Volvo's ES90 is a car the presenter on Everything Electric CARS openly wonders about: a five meter, E-segment electric saloon arriving just as buyers keep drifting toward SUVs. It shares its architecture with the EX90 and the Polestar 3, and the video reports a single motor extended range version with a 92 kWh battery, a quoted 411 miles, or 662 km, of range, and 800 volt charging that takes 10 to 80 percent in 22 minutes. A twin motor performance model steps up to a 106 kWh battery and 426 miles. The boot holds 424 liters. Pricing, the presenter says, runs from around £67,000 to £86,000. The pitch is understated luxury, and much of the drive is spent testing whether a big saloon still makes sense in 2026.
The most useful thread in the video is one the saloon's existence depends on. The presenter argues that if you want a large car, a saloon is more efficient than an equivalent SUV because its shape reaches a lower drag coefficient, and quotes 0.25 for the ES90 against 0.22 for a Mercedes EQE. That matters for real-world range, and it is the clearest reason to consider this body style as the market tilts the other way. The video positions the ES90 against the BMW i5 and the EQE, and reckons it leads that group on quoted range and charging speed thanks to its 800 volt system. The trade is packaging. A saloon sits lower than an SUV, so taller rear passengers may find their knees raised, a point the presenter raises from the back seat even while noting the generous legroom. The car tested is the base specification, and the video adds that spending roughly £20,000 more buys a plusher interior. On styling, the presenter likens the ES90 to a larger Polestar 2 and points to a deliberately boxy, boat-tailed rear shaped in the name of aerodynamics.
On the road the presenter is won over more than expected. The car is described as feeling smaller and more agile than its footprint suggests, with dual chamber suspension smoothing out rough Cotswold roads and a notably quiet cabin despite a large glass area. The tech runs on an Nvidia-based stack the video says stays fast and updates over time, though the presenter wishes more functions, including one-pedal drive, lived on physical buttons rather than the large central screen. Driver assistance comes in for specific praise for nudging gently rather than nagging, which the presenter argues makes drivers less likely to switch it off. Interior notes include recycled materials, a wood finish the presenter likes, large door pockets in place of a missing rear seat pocket, and a ski hatch. Rear passengers get seats that heat and cool along with USB-C charging, and the video cites a 245 kW rear motor on the car. The video also reads out Volvo's own lifecycle figures: a quoted 31 tonnes of CO2 equivalent over the car's life, dropping to 26 tonnes on renewable charging, which Volvo frames as roughly half that of a mild-hybrid S90. The frunk, demonstrated with a few hot cross buns, is described as tiny.
Bottom line: The ES90 is exactly the car you would expect Volvo to build, refined, quiet and quietly expensive, and the efficiency case for a saloon over an SUV is the most interesting thing about it. At £67,000 to £86,000 it is not trying to be affordable, and against the i5 and EQE its edge is range and charging speed rather than badge cachet. If you want a big, calm EV and can live with a low seating position and a token frunk, it earns a place on the list. The shrinking saloon market is the real risk here, not the car itself.
Commentary on a third-party video. Figures and claims are as presented in the source and have not been independently verified. Spotted an error? Tell us and we will correct it.