Volvo Car Malaysia (VCM) has just launched the 2026 Volvo ES90.
The Swedish carmaker’s flagship electric sedan will be available in a sole ES90 Ultra Single Motor trim priced at RM 339,8882, with an exclusive 2% early-bird incentive for the first 100 bookings and a further 8% incentive for fleet purchases.
The ES90 will be locally assembled (CKD) at their plant in Shah Alam, joining the EX30 compact crossover and the EX90 SUV, making VCM the brand with the most diverse CKD EV range in Malaysia. Furthermore, it will gain a extremely favourable advantage over the BMW i5 and Mercedes-Benz EQE that are both CBU and hence, will see a price increase as the incentives end.
A rolling technological luxo-barge, the ES90 rides on Volvo’s contemporary SPA2 platform that operates on a Superset tech stack, unifying the hardware and software modules for continuous updates and improvements via over-the-air (OTA) updates. Not only that, it is the first Volvo to run on dual Nvidia Drive AGX Orin core computers.
In the trim sold here, it houses a single electric motor at the rear axle, delivering 333 PS and 480 Nm of torque, enough for a century sprint time of 6.6 seconds. Like all new Volvos sold, top speed is limited to 180 kph.
There is a 92 kWh (88 kWh usable) nickel manganese cobalt (NMC) battery feeding the motor and is WLTP rated at 651 km.
Under the skin, 800V architecture allows for a mind-boggling DC charging of up to 300 kW. If you can find such a charger to hook up to, your ES90 will gain 300 km of range (NEDC) in just 10 minutes and go from 10% to 80% in just 22 minutes.
While that is all well and good, it does disappoint on the AC charging front with only an 11 kW AC on-board charger.
On the outside, the majority will generally consider this a sedan but in the metal, it looks like an amalgamation of a traditional sedan that had a wild night with a hatchback crossover.
You cannot avoid the raised ride height with its ground clearance of 178 mm. The dimensions are 5,000 mm in length and 1,942 mm in width but the most important figures are its wheelbase of 3,102 mm, making it 107 mm longer than the BMW i5 although the Volvo is shorter overall by 60 mm.
The design is signature Volvo, with the signature Thor’s Hammer headlight in the high-definition Pixel Headlight setup. Flip it to the rear and it remains distinctively Volvo, immediately recognisable by the new C-shaped LED rear lamps and LED lighting lining the rear windscreen.
From an equipment standpoint, it is pretty much identical to the variant Thailand got ahead of us. The chassis itself is ‘active,’ aided by air suspension to keep the 22-inch wheels managed and soft-closing doors.
Step into the luxurious interior and you’ll be cossetted by Nappa leather Nordico upholstery while the seats are ventilated and heated at the front but the driver gets a little extra with a massage function and a 9.0-inch digital instrument cluster.
Keeping occupants comfortable and safe is the quad-zone climate control system with an advanced air purifier, capable of blocking up to 95% of PM2.5 particulates and removing 99.9% of pollen.
Rear passengers can recline their seats with the touch of a button and relax their arms on the lounge-style armrest. Completing the interior is an electrochromic sunroof that will go from transparent to opaque at the press of a button and provides up to 99.9% UV protection.
That wide tailgate hatch provides unmatched convenience with up to 424 litres of space, expandable to 904 litres with the individually foldable 40/20/40 rear seats lowered. In the front, there is a 27-litre frunk.
Volvos are renowned for their sound systems that could give a plenary hall a run for its money. In the ES90, it is taken a step above with one of the quietest cabins from them to immerse yourself in the Bowers & Wilkins High Fidelity Audio System, including a 1,610 W, 25-speaker setup with Dolby Atmos support. As the cherry on top, the system has a special listening mode, dubbed Abbey Road Studios Surround Sound, developed under license with the iconic London music studio best associated with The Beatles.
Infotainment command is through a 14.5-inch central touchscreen operating on Volvo’s latest UX with Google Built-in as well as wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. Everything here is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon Cockpit Platform.
Safety is enhanced with a strong safety cage, advanced restraint systems and optimised deformation zones. Active safety is powered by a comprehensive sensor suite comprising five radars, seven cameras and twelve ultrasonic sensors to help avoid collisions and hazards.
The ES90 also comes standard with Volvo’s driver understanding system, capable of detecting when the driver’s attention is no longer focused on the road and intervene with supportive measures is required.
The ES90 can be had in four exterior colours, Vapour Grey, Crystal White, Denim Blue and Onyx Black.
