Compare the2025 Honda PilotVS 2024 Volvo XC90

In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the Pilot are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The XC90 doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Honda Pilot has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags helps prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The XC90 doesn’t offer a front passenger side knee airbag.

With its standard Collision Mitigation Braking System, the Honda Pilot is better at preventing collisions with pedestrians than the Volvo XC90, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety:

Both the Pilot and the XC90 have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning, driver alert monitors, available all wheel drive and around view monitors.

Side impacts caused 23% of all road fatalities in 2018, down from 29% in 2003, when the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety introduced its side barrier test. In order to continue improving vehicle safety, the IIHS has started using a more severe side impact test: 37 MPH (up from 31 MPH), with a 4180-pound barrier (up from 3300 pounds). The results of this newly developed test demonstrates that the Honda Pilot is safer than the XC90:

Honda’s powertrain warranty covers the Pilot 1 year and 10,000 miles longer than Volvo covers the XC90. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 5 years or 60,000 miles. Coverage on the XC90 ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

There are almost 4 times as many Honda dealers as there are Volvo dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Pilot’s warranty.

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the Pilot’s reliability 11 points higher than the XC90.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2023 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Honda vehicles are better in initial quality than Volvo vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Honda above average in initial quality. With 60 more problems per 100 vehicles, Volvo is rated below average.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Honda vehicles are more reliable than Volvo With 26 fewer problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, J.D. Power ranks Honda higher than Volvo.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2024 Auto Issue reports that Honda vehicles are more reliable than Volvo vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Honda 20 places higher in reliability than Volvo.

The Pilot’s 3.5 DOHC V6 produces 38 more horsepower (285 vs. 247) and 4 lbs.-ft. more torque (262 vs. 258) than the XC90 B5’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid.

An engine control system that can shut down some of the engine’s cylinders helps improve the Pilot’s fuel efficiency. The XC90 doesn’t offer a system that can shut down part of the engine.

Both the Pilot and the XC90 have a standard automatic start/stop engine feature to stop unnecessary fuel waste and pollution at stoplights and heavy traffic. All Pilots have a standard disable switch for the system, so a driver can keep the engine from shutting off when the vehicle stops temporarily. The XC90 Recharge doesn’t offer a way to disable start/stop.

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Honda Pilot uses regular unleaded gasoline. The XC90 requires premium, which can cost on average about 82.8 cents more per gallon.

The Pilot has a standard locking fuel door which locks and unlocks with the power locks. The fuel filler door is not lockable on the XC90. A locking fuel door helps prevent fuel theft and vandalism, such as sugar in the tank.

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Honda Pilot higher (7 out of 10) than the Volvo XC90 (5 to 7). This means the Pilot produces up to 8 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the XC90 every 15,000 miles.

A 10-speed automatic is standard on the Honda Pilot, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only an eight-speed automatic is available for the XC90.

For better stopping power the Pilot’s standard brake rotors are larger than those on the XC90:

For better traction, the Pilot has larger standard tires than the XC90 (255/50R20 vs. 235/55R19).

The Pilot has a standard easy tire fill system. When inflating the tires, the vehicle’s integrated tire pressure sensors keep track of the pressure as the tires fill and tell the driver when the tires are inflated to the proper pressure. The XC90 doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

The Pilot TrailSport has a standard full size spare tire so a flat doesn’t interrupt your trip. A full size spare isn’t available on the XC90; it requires you to depend on a temporary spare, which has mileage and speed limitations, or roadside assistance and a tow-truck.

The front and rear suspension of the Pilot uses coil springs for better ride, handling and control than the XC90, which uses transverse leafs springs in the rear. Coil springs compress more progressively and offer more suspension travel for a smoother ride with less bottoming out.

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Pilot is 1.6 inches wider in the front and 1.8 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the XC90.

The Pilot TrailSport handles at .85 G’s, while the XC90 B6 Core pulls only .77 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

For better maneuverability, the Pilot TrailSport’s turning circle is 2 feet tighter than the XC90’s (37.7 feet vs. 39.7 feet). The Pilot’s turning circle is 1.9 feet tighter than the XC90’s (37.8 feet vs. 39.7 feet).

The Honda Pilot may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 300 to 600 pounds less than the Volvo XC90.

The front grille of the Pilot uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The XC90 doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

The Pilot uses computer-generated active noise cancellation to help remove annoying noise and vibration from the passenger compartment, especially at low frequencies. The XC90 doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

As tested by Car and Driver, the interior of the Pilot TrailSport is quieter than the XC90 B6 Core:

The Pilot offers optional seating for 8 passengers; the XC90 can only carry 7.

The Pilot has 54.6 cubic feet more passenger volume than the XC90 (158.4 vs. 103.8).

The Pilot has 1.6 inches more front headroom, .1 inches more front legroom, 2.4 inches more front hip room, 4.2 inches more front shoulder room, 1.7 inches more rear headroom, 3.8 inches more rear legroom, .9 inches more rear hip room, 5.1 inches more rear shoulder room, 3 inches more third row headroom, .6 inches more third row legroom and 12.6 inches more third row shoulder room than the XC90.

For enhanced passenger comfort on long trips the Pilot’s middle and third row seats recline. The XC90’s third row seats don’t recline.

The Pilot’s cargo area provides more volume than the XC90.

The Pilot’s cargo area is larger than the XC90’s in almost every dimension:

The Pilot’s front and rear power windows all open or close fully with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside the car. The XC90’s rear power window switches have to be held the entire time to open or close them fully.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) conducts detailed tests on headlights for their range both straight ahead and in curves and to be certain they don’t exceed acceptable amounts of glare to oncoming drivers. The Pilot’s headlights were rated “Good” by the IIHS, while the XC90’s headlights are rated “Acceptable.”

To shield the driver and front passenger’s vision over a larger portion of the windshield and side windows, the Pilot has standard extendable sun visors. The XC90 doesn’t offer extendable visors.

The Pilot is available in both front-wheel drive and four-wheel drive configurations. The XC90 doesn’t offer a two-wheel drive configuration.

Insurance will cost less for the Pilot owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Pilot will cost $2610 to $5680 less than the XC90 over a five-year period.

The Pilot will cost the buyer less in the long run because of its superior resale value. The IntelliChoice estimates that the Pilot will retain 55.18% to 56.17% of its original price after five years, while the XC90 only retains 49.37% to 51.75%.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Honda Pilot will be $15886 to $21204 less than for the Volvo XC90.

Consumer Reports® recommends the Honda Pilot, based on reliability, safety and performance. The Volvo XC90 isn't recommended.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Pilot third among upper midsize suvs in owner reported satisfaction. This includes how well the vehicle performs and satisfies its owner’s expectations. The XC90 isn’t in the top three.

The Honda Pilot outsold the Volvo XC90 by almost three to one during 2023.