Volvo EX90 - Boot space, comfort & practicality

The EX90 seats seven, while measuring over five metres long and two metres wide. This is a big car, even if it doesn’t feel as cumbersome as a Kia EV9.

The benefit, of course, is a huge cabin with space for the whole family – regardless of whether you choose to prioritise people or luggage. 

If you’re more interested in how spacious the seats are, then it’s mixed news. Those up front and in the middle row receive plenty of space, though the two chairs in the third row are best reserved for children.

Dimensions and size

Being 84mm longer and 33mm wider than the XC90, the EX90 feels like a big car from behind the wheel, but it crucially doesn’t feel unwieldy. Its traditionally boxy SUV shape means it's relatively easy to pilot around tight, countryside villages with a lofty ride height for great visibility. 

How practical is the Volvo EX90?

Seats & space in the front

It might have a chunky battery underneath the floor and a high ride height, but it’s fairly easy to step into the EX90 because it sits a bit lower compared to the XC90. Once you’re in, you’ll notice how bright and airy the cabin is (if you avoid the black interior) thanks to the large window area and the standard-fit panoramic roof. 

Seats & space in the back

Those up front are treated to a first-class experience, with supportive leather (or wool)-lined chairs and loads of room to stretch out. Move to the middle row and despite the tiered, theatre-style seating, there’s certainly plenty of headroom. Legroom could be better, however, and while this is improved by sliding the seats rearward, that luxury comes at the expense of those in the very back.

The two rearmost seats, therefore, are best reserved for children. Especially as these chairs both come with ISOFIX points – a bizarre rarity in seven-seat cars. Those in the third row also get their own cupholders; passengers in row two are forced to use the central armrest to store their drinks, which is useless if you’re sitting three abreast.

Boot space

With all seven seats in the place there’s 310 litres of boot space – that’s as much as most modern superminis, and more than enough room to squeeze in a few soft bags. 

The rearmost row folds into the floor at the touch of a button. Doing so frees up 655 litres to the windowline – or even more if you’re prepared to sacrifice your view out the back. In two-seat mode, there’s a van-rivalling 1,915 litres; officially down on the Mercedes EQS SUV, but you may find the Volvo’s more upright rear end makes it the more practical car outright. 

There’s room under the floor to put stuff out of sight, and there’s a frunk capable of keeping a charge cable or two. Annoyingly, it’s opened via a lever in the front footwell; Volvo isn’t alone in restricting access in this way, but we’d prefer a button on the key.

Towing

If you choose the towing pack, at around £1,500, you’ll get mudflaps, a protective steel grille and an electric retractable tow bar that will allow for a towing capacity of 2,200kg. That’s much better than the 1,587kg the Mercedes EQS SUV offers. The EX90 also features the most important function of a good tow car: self-levelling air suspension. However, you will need to be careful with regard to the towing mirrors you’ll need, because the EX90 has a frameless side mirror design that you cannot clamp traditional extended mirrors to.