For enhanced safety, the front and second-row seat shoulder belts of the Volvo EX90 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 Ford Mustang Mach-E doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.
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 Mustang Mach-E doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.
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. Ford doesn’t offer the convenience and security of a built-in child booster seat in the Mustang Mach-E. 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 Mustang Mach-E doesn’t offer a front passenger side knee airbag.
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 Mustang Mach-E 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 Mustang Mach-E doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.
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 Ford Mustang Mach-E has not been tested.
Both the EX90 and the Mustang Mach-E have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, 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, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning and driver alert monitors.
The Volvo EX90 weighs 570 to 1536 pounds more than the Ford Mustang Mach-E. The NHTSA advises that heavier vehicles are much safer in collisions than their significantly lighter counterparts.
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 Volvo EX90 is safer than the Mustang Mach-E:
|
|
EX90 |
Mustang Mach-E |
| Overall Evaluation |
GOOD |
GOOD |
| Structure |
GOOD |
ACCEPTABLE |
|
|
Driver Injury Measures |
|
| Head/Neck |
GOOD |
GOOD |
| Head Injury Criterion |
44 |
115 |
| Neck Tension |
178 lbs. |
357 lbs. |
| Neck Compression |
-67 lbs. |
45 lbs. |
| Torso |
GOOD |
ACCEPTABLE |
| Shoulder Deflection |
.91 in |
1.42 in |
| Shoulder Force |
178 lbs. |
268 lbs. |
| Torso Max Deflection |
1.06 in |
1.42 in |
| Torso Deflection Rate |
7 MPH |
9 MPH |
| Pelvis |
GOOD |
GOOD |
| Pelvis Force |
446 lbs. |
825 lbs. |
| Head Protection |
GOOD |
GOOD |
|
|
Passenger Injury Measures |
|
| Head/Neck |
GOOD |
GOOD |
| Neck Tension |
67 lbs. |
112 lbs. |
| Torso |
GOOD |
GOOD |
| Shoulder Deflection |
.39 in |
.87 in |
| Shoulder Force |
-178 lbs. |
268 lbs. |
| Torso Max Deflection |
.28 in |
.94 in |
| Head Protection |
GOOD |
GOOD |
The Volvo EX90 has achieved the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s (IIHS) highest rating of “Top Safety Pick Plus” for the 2026 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, a “Good” score in the revised pedestrian crash prevention test, and a “Good” score in the revised vehicle-to-vehicle crash prevention test. The Mustang Mach-E is only a standard “Top Safety Pick” for 2026.

