Costs & verdict
Everyday costs, plus how reliable and safe it is
As the Volvo S90 is a plug-in hybrid only, it's not the cheapest car among immediate rivals. You can buy a petrol or diesel version of the Audi A6, BMW 5 Series and Mercedes E-Class for significantly less. Compared to other PHEVs, it sits in between the 530e and 545e, but the BMWs are predicted to depreciate at a slower rate.
The S90’s high list price won't bother company car buyers, who will find that it attracts very low company car tax thanks to its incredibly low official CO2 emissions of 19g/km. Because the claimed electric range is so good, it even sits in a lower tax band than the plug-in hybrid BMWs it’s up against.
As we've already discussed, it comes with front and rear parking sensors, a rear-view camera, adaptive LED headlights and a well-equipped infotainment system. Inscription trim sits above that, and adds ventilated front seats and softer Nappa leather seat trim.
Volvo is synonymous with safety and as standard the S90 comes with lots of kit, such as traffic sign recognition, blind-spot monitoring, lane keep assist and emergency city braking (which recognises cars, large animals, pedestrians and cyclists).
According to Euro NCAP the S90 will protect adult occupants slightly better in a crash than an Audi A6, but it highlighted a weakness when it comes to child occupancy in the rear – a child sitting in a booster cushion was at a reasonable risk of chest injuries. It's still a very safe car overall, though.
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