Compare the2025 Volvo S90VS 2024 Mercedes E-Class Sedan

Both the S90 and E-Class Sedan 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 E-Class Sedan’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. Mercedes doesn’t offer the convenience and security of a built-in child booster seat in the E-Class Sedan. 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 E-Class Sedan doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

The S90’s standard lane departure warning system alerts a temporarily inattentive driver when the vehicle begins to leave its lane and gently nudges the vehicle back towards its lane. A lane departure warning system costs extra on the E-Class Sedan.

Both the S90 and the E-Class Sedan 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, all wheel drive, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, blind spot warning systems, around view monitors, rear cross-path warning and driver alert monitors.

The S90’s corrosion warranty is 7 years longer than the E-Class Sedan’s (12 vs. 5 years).

Volvo pays for scheduled maintenance on the S90 for 3 years and 30,000 miles. Volvo will pay for oil changes, tire rotations, air filter replacements, cabin filter replacement, brake fluid replacement, inspections, and any other required maintenance. Mercedes doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the E-Class Sedan.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2024 Auto Issue reports that Volvo vehicles are more reliable than Mercedes vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Volvo 4 places higher in reliability than Mercedes.

The S90 B6’s standard 2.0 turbo/supercharged 4-cylinder hybrid produces 40 more horsepower (295 vs. 255) and 15 lbs.-ft. more torque (310 vs. 295) than the E 350 Sedan’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid. The S90 T8’s standard 2.0 turbo/supercharged 4-cylinder hybrid produces 80 more horsepower (455 vs. 375) and 154 lbs.-ft. more torque (523 vs. 369) than the E 450 Sedan’s standard 3.0 turbo 6-cylinder hybrid.

As tested in Car and Driver the S90 B6 2.0 turbo/supercharged 4-cylinder is faster than the E 350 Sedan 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid:

On the EPA test cycle the S90 running on electricity gets better mileage than the E-Class Sedan:

On the EPA test cycle the S90 running its gasoline engine gets better mileage than the E-Class Sedan:

The S90 T8 can travel with zero emissions for 38 miles. The E-Class Sedan can’t move without running its internal combustion engine.

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 E-Class Sedan doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

For better traction, the S90 has larger tires than the E-Class Sedan (255/35R20 vs. 225/55R18). The S90’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the E-Class Sedan (255/35R20 vs. 245/45R19).

The S90’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 40 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the E-Class Sedan’s standard 55 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the S90 has standard 19-inch wheels. Smaller 18-inch wheels are standard on the E-Class Sedan.

The S90 B6 has a standard space-saver spare (not available on T8) so you can replace a flat tire and drive to have the flat repaired or replaced. A spare tire isn’t available on the E-Class Sedan; 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 E-Class Sedan don’t have a run-flat feature, either.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the S90’s wheelbase is 3.9 inches longer than on the E-Class Sedan (120.5 inches vs. 116.6 inches).

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. Heated windshield washer nozzles cost extra on the E-Class Sedan.

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 E-Class Sedan doesn’t offer headlight washers.

The S90 Ultra 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 E-Class Sedan 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 E-Class Sedan.

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 E-Class Sedan doesn’t offer a house-current electrical outlet.