Volvo EX90

Volvo's new flagship is a seven-seat electric alternative to the XC90, but is it worth the premium price that it demands? On sale March Price from £96,255

- DAN JONES

LIKE LUXURY SCANDINAVIAN homes, the new Volvo EX90's interior offers a minimalist look, yet a real sense of open space. But then, the latter isn't so surprising; at just over five metres long, Volvo's new electric SUV flagship is slightly longer than the petrol-powered XC90.

Two versions of the EX90 are available, each with a 107kWh (usable capacity) battery and two electric motors for four-wheel drive. With 402bhp, the entry-level Twin Motor does 0-62mph in 5.9sec. That means it's not quite as quick as the rival Kia EV9 AWD Dual Motor, but given the way it fires off the line and relentlessly gathers pace, it doesn't need to be any nippier. If you disagree, though, the EX90 Performance has 510bhp and knocks 1.0sec off that time.

Cornering performance isn't quite as impressive, but given that the EX90 is a 2.7-tonne SUV, it isn't bad. True, there is some body lean when you start to push on, and it feels a tad top heavy, but the standard adaptive air suspension never lets things get overly wayward. If you're after an electric SUV that handles more tidily, the BMW iX sets the class standard.