Compare the2025 Volvo EX90VS 2025 Rivian R1S

The EX90’s pre-crash front seatbelts will tighten automatically in the event the vehicle detects an impending crash, improving protection against injury significantly. The R1S doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.

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 EX90 are reminded to check the back seat when a sensor determines the back seat is occupied. The R1S doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Volvo EX90 (except 6-Passenger) offers an optional built in child booster seat. It’s more crash worthy than an added child seat because of its direct attachment to the seat. Rivian doesn’t offer the convenience and security of a built-in child booster seat in the R1S. Their owners must carry a heavy booster seat in and out of the vehicle; EX90 owners can just fold their built-in child seat up or down.

The EX90 has a standard front seat center airbag, which deploys between the driver and front passenger, protecting them from injuries caused by striking each other in serious side impacts. The R1S doesn’t offer front seat center airbags.

The EX90 has a standard Whiplash Protection System (WHIPS), which use a specially designed seat to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the WHIPS allows the backrest to travel backwards to cushion the occupants and the headrests move forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. The R1S doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

The EX90 has standard Post-impact braking, which automatically apply the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The R1S doesn’t offer a post collision braking system: in the event of a collision that triggers the airbags, more collisions are possible without the protection of airbags that may have already deployed.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The EX90 has standard CTA Auto Brake that uses rear sensors to monitor for objects to the rear and automatically applies the brakes to prevent a collision. The R1S doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

Both the EX90 and R1S have rear cross-traffic warning, but the EX90 has Braking Intervention (automatically applies the brakes) to better prevent a collision when backing near traffic. The R1S’ Rear Cross-Traffic Warning doesn’t automatically brake.

Both the EX90 and the R1S have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver and front passenger knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front 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, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, around view monitors, rear cross-path warning and driver alert monitors.

The EX90’s corrosion warranty is 4 years longer than the R1S’ (12 vs. 8 years).

Volvo pays for scheduled maintenance on the EX90 for 3 years and 30,000 miles. Volvo will pay for tire rotations, cabin filter replacement, brake fluid replacement, inspections, and any other required maintenance. Rivian doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the R1S.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2024 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Volvo vehicles are better in initial quality than Rivian vehicles. With 24 fewer problems per 100 vehicles, JD Power ranks Volvo higher than Rivian.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2024 Auto Issue reports that Volvo vehicles are more reliable than Rivian vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Volvo 3 places higher in reliability than Rivian.

For better stopping power the EX90’s brake rotors are larger than those on the R1S:

For better traction and acceleration, the EX90 has larger standard rear tires than the R1S (285/45R20 vs. 275/60R20).

The EX90’s standard 255/50R20 front and 285/45R20 rear tires provide better handling because they have a lower 50 series front and 45 series rear profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the R1S’ 65 series tires. The EX90’s optional tires have a lower 40 series profile than the R1S Ascend Quad Max’s 50 series front and 45 series rear tires.

For better maneuverability, the EX90’s turning circle is 2.5 feet tighter than the R1S Quad Max Ascend’s (38.8 feet vs. 41.3 feet). The EX90’s turning circle is 4.5 feet tighter than the R1S’ (38.8 feet vs. 43.3 feet).

The Volvo EX90 may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 250 to 600 pounds less than the Rivian R1S.

The EX90 is 8.5 inches shorter in height than the R1S, making the EX90 much easier to wash and garage and drive (lower center of gravity).

For excellent aerodynamics, the EX90 has standard flush composite headlights. The R1S has recessed headlights that spoil its aerodynamic shape and create extra drag.

The EX90 has 3.1 inches more front headroom, 1.1 inches more front hip room, 1.9 inches more rear headroom, 2.3 inches more rear hip room and .3 inches more third row hip room than the R1S.

The EX90 has a much larger cargo volume than the R1S with its rear seat up (67.6 vs. 17.6 cubic feet).

The EX90 has a standard third row seat which folds flat into the floor. This completely clears a very large cargo area quickly. The R1S doesn’t offer seats that fold into the floor.

The EX90’s liftgate lifts up in one piece, completely out of the way of loading and unloading, while sheltering the cargo loading area. The R1S’ tailgate’s top part raises up, but the bottom part lowers, getting in the way of loading and making an uneven surface for sliding cargo.

To make loading groceries and cargo easier when your hands are full, the EX90’s liftgate can be opened and closed just by kicking your foot under the back bumper, leaving your hands completely free. The R1S doesn’t offer a hands-free gesture to open its tailgate, forcing you to put cargo down if your hands are full.

The EX90 has a standard heads-up display that projects speed and navigation instruction readouts in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The R1S doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

The EX90’s standard Keyless Entry & Drive allow you to unlock the doors from any outside door handle, open the cargo door, and start the vehicle, all without removing the key from the pocket or purse. An advanced key system standard on the R1S doesn’t offer a sensor on the rear doors, so you’ll have to reach a front handle to unlock the rear door.

In poor weather, headlights can lose their effectiveness as grime builds up on their lenses. This can reduce visibility without the driver realizing. The EX90 has standard headlight washers to keep headlight output high. The R1S doesn’t offer headlight washers.

The EX90’s standard side window demisters help clear frost or condensation from the side windows in the winter. The R1S doesn’t even offer side window demisters, so the driver may have to wipe the windows from the outside to gain side vision.

The EX90 offers optional massaging front seats in order to maximize comfort and eliminate fatigue on long trips. Massaging seats aren’t available in the R1S.

The EX90’s Park Pilot Assist can parallel park by itself, starting, stopping and changing direction automatically. The R1S doesn’t offer an automated parking system.