New Volvo EM90 2025 review: the ultimate SUV killer

Verdict

The Volvo EM90 is like none that has come before – and yet somehow remains very characteristic of the brand. There are few modern cars as homely as the EM90, and none will deliver you to your destination in such a relaxed manner. For those who covet space, prestige and ultimate comfort, the EM90 proves an SUV doesn’t have to be the default choice. It’s just a shame that, for now, this most compelling of models is unlikely to exude its calmness on European roads. 

How times change. Where once the idea of ultimate luxury in a car typically took the form of a saloon from one of a handful of European brands, elsewhere in the world a very different type of vehicle has come to prominence: the ultra luxury van. 

Now Volvo, owned by Chinese automotive giant Geely, has decided to jump on this bandwagon, releasing its gargantuan EM90 to customers in the Far East.

This type of car was initially made popular in Japan, where the Toyota Alphard – and its distinguished brother the Lexus LM – dominate the luxury-car class. In fact, Lexus recently saw fit to bring its LM flagship to the UK, where it has outsold the former LS saloon tenfold since its debut. Yet it’s the Chinese who are pushing the segment to a new level, with the Li Auto Mega and XPeng X9 capturing plenty of attention, even in Europe. 

Used - available now

2023 Hyundai

Tucson

30,644 milesAutomaticPetrol1.6L

Cash £19,000

View Tucson

2021 DS

DS 3 CROSSBACK

42,533 milesAutomaticPetrol1.2L

Cash £10,742

View DS 3 CROSSBACK

2022 Mercedes

CLA

63,866 milesAutomaticPetrol1.3L

Cash £18,180

View CLA

2020 Citroen

C3 Aircross

30,012 milesManualPetrol1.2L

Cash £9,000

View C3 Aircross

Unlike the Mercedes V-Class, for example, the new Volvo EM90 is not based on a commercial vehicle, but has been designed from the ground up purely as a luxury car. As such, the Volvo doesn’t come cheap, even in China where prices start at around 818 000 RMB (the equivalent of around £85,000) – putting it on a level with cars like the Mercedes EQS. 

Volvo hasn’t quite done all this work on its own, though, as it’s been developed together with stablemate Zeekr. The upscale Chinese brand has provided a high-tech platform, to which the Swedes have applied their own distinctive touch. The cabin, therefore, channels that unique ambience only the Scandinavians can manage; cool, sober and reserved, yet still warm-hearted, cosy and comfortable. 

A monitor pops out of the roof behind the front seats, which is big enough to offer a dramatic cinematic experience, without overwhelming passengers as they are by the ‘Theatre Screen’ in the latest BMW 7 Series. Bowers & Wilkins provides the sound and, of course, that dominates the EM90’s infotainment system. 

In the second row of seats you can experience all of this in two electric armchairs with cooling, heating and massage functionality, complete with a folding table in the armrest for workaholics. Predictably, there’s acres of room, but it’s the third row where things are even more impressive; it’s much better than in the new EX90, especially when trying to get in and out. 

With all three rows in place, bootspace amounts to 535 litres, which expands to a maximum of 2,376 litres with the rear seats folded and moved forward right up to the front armchairs. There’s also a bonus front boot, which at 29 litres is just about big enough to store the charging cable.

Set yourself up behind in the driver’s seat and things start to feel more like a Volvo that you’ll recognise, albeit the screen on the centre console is much bigger than you’ll find in other models – and mounted horizontally, instead of upright. 

Google is still running in the background, but the system has been developed by the Chinese and therefore has its own idiosyncrasies. It won’t only show a typical navigation screen and instructions, but will also count the distance to an intersection metre by metre. The system will also recognise traffic light phases accurate to the second. Precise or what?

The 268bhp electric motor on the rear axle also has 343Nm of torque, helping push this colossal lounge on wheels along at a good rate of speed, with the 8.3-second 0-62mph time feeling faster than the figure suggests in the real world. Energy for the e-motor is provided by an 800V electrical architecture and a chunky 116kWh (109kWh usable) battery. On the Chinese testing cycle (CLTC), this is good for a brilliant 434 miles, and in the stop-start traffic that’s guaranteed around the country’s mega cities, could fare even better. 

No matter whether you’re driving, or lounging around in the back, the EM90 is like a sedative on wheels. Being extraordinarily comfortable is a given for this class of ultra-luxurious van, but the EM90 raises the stakes with one or two elements that take it on to an even higher plane. Rather than some small hybrid powertrain whirring away under the front bonnet, as you’ll find in many of the posh Japanese-built vans, the EM90’s electric powertrain works in silence, with noise and vibration simply not an issue.

Yet what elevates the Volvo above many of its local competitors is that innate Swedish-ness that seems to have been translated effortlessly into the Chinese market. And while there are no firm plans to sell the EM90 in European markets, the closely related Zeekr 009 is available outside of China, suggesting that a landscape in which the ultimate Volvo is no longer an estate or SUV, but rather an ultra-luxurious van, could yet become a reality.

The Volvo EM90 isn't coming to the UK, but why not try an EX90 instead? Auto Express' Find A Car service can help you find the best deals out there on new Volvo EX90 or top prices on used EX90 models...