Compare the2023 Volvo S90VS 2023 BMW 530e

For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Volvo S90 have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The BMW 530e doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Volvo S90 are height-adjustable to accommodate a wide variety of driver and passenger heights. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages passengers to buckle up. The BMW 530e doesn’t offer height-adjustable seat belts.

Both the S90 and 530e have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The S90 has power child safety locks, allowing the driver to activate and deactivate them from the driver's seat and to know when they're engaged. The 530e’s child locks have to be individually engaged at each rear door with a manual switch. The driver can’t know the status of the locks without opening the doors and checking them.

The Volvo S90 offers optional built in child booster seats. They’re more crash worthy than an added child seat because of their direct attachment to the seat. BMW doesn’t offer the convenience and security of a built-in child booster seat in the 530e. Their owners must carry a heavy booster seat in and out of the vehicle; S90 owners can just fold their built-in child seat up or down.

The S90 has a standard Whiplash Protection System (WHIPS), which use a specially designed headrest to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the WHIPS moves the headrests forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. At the same time the pretensioning seatbelts fire, removing slack from the belts. The 530e doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the S90. But it costs extra on the 530e.

The S90 has a standard 360° Camera to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The 530e only offers a rear monitor and front and rear parking sensors that beep or flash a light. That doesn’t help with obstacles to the sides.

Both the S90 and the 530e have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, plastic fuel tanks, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, post-collision automatic braking systems, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning and driver alert monitors.

For its top level performance in IIHS driver and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, side impact, roof strength and head restraint tests, its standard vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention system, its standard vehicle-to-pedestrian front crash prevention system, and its standard headlight’s “Acceptable” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the S90 its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2022, a rating granted to only 95 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The 530e has not been fully tested, yet.

The 530e’s redline is at 7000 RPM, which causes more engine wear, and a greater chance of a catastrophic engine failure. The S90 has a 6000 RPM redline.

The S90 B6’s standard 2.0 turbo/supercharged 4-cylinder hybrid produces 7 more horsepower (295 vs. 288) than the 530e’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid. The S90 T8’s standard 2.0 turbo/supercharged 4-cylinder hybrid produces 167 more horsepower (455 vs. 288) and 213 lbs.-ft. more torque (523 vs. 310) than the 530e’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid.

On the EPA test cycle the S90 running on electricity gets better mileage than the 530e running on electricity:

On the EPA test cycle the S90 running its gasoline engine gets better mileage than the 530e running its gasoline engine:

The S90 can travel longer on electricity, only, on a full charge than the 530e on electricity, only, on a full charge:

The S90 has 3.8 gallons more fuel capacity than the 530e (15.9 vs. 12.1 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

The S90 has a standard cap-less fueling system. The fuel filler is automatically opened when the fuel nozzle is inserted and automatically closed when it’s removed. This eliminates the need to unscrew and replace the cap and it reduces fuel evaporation, which causes pollution. The 530e doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

The S90 stops much shorter than the 530e:

For better traction, the S90 has larger tires than the 530e (255/35R20 vs. 245/40R19). The S90’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the 530e (255/35R20 vs. 245/35R20).

The S90 B6 has a standard space-saver spare (not available on Recharge) so you can replace a flat tire and drive to have the flat repaired or replaced. A spare tire isn’t available on the 530e; it requires you to depend on its run-flat tires, which limits mileage and speed before they are repaired. If a run-flat is damaged beyond repair by a road hazard your vehicle will have to be towed. Some tire options on the 530e don’t have a run-flat feature, either.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the S90’s wheelbase is 3.4 inches longer than on the 530e (120.5 inches vs. 117.1 inches).

The S90 handles at .88 G’s, while the 530e pulls only .85 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

For better maneuverability, the S90’s turning circle is .7 feet tighter than the 530e’s (38.7 feet vs. 39.4 feet). The S90’s turning circle is 2.1 feet tighter than the 530e xDrive’s (38.7 feet vs. 40.8 feet).

Because it has more passenger and cargo room, the EPA rates the S90 a Mid-size car, while the 530e is rated a Compact.

The S90 has 3.2 cubic feet more passenger volume than the 530e (102 vs. 98.8).

The S90 has .8 inches more front legroom, .3 inches more rear headroom and 3.9 inches more rear legroom than the 530e.

The S90 has a much larger trunk than the 530e (13.5 vs. 10 cubic feet).

Pressing a button automatically lowers the S90’s rear seats, to make changing between passengers and cargo easier. The 530e doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

Heated windshield washer nozzles are standard on the S90 to prevent washer fluid and nozzles from freezing and help continue to keep the windshield clear in sub-freezing temperatures. The 530e doesn’t offer heated windshield washer nozzles.

In poor weather, headlights can lose their effectiveness as grime builds up on their lenses. This can reduce visibility without the driver realizing. The S90 has standard headlight washers to keep headlight output high. The 530e doesn’t offer headlight washers.

The S90 Ultimate has standard front air conditioned seats and offers them optionally in the rear. This keeps the passengers comfortable and takes the sting out of hot seats in summer. The 530e doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats in the rear.

The S90 has a standard heated steering wheel to take the chill out of steering on extremely cold winter days before the car heater warms up. A heated steering wheel costs extra on the 530e.

The S90 has a 115-volt a/c outlet on the center console, allowing you to recharge a laptop or run small household appliances without special adapters that can break or get misplaced. The 530e doesn’t offer a house-current electrical outlet.

The S90 was chosen as one of Automobile Magazine’s “All Stars” in 2017. The 530e has never been an “All Star.”