Compare the2025 Volvo EX90VS 2025 Mercedes EQS SUV

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. Mercedes doesn’t offer the convenience and security of a built-in child booster seat in the EQS SUV. 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 Volvo EX90 has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags help 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 EQS SUV doesn’t offer a front passenger side knee airbag.

In a Vehicle-to-Vehicle Frontal Crash Prevention 2.0 test conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), the Volvo EX90 achieved a “Good” rating - the highest possible - for its performance in forward collision warning and automatic braking systems, demonstrating its excellent capabilities in preventing collisions. The Mercedes EQS SUV has not been tested.

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, Full-Time Four-Wheel Drive is standard on the EX90. But it costs extra on the EQS SUV.

Both the EX90 and the EQS SUV have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, front seat center airbag, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, post-collision automatic braking systems, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, around view monitors, rear cross-path warning and driver alert monitors.

The Volvo EX90 has achieved the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s (IIHS) highest rating of “Top Safety Pick Plus” for the 2025 model year. This distinction is based on its exceptional performance in IIHS’ rigorous battery of safety tests. Specifically, it earned a “Good” rating in the latest, more stringent moderate overlap front crash test, a “Good” result in the updated side impact test, and a “Good” score in the revised pedestrian crash prevention test. The EQS SUV has not yet been evaluated by the IIHS for 2025.

The EX90’s corrosion warranty is 7 years longer than the EQS SUV’s (12 vs. 5 years).

Volvo pays for scheduled maintenance on the EX90 for 2 years and 20,000 miles. Volvo will pay for tire rotations, cabin filter replacement, brake fluid replacement, inspections, and any other required maintenance. Mercedes doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the EQS SUV.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2025 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Volvo vehicles are more reliable than Mercedes With 1 fewer problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, J.D. Power ranks Volvo higher than Mercedes.

The EX90 has more powerful engines than the EQS SUV:

As tested in Motor Trend the Volvo EX90 (510 HP engine) is faster than the EQS SUV 450+ electric motor:

On the EPA test cycle the EX90 gets better mileage than the EQS SUV:

The EX90 can travel longer on a full charge than the EQS SUV on a full charge:

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

For better traction and acceleration, the EX90 has larger standard rear tires than the EQS SUV (285/45R20 vs. 275/45R21). The EX90 Ultra’s rear tires are larger than the largest rear tires available on the EQS SUV (295/45R21 vs. 285/45R22).

The EX90’s optional tires provide better handling because they have a lower 40 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the EQS SUV’s 45 series tires.

The EX90 Ultra Twin Motor Performance handles at .88 G’s, while the EQS SUV 450+ pulls only .86 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

For greater off-road capability the EX90 has a greater minimum ground clearance than the EQS SUV (8.3 vs. 7.3 inches), allowing the EX90 to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged. The EX90’s minimum ground clearance is .7 inch higher than on the EQS SUV 580 4MATIC (8.5 vs. 7.8 inches).

The EX90 is 3.5 inches shorter than the EQS SUV, making the EX90 easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The EX90 has a much larger cargo volume than the EQS SUV with its rear seat up (67.6 vs. 22.7 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 EQS SUV doesn’t offer seats that fold into the floor.

The EX90’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the EQS SUV’s (4850 vs. 3500 pounds).

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the EX90 has a standard rear fixed intermittent wiper with a full on position. The rear wiper standard on the EQS SUV only has an intermittent setting, so in a hard rain visibility isn’t as good.

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 EQS SUV doesn’t offer headlight washers.

The EX90 has a standard heated steering wheel to take the chill out of steering on extremely cold winter days before the vehicle heater warms up. A heated steering wheel costs extra on the EQS SUV.