-defined car” that is designed to “continuously evolve and improve through core computing technology, constant connectivity and data”. It will use a ‘dual NVIDIA DRIVE AGX Orin configuration’ – apparently making it the most powerful Volvo ever built in terms of core computing capability, and capable of making 508 trillion operations per second.

Of course, being a Volvo, the ES90 apparently boasts the “highest level of standard safety features” and meets the company’s “stringent safety standards – above and beyond the requirements in standardised crash testing”. As well as the aforementioned LiDAR, the car comes with various cameras, radars and ultrasonic sensors to help the car look for and avoid potential collisions. A powerful core computing system and over-the-air software updates should also make the car safer over time.

Volvo ES90 pricing and specifications

The Volvo ES90 is available to order now, in either Plus or Ultra trim, with prices starting from £69,650 – more than all of the German competitors mentioned earlier, but very nearly £30,000 less than the Volvo EX90 SUV.

Plus trim is offered exclusively with the Single Motor Extended Range powertrain, with standard kit including the array of displays, a 360-degree 3D camera system, an energy-saving heat pump, 20-inch wheels, leather-free upholstery, Bose Premium stereo, wireless Apple CarPlay and plenty of driver assistance features. 

Ultra is available with all three versions, starting from £79,050 and rising to nearly £88,000 for the Performance range-topper. This specification adds Pixel LED headlights, upgraded chassis and air suspension, 21-inch rims, laminated glass, Bowers and Wilkins sound system and ventilated seats all round. 

Production isn’t due to start at the factory in China until late summer, however, meaning first cars probably won’t arrive here until late Q1 2026 at the earliest.

An estate version of the ES90 – presumably called EV90 – is unlikely to join the range later, with CEO Jim Rowan telling us it makes more sense to focus on enhancing core models, rather than broadening the product portfolio with different body styles.

Elsewhere, Volvo remains committed to an all-electric future, despite recently adjusting its EV-only deadline by confirming it will continue to sell plug-in hybrid models beyond 2030. It says “90 to 100 per cent” of its cars will be electrified by the end of the decade.

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