Volvo EX90 — deep research dossier
Published · Researched 2026-09-21
Volvo EX90 — Research File (September 2026)
What the car is
Volvo's electric flagship — a 7-seat SUV (5.04 m) on the SPA2 platform, launched late 2024 after a 1+ year software delay. Standard roof-mounted LiDAR, "software-defined vehicle" architecture. Powertrains: Twin Motor (300 kW/408 hp; US spec 402 hp, 111 kWh, 0–100 ~5.9 s); Single Motor RWD (added 2025/26). Built in Ridgeville, South Carolina (US) and Chengdu. US pricing: from $79,995 + $1,295 destination (CR's 2025 Twin Motor Plus test car: $81,290). European pricing ~€83,000+ (UNVERIFIED). Chinese pricing UNVERIFIED — the EX90 is sold in China but current pricing wasn't confirmed in accessible sources.
Social-first owner evidence
Facebook groups: "Volvo XC90" (56k members) surfaced but is XC90-focused; no dedicated EX90 owner group found — disclosed gap. Threads search returned journalist posts only. Press and forum evidence is extensive and unusually negative:
- Consumer Reports (bought 2025 Twin Motor Plus): "The Volvo EX90 Is an Unfinished Electric SUV" — airbag warning lights, dead Bluetooth/radio audio, unprovoked error messages; software 1.3.18 fixed some faults but not all. "If software version 1.3.18 was required to fix the many bugs we encountered, then the EX90 should not have been sold to the public until 1.3.18 was ready."
- InsideEVs (Sept 2025): Volvo is replacing the central computer of every 2025 EX90 with the 2026 model's Nvidia Drive AGX Orin-based unit (500+ TOPS) — "a tacit admission that the company can't solve the EX90's issues" on old hardware. Owner Sally Greer: "a dumpster fire inside a train wreck" — phone-as-key failures, useless keyfob, keycard rarely working, constant connection issues, infotainment glitches.
- Autoblog (July 2025): Canadian owner Vicken Kanadjian documented his problems on a website and began legal action for a refund — keys died within days, an April update bricked the centre screen for a period, door-lock faults, emergency stop triggered by system fault, AC dead for a week.
- InsideEVs (Ridgeville roundtable): Volvo CTO Anders Bell: "Unfortunately, we have disappointed many customers... I'm going to say sorry to the customers who have lost trust." Launch features (LiDAR functions, CarPlay, smart charging, ADAS features) were missing or inactive at delivery. Some owners reported loss of power on the highway.
- Praise is scarce and mostly from press first-drives (pre-delivery cars): ride comfort, interior quality, design.
Reliability record
The worst launch in the modern Volvo record by press/owner consensus. The failure mode is software + underpowered launch hardware — not battery or motors. The free central-computer swap for all 2025 cars is unprecedented and should materially improve 2025 cars retroactively; 2026 cars ship with the new computer. No battery degradation or drive-unit pattern documented. Long-term reliability: unknowable until the new hardware/software stack has 12–18 months in the field.
Support reality
4-year/50,000-mile US warranty; European terms vary — UNVERIFIED. Volvo dealers have been applying software updates, but owner reports describe months of repeat visits. The computer-replacement campaign is the support story: free, but requires a dealer visit and owner confidence is damaged. Parts/support in China: sold there, network exists, but owner-sentiment data inaccessible.
Hype flags
Volvo's "software-defined vehicle" and LiDAR marketing preceded working software — the central-computer swap is the company admitting the gap. InsideEVs' framing ("can't solve the issues") is editorial; Volvo disputes it, saying stable software is coming for both hardware generations. Treat both as positioned claims.
Model-year timeline 2021–2026
| Year | Generation & changes | Reliability notes | Recalls/TSBs | Used-price band | | 2021 | — (didn't exist) | — | — | — | | 2022 | Revealed (Nov) | — | — | — | | 2023 | Launch delayed (software) | — | — | — | | 2024 | Deliveries begin (late); Twin Motor | Software disaster at launch; missing features | Software updates; computer-swap announced | Too new / thin used market | | 2025 | Full sales year; Single Motor added | Peak complaint volume; owner lawsuit (Canada) | All 2025s: free central-computer replacement | $65,000–75,000 UNVERIFIED | | 2026 | New Nvidia Orin computer standard | Too new for data; the fix generation | Computer-swap campaign ongoing | New only |
Sweet-spot year: 2026 — ships with the new computer and (presumably) mature software; avoids the entire 2025 saga. A 2025 car after the computer swap could be a value play if documented. Years to avoid: 2024–2025 pre-swap cars without proof the computer was replaced.
Raw quotes
- "I say without exaggeration that this car is a dumpster fire inside a train wreck." — owner Sally Greer, via InsideEVs
- "Unfortunately, we have disappointed many customers. I'm going to say sorry to the customers who have lost trust in our products." — Anders Bell, Volvo CTO, via InsideEVs
- "If software version 1.3.18 was required to fix the many bugs we encountered, then the EX90 should not have been sold to the public until 1.3.18 was ready and installed." — Consumer Reports
- "The main center screen became completely non-functional, recurrent issues with door locking/unlocking, emergency stop triggered due to system fault, AC and ventilation system became inoperable for one week." — owner Vicken Kanadjian, via Autoblog
- "The Kia EV9 is an all-electric three-row SUV that costs $20,000 less than the Volvo, and hasn't given us or surveyed owners the same sense of being a beta tester." — Consumer Reports