A first for me last week. My test car, the fully electric Volvo EX90, was the first car that I have driven in 2026 that cost over €1000,000. But you don’t have to pay that much for this gorgeous new Volvo, now read on.
Colour is so important and while the official colour of the EX90 was Platinum Grey, to my uncultured eye it looked like a shade of brown. Either way, it was really attractive seven-seater.
There has been a delay in the EX90 coming to Ireland and apparently there were some software issues to be sorted. I met a man on the street who wanted to know more about the car. He had heard that there was a problem with the key fob. There is no doubt that most people interested in buying a new car nowadays really do their research on-line, before setting a foot in the car park of a dealership.
Yes, the key fob can be a bit tricky; you get a little gadget along with two credit-card-type cards to lock and unlock the car. That little gadget, measuring two inches long and one-inch wide, needs to be placed in the area on the dash where you would normally charge your phone. You will need the fob in that position to drive the car and also to charge the two cards.
Volvo has a reputation for safety and naturally the EX90 continues that proud tradition. It’s also future proofed for autonomous driving. I have received videos from friends taking taxis in autonomous-driven cars in the USA and we will probably have that service here in Ireland at some stage.
The interior is clean and uncluttered. The seats are very comfortable and brightly coloured which makes for an overall bright, clean, look. Officially, the colour of the seats is Charcoal Noredico upholstery. In the back if you only have two passengers, they can pull down a drinks holder between them.
The dash is dominated by a 14.5-inch screen where you can do everything you need to do and take full advantage of the plethora of extras available in this model.
With all seven seats in use the boot space is 310 litres, but if you leave down the third row you will have 2,000 litres of space. And you also get a small Frunk at the front. The seats can easily be adjusted by using a button in the boot.
As usual with most electric cars, the EX90 will take off like a greyhound and with 517 break horse power you won’t be left floundering at the traffic lights. And with a full charge you should get close to 520km. It’s really comfortable car to drive and travel in and it seems to just glide along the road.
Some electric cars don’t have rear wipers, but of course Volvo think of everything, and a rear wiper is provided. No spare wheel is provided, but there is plenty of room in the boot for a spare if you are prepared to buy one.
And the price? Well, if you opt for the standard model, you will get change out of €100k with prices starting at €99,895 for the single engine version, while the automatic Twin Motor, Performance Untra version I drove will cost you €124,895. As usual with electric cars, road tax is only €120. I think maybe now is good to get some new Lotto numbers.
