The Volvo EX90 is widely marketed as Volvo's safest car to date.
To understand why, we examine the safety architecture, features, and how the EX90 compares with Volvo's long safety legacy— including prior flagships such as the XC90— plus what independent testers indicate about Volvo's safety performance in recent years.
A new benchmark in safety: the EX90
The EX90, Volvo's all‑electric flagship SUV released in 2024, places a strong emphasis on occupant protection and preventative safety. It integrates a broad sensor array, an advanced driver‑monitoring system, and Volvo's Safety Sense Pro suite designed to prevent crashes and minimize injury when collisions occur.
Key safety features include:
- Advanced driver-assistance suite (Safety Sense Pro) with automatic emergency braking, pedestrian and cyclist detection, and Run-off Road Mitigation.
- Extensive sensor coverage from cameras and radars for predictive safety and 360-degree awareness.
- Enhanced occupant protection: a rigid safety cage, multiple airbags, and optimized crash-structure design.
- Driver-monitoring system to ensure attention during operation of hands-on or semi-autonomous features.
- Low-speed city safety extended to complex traffic scenarios and vulnerable road users.
Despite being new, the EX90 inherits Volvo's long safety tradition, balancing passive safety (structure and restraint systems) with active safety (preventive tech) to reduce risk on the road.
How it compares with Volvo's safety legacy
Volvo turned safety into a brand cornerstone long before the EX90. The company pioneered features that later became industry standards, such as the City Safety system, whiplash protection technologies, and reinforced side-impact protection. The XC90, widely sold since the mid‑2010s, repeatedly earned strong crash-test results in multiple markets, helping solidify Volvo's reputation for safety. The EX90 extends that tradition with new sensor arrays, driver monitoring, and software updates that keep protection current.
- City Safety at low speeds and advanced pedestrian detection: Volvo's system helps avoid or mitigate collisions with vulnerable road users.
- Whiplash Protection System (WHIPS) and Side Impact Protection System (SIPS): reduce injury risk in rear- and side-impact crashes.
- Crash-structural integrity: high-strength steels and optimized crumple zones to absorb impact energy.
- Driver monitoring and semi-autonomous aids: to ensure safe operation and reduce distracted driving risk.
- Software updates and safety improvements: over-the-air updates push ongoing enhancements to safety behavior.
These safety innovations explain the brand's identity as a maker of safe cars and why the EX90 is billed as Volvo's safest car yet. Independent ratings for the EX90 will finalize its standing in various markets as testing completes.
Independent ratings and what they mean
Crash-test organizations like IIHS in the United States and Euro NCAP in Europe publish independent ratings that inform consumers about real-world safety performance. Volvo models have historically earned high marks; the XC90 generation achieved strong results across multiple markets, reinforcing Volvo's safety credibility. The EX90, being newer, is undergoing testing in different regions, with early previews signaling strong performance, but final, region-specific ratings are still being published.
Notes on ratings
Ratings vary by year, trim, and optional equipment. Always check the latest results for your market and vehicle configuration to determine the precise safety standing of a given Volvo model.
In the end, Volvo's safety story remains anchored in continuous innovation and a long-standing commitment to protecting occupants and pedestrians alike.
Summary
The EX90 stands as Volvo's current pinnacle of safety, combining advanced active safety tech with proven passive safety design. It builds on decades of Volvo safety leadership, and while final independent test ratings are still being published for all markets, early signals point toward a best-in-class safety profile for Volvo's safest car to date.