Is the Volvo ES90 a sedan, fastback or SUV? Swedish shape-shifter is out to beat the BMW i5 and Audi A6 e-tron with 700km range
The 2026 Volvo ES90 EV has officially made its debut and it’s not the usual traditional three-box sedan you’d expect from the safety-obsessed Swedish brand.
Instead, the high-riding new Volvo is designed to blend a sedan, SUV and five-door fastback.
And when it arrives in Australia later this year it will spearhead the brand’s latest technology, while blending 500kW of power with a 700km range.
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Measuring in at around 5.0-metre-long, think of the Volvo ES90 as natural opposition to the likes of the Audi A6 e-tron, BMW i5 and in markets that still stock it, the Tesla Model S.
The big news is the Volvo ES90 gets the brand’s latest 800-volt electrical architecture that helps it deliver a longer range and faster charging than any other Volvo EV, including the EX90 luxury SUV that will soon adopt the same electrics.
When it lands in dealers there should be the choice of three powertrains and two batteries:
– a single-motor version with 245kW that can drive from 0-100km/h in 6.9 seconds;
– a 330kW Twin Motor version that manages a 5.5sec 0-100km/h dash;
– an even quicker Twin Motor Performance that pumps out 500kW for a rapid four second 0-100km/h sprint.
Range is also a highlight of the new ES90. The Single Motor Extended Range with a 92kWh battery can cover a WLTP-verified 650km, while the Twin Motor all-wheel drive with the bigger 106kWh battery is capable of an impressive 700km figure.
Compare that with the best BMW i5 (627km) and longest-range Mercedes-Benz EQE (626km).
Even though it rides higher than a traditional sedan, its fastback rear styling plus advanced air bending ensures the ES90 is the slipperiest Volvo yet with a drag coefficient of just 0.25.
Picking up where the EX90 left off, the ES90 gets its own take on the Thor’s Hammer headlamps and a pair of unusual new high-level LED lamps that are incorporated within the rear screen.
Once launched, buyers should have the choice of seven exterior colours and four alloy wheel designs that vary from 20- to 22-inches.
There’s no word on whether a more spacious wagon is in the pipeline, so families will have to make do with the disappointing-sounding boot that’s only offer 424 litres of space.
At least the second row can be dropped to boost that figure to 733 litres and there’s a further 22-litre frunk to store charging cables.
The ES90’s 3100mm wheelbase ensures there’s plenty of space to stretch out, with enough room for five adults on board.
A new ambient lighting with six distinct themes is claimed to boost wellbeing. A large panoramic roof that bathes the cabin with natural light is said to filter out 99.9 per cent of harmful UV rays – there’s no word if there will be a blind for the Australian market.
An on-board air purifier filters out 95 per cent of PM 2.5 particulates and 99.9 per cent of grass, tree and pollen allergens.
Developed to be a master of refinement, Volvo says the ES90 is its quietest car yet and to compensate for that it’s installed a powerful 25-speaker Bowers & Wilkins sound system.
There’s also a new 14.5-inch infotainment screen that gets a Google operating system powered by a Snapdragon Cockpit Platform from Qualcomm Technologies hardware.
Ahead of the driver is a 9.0-inch digital instrument cluster and a head-up display. A 360-degree camera is standard.
Like the EX90, the ES90 gets something called a Superset Tech Stack that includes Nvidia Drive AGX Orin tech to brings powerful next level computing power, adding advanced artificial intelligence (AI) powered software.
The big takeaway is the new processor boosts safety and overall performance and will allow the ES90 to be heavily updated with even more advanced tech that might include a fully autonomous cruise control.
With that in mind, the second model to ride on the SPA2 electric architecture (after the EX90), the ES90 incorporates a high-mounted LiDAR, five radars, seven cameras and no less than 12 ultrasonic sensors for more sophisticated driver assist aids.
Volvo is especially proud of its new 800-volt architecture that address the complaints of the EX90’s slow-charging.
Now capable of a 350kW top-up, Volvo says a 10-minute recharge of the 106kWh battery can add as much as 300km of range.
One of the more incredible advancements of the new ES90 is a rear occupant detection system that is so sensitive it can detect the soft breathing of a sleeping baby, preventing any tired parents leaving their loved one behind in a parked car.
Volvo Australia has already announced it expects the new Volvo ES90 to land here either towards the end of this year, or in early 2026. It will come from the same Chinese plant that currently builds the EX90 and related Polestar 3.
Pricing and full details of what we’ll be offered in Australia will be released closer to its local launch.
