Volvo Es90 vs Kia Ev3

What's the difference?

More stylish than ever before, as quiet and refined as you'd expect from a luxury car and yet the stand out feature might once again be safety. Despite seemingly every new car being loaded to the gills with safety features, Volvo has managed to demonstrate industry best-practice and leads the way again.

I would encourage engineers from every other car brand to drive the ES90 to learn how to better integrate the modern suite of active safety features like forward collision warning and lane departure warning.

But beyond that, is the ES90 a car worthy of consideration? Well, pretty much everything it does the EX90 does too, so if you prefer an SUV that’s definitely worth consideration. But if you don’t want an SUV, if you prefer a sedan or just love to be different, the ES90 is a very attractive proposition in more ways than one.

The GT-Line is relatively expensive, yes. The Air Standard Range isn’t groundbreaking even at under $50,000, no. But the sweet spot in the EV3 line-up is being able to pay $53,315 for the Air Long Range and come away with a roomy small SUV that can realistically cover almost 600km in the real world.

And it does everything properly, no big red flags or dealbreakers.

Its steering weight at speed on winding roads being the biggest complaint isn’t the end of the world for how otherwise comfortable the EV3 feels on-road.

Put it this way - I recently spent a few days in a Mini Aceman, a five-door electric SUV not too far from the EV3 in size. It is about as fast, and costs a little more, but it doesn’t have a lot more to offer in terms of features and it’s nowhere near as good on range with about 400km to its longer-ranged versions.

The EV3 might still have a bit of ‘sensible’ about it compared to some other electric small SUVS, but when it looks this cute and can get you an extra round trip out of the city compared to ‘Euro’ brands at the same price, it’s hard not to be impressed.

Note: CarsGuide attended this event as a guest of the manufacturer, with travel, accommodation and meals provided.

Discussing Volvo design will draw different opinions depending on your age. As a millennial, I grew up at a time when Volvos were, to quote a famous movie line from the 1990s, ‘boxy, but good’.

But over the past two decades Volvo has smoothed off those boxy edges and become one of the most style-conscious car companies in the world. It has embraced its now-unique place as a Scandinavian carmaker and uses softer edges and more Nordic design themes (such as light coloured interior woods) to ensure the ES90 is simply a good-looking car.

What it isn’t, at least not technically-speaking, is a sedan. That’s because it has a liftback rear-end design, rather than a traditional ‘three-box’ sedan with a conventional boot. That shouldn’t be a deal-breaker for anyone and it means it’s a far more practical design.

It also sits taller than a conventional ‘sedan’, which is an increasingly common trait for modern European sedans as they try to woo would-be SUV buyers. It’s not a lot, you certainly wouldn’t call it a tall or high-riding car, but it is noticeable.

Ends up as an ‘in-between’ design, neither one thing or the other. The closest thing it reminds me of is the short-lived BMW 5-Series GT, which is damning with faint praise, but it speaks to the challenge of making something that simply isn’t an SUV appealing to the modern SUV-obsessed market.

The very stylish cabin features that previously mentioned light coloured wood (at least in our test car) and that unique Scandinavian look. It’s the closest you’ll get to sitting in a Swedish lounge room on wheels.

Family resemblance is everything for Kia’s electric models, and the baby of the bunch so far definitely has lineage on show.

That’s a very good thing for the EV3, because as good as its specs are on paper, the way it looks is key to showroom (or on-road) appeal when it comes to convincing potential buyers.

At the same time as being seemingly made of sharp, angular elements, the EV3’s overall silhouette is relatively soft. Unfortunately, that means Kia’s ‘design philosophy’ (usually a relatively meaningless marketing line) is actually bang-on: Opposites United.

Inside and out, the EV3 is a direct descendant of the brand’s halo EV9 large SUV, and even in base Air specification looks like a properly premium small SUV.

Its narrow LED headlights and taillights were the stuff of Lamborghini concept cars just a few years ago, and its unique wheel designs and the use of contrasting coloured trim can impose either a modern, techy vibe or a bark-over-bite sporty image.

More marketing terms come out in the EV3’s face: Kia Star Map lighting and Tiger Face, respectively the way its lights seem to link ‘points’ together like a constellation map and the grille somewhat resembling a tiger’s nose.

There’s practicality in the design even from the outside - the gentle roof slope is only very slight to avoid eating into interior space, though it’s not the only way the car shrinks at the rear. The front track between the wheels is actually wider than at the rear, so the car is not only shorter but also narrower at the rear. It’s the first time Kia has ever implemented this ‘teardrop’ effect into a car, with the intention being to improve its aerodynamic efficiency.

Most of the colour schemes are decidedly subtle, the new Matcha Green hue looks better in person than can be captured on camera for example, but a new Teracotta colour is an earthy red that really stands out - I’m not sure it suits the car, personally.

In terms of colours inside, it's fairly muted and greyscale, but the mid-spec Earth comes with optional orange interior contrast trim that we weren’t sure would be available in the Australian market.

To invoke a cliche, the interior layout has the vibe of something you might imagine a spaceship cockpit looks like if you were a kid, but it doesn’t sacrifice any practicality by doing so. There are real buttons and switches visible, but only a few as the big screens dominate the driver’s side of the front row.

The look is helped by a series of recycled and “sustainable materials” including recycled PET and bio-based polyurethane. Kia’s aim is to “phase out the use of leather and continuously increase the use of bio-based materials”, so even the GT-Line doesn’t have real leather in it.

In terms of space the ES90 is very generous, which it should be given it's a five-metre long car. There’s loads of room front and the back so you’ll seat four adults in absolute comfort, and can squeeze in a fifth if needed. Thanks to the relatively flat floor, as well as the panoramic roof that can either be opaque or clear, the cabin feels spacious and bright even in the rear.

As for luggage space, the boot measures 424 litres, and obviously it’s very easy to access via the power liftgate. But it’s still not as big as an SUV. The EX90 offers up 655 litres of space in its five-seat configuration. Which is at least a small part of the explanation why SUVs have become the more popular choice.

But what really stands out in the cabin isn’t the space, it’s the technology. The ES90 Ultra’s multimedia system is centred around a 14.5-inch touchscreen that runs all the car’s key functions; you also get a 9.0-inch driver’s display.

Notably, Volvo has opted to offer Google’s operating systems built-in, which means while you can still run Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, if you have a Google account you can sign-in and have your contacts, address book and other details integrated into the car.

It’s a really fast system, too, supported by the most powerful software Volvo has ever put inside one of its cars. Having a big tablet-style screen is great and feels very modern, but if it runs slowly, with lag between commands, it’s not as useful. This Volvo system, particularly the transitions between menus and even the voice assistant, reacts with lightning-fast speed.

Then there’s the sound system we mentioned earlier. It’s a 25-speaker Bowers & Wilkins set-up with 'Dolby Atmos' and an app called Abbey Road Studios. This app has been produced in conjunction with the iconic recording studio made famous by The Beatles. The speakers and the app were all developed together to provide a superior audio experience.

The speakers themselves are incredibly powerful while staying crystal clear, with the Abbey Road app providing the ability to change the sound between 'Modern' and 'Vintage' settings that make you feel like you’re inside a recording studio.

Put simply, it is as impressive a sound system as I’ve ever experienced in a car.

Along with its general design, the EV3 also has the same focus on space efficiency as the much larger EV5 medium SUV and EV9 large SUV.

Kia compared the EV3 to the BYD Atto 3 and Volvo EX30 upon its global launch in Korea, and it’s stuck with the same comparison as it launches here.

In many exterior dimensions, the EV3 is smaller than the Atto 3, a medium SUV by sales category, while it’s larger than the EX30 in almost every way. However, interior dimensions are reported by Kia as being bigger than both cars in most aspects aside from the first row legroom, but even there only by about 10mm.

The EV3 is 4300mm long, 1850mm wide and 1560mm tall, and has a 2680mm wheelbase, but inside does feel like it’s a category upwards in terms of space.

Along with the roomy interior dimensions, there are plenty of handy spots to put things - a big central storage area and a higher one under the armrest, the device charger, door bottle holders - these and all the controls are generally within reach. 

The GT-Line loses a little bit of this storage space by turning the spot under the central armrest into a sliding table, which could be useful sometimes, but doesn’t seem to me as helpful as another place to put a drink, a wallet, keys, an avocado or whatever other trinkets you and your passengers may have.

The huge multimedia and driver display setup consists of two 12.3-inch screens and a 5.0-inch climate control screen in the middle. The centre climate screen is a little hidden by the steering wheel, but there are also physical climate controls also in the centre under the screen, so there’s nothing vital you can’t do in the EV3 easily.

There are also shortcuts to the main functions of the menu like navigation and media, Kia says tactile controls like that are important for keeping the car usable for a broad range of people.

In the second row, the EV3 feels pretty well suited to four adults for a reasonable trip - I’m 178cm and can sit behind my own seating position comfortably, though if I was too much taller my knees might rest on the hard plastic seat-back.

There is an armrest, places in the doors to put water bottles, and two USB-C plugs actually fitted into the seats. There’s also a little slot to put a phone that might be charging, though it could easily (and perhaps more usefully) fit other things instead.

Behind the second row is a generous 460L boot which puts other electric small SUVs to shame - the EX30’s is 318L and even the Atto 3’s is 440L. The EV3’s boot space extends to 1250L with the seats folded down.

The EV3’s boot floor can also drop down to accommodate taller items, plus there’s a 25-litre ‘frunk’ or under-bonnet storage space.

There’s no spare space-saver tyre, however, as is becoming disappointingly common.

In the Kia EV3 line-up, pricing ranges from $47,600 before on-road costs for the entry-level EV3 Air Standard Range, up to $63,950 for the GT-Line Long Range.

Impressively, Kia says the Air Standard Range is available for less than $50,000 drive-away, even in WA where it just sneaks in at $49,990. In other states and territories it comes with a $48,990 price.

There are three trim levels but four variants, with the Air Long Range, Earth Long Range and GT-Line Long Range all joining the Air Standard Range.

Stepping up to an Air Long Range is a $53,315 (before on-roads) ask, though both come with the same extensive list of features. 

On the outside, 17-inch alloy wheels, dusk-sensing LED headlights, daytime running lights (DRLs) and partial LED tail-lights as well as roof rails and heated folding mirrors show the entry-level Air to be well equipped for a small SUV.

Inside, there’s a two-tone cloth interior with LED interior lighting, a two-spoke synthetic leather steering wheel and, of course, the large arrangement for a multimedia touchscreen and driver display. Dual-zone climate control is also standard, with automatic window defogging.

Those two screens are 12.3-inch units, while there’s also a central 5-inch touchscreen for climate controls between them. There’s has in-built navigation, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, voice recognition and a six-speaker sound system.

The base model also has a wireless phone charger and USB-C ports in both the front and rear rows, a 12-volt outlet in the front and a household-style power outlet in the second row for powering appliances or equipment. In addition, there’s also an external adapter with the same household-style plug that connects to the charging port as standard.

The mid-spec Earth goes for $58,600 before on-roads coming in Long Range only (as with the GT-Line).

On top of everything already included in the Air, the Earth gains a set of larger 19-inch alloy wheels, synthetic leather seats with heating and ventilation, the driver’s side being 10-way electrically adjustable, a heated steering wheel, an electro-chromatic (or glare-dimming) mirror, and a power tailgate.

As previously mentioned, the GT-Line costs $63,950 before on-roads, and adds a stack of features on top of the Earth, including a series of exterior design changes like 19-inch GT-Line alloys wheels, satin silver front and rear bumpers, body-coloured side garnishes, a sunroof and tinted rear glass.

The GT-Line’s LED headlights are also cubed projection headlights, and the tail-lights are fully LED.

Inside, there’s a three-spoke GT-Line steering wheel, alloy pedals, specific two-tone GT-line seats with the passenger side seat also becoming 10-way electrically adjustable, ambient LED mood lighting, a head-up display and the central upper storage compartment under the armrest becomes a slide-out tabletop.

As well as things like rear-view camera (a surround-view set-up is bizarrely unavailable range-wide) and front and rear parking sensors, the safety equipment across all three variants is the same, too, but we’ll get into more details later in the review.

As the name suggests, the ES90 Single Motor is powered by a single, rear-mounted electric motor that drives the rear wheels via a single-speed transmission. The motor makes a healthy 245kW and 480Nm, so the 0-100km/h sprint time is 6.6 seconds - sprightly for such a big car.

As alluded to earlier, there is a Twin Motor, all-wheel drive ES90 variant available in overseas markets, with 500kW, but Volvo Australia is yet to confirm when, or even if that will arrive here.

All three versions of the EV3 have the same drivetrain, the only difference being the smaller battery in the Air Standard Range.

The EV3 is front-wheel drive only, with a single motor at the front wheels putting out 150kW and 283Nm.

Differing weights between variants result in different 0-100km/h times, the quickest being the entry-grade Air Standard Range at 7.5 seconds, likely thanks to a smaller and lighter battery.

The Air Long Range takes 7.7 seconds, while the Earth and GT-Line both take 7.9 seconds.

Built on Volvo’s 800-volt electrical architecture, the first Volvo to feature the technology, the ES90 is powered by a 92kWh battery that provides up to 554km of driving range on a single charge.

Volvo quotes an NEDC energy consumption of 18.5kWh/100km, with 300kW DC charging able to take the battery from 10 to 80 per cent in 22 minutes. A full, empty to 100 per cent charge using a 16A outlet will take 10 hours.

It should be noted that the EX90 SUV will be upgraded to the 800V architecture with the 2026 model year introduction.

There are two battery sizes for the EV3, the 58.3kWh unit for the Air Standard Range and the 81.4kWh battery each of the Long Range variants is equipped with.

Of course, the Air Standard Range has the shortest electric driving range - 436km under WLTP testing. Its power consumption is a claimed 14.9kWh/100km.

The Air Long Range is the variant with the furthest electric driving range of the bunch, at 604km, as well as the same power consumption as the Standard Range at 14.9kWh/100km.

The Earth and GT-Line both wear the same set of figures, albeit lower distances and higher consumption than their more affordable counterparts. With 563km of electric range and 16.2kWh/100km consumption figures, they’re still able to cover very usable distances for real-world use.

Charging is the same across the line-up, with the supplied Type 2 AC charger working at a maximum 6.9kW on single phase or 10.5kW on three-phase power, and taking five hours and 20 minutes for Standard Range variants, or seven hours and 15 minutes for a Long Range from 10 per cent to 100 per cent.

On DC fast charging, with a CCS Type 2 charger, the EV3 charges as quickly as 29 minutes from 10 to 80 per cent in Standard Range, or 31 minutes in Long Range, when using a 350kW fast charger.

While we didn’t get a chance to properly run down the battery and test the EV3’s range, the drive route was relatively demanding with power consumption yet the EV3’s range didn’t plummet like you might expect on fast, steep and winding roads.

As you’d expect from a luxury, electric car the ES90 is a quiet and refined vehicle to drive. Being a Volvo, the company has used its experience where it matters, and there is excellent insulation from the outside world. Unlike some EVs that lose the engine and hope that just makes things quieter, the ES90 gives you a genuine feeling of insulation from the exterior hustle and bustle. 

Performance is adequate from the single motor but it’s by no means a sports sedan with only 250kW/480Nm and such a big vehicle. But it has the instant response that is an EV trademark so it has all the performance this type of car and the drivers it will attract would likely need. If buyers start banging on the door for more power, Volvo can oblige, but for now it does the job you expect of a luxury four-door.

While it has the sedan silhouette, the taller body and raised ride height on the air suspension are noticeable. You will find yourself looking up at SUV drivers, but not all of them. It’s roughly the same seat height as you’ll find in a modern small SUV, so a slight elevation rather than a big boost.

The ride is what you expect from this type of car. You can adjust the suspension and steering between ‘soft’ and ‘firm’ settings, but even with the latter selected there is a lot of compliance and the ride remains comfortable.

The steering is fine most of the time, but when you have to do parking maneuvers you certainly notice the ES90's steer-by-wire technology. The steering literally feels like an old computer game steering wheel set-up, with very little resistance as the wheel lightly spins from lock-to-lock. It’s not a bad feeling, but it is a bit odd and takes some getting used to.

The ultimate take-away from the driving experience is just how relaxed it is - quiet and effortless are the two words that probably best sum it up.

The EV3’s arrival on Australian roads is not only important because it means we can test it in right-hand drive, but also because it’s had a localised ride and handling tune. Time for the proper judgement.

Kia Australia's local program lead for this is, as it has been for years, Graeme Gambold, and according to the brand he aimed for neutral balance with confidence-inspiring and responsive handling, and a linear, natural steering feel. And it’s pretty close to nailing all of that.

In town and on backroads, its ability to soak up bumps and handle rough surfaces is impressive. Not a lot of noise comes into the cabin in either case, too, a feat given the road surfaces. In fact, even with the radio off, the EV3 feels pretty well insulated from the outside, including wind noise.

It's cornering and handling is nice and predictable. It feels designed to be safe if you misjudge a corner, only gently understeering when you've come in a bit spicy.

The body doesn't roll or pitch dramatically, so the car feels planted and, as intended, flat through the bends.

But there’s one aspect to the tune in which the EV3 feels like it could do with a little more attention - its steering.

At low speeds, the steering is light enough, but at higher speed it feels a little heavy. I’m not sure if Gambold’s been going to the gym or if it’s that I haven’t really, but it feels like there’s some unnecessary resistance, regardless of drive mode or camber on the road, requiring a bit more input on the wheel than you'd like.

It does let the car down in terms of driving out on country roads, but fortunately it's not a dealbreaker on highways or in its intended city or suburban environments.

Otherwise, the EV3 is extremely pleasant, with its outputs and delivery feel about right for a small electric SUV, never feeling too slow or unruly. It doesn’t spin its wheels with too much torque, even on wet roads and when hustling out of a corner.

The paddles which allow you to adjust the intensity of the regenerative braking also mean you barely need to use the left pedal, which is a plus for increasing the available driving range.

Speaking of the left pedal, a sudden stop thanks to a surprise slow car around a blind corner went smoothly thanks to a decent set of brakes.

In all, the car is ergonomically sound from the drivers seat, with the positioning for the seat and steering wheel feeling comfortable and easy to adjust, though slightly better vision out the rear sides would be good.

As this review is published, there’s no ANCAP or equivalent score for the EV3 yet, though Kia seems confident it should score well. Of course, we can’t just take the brand at its word before the result arrives in Q2, but the EV3 does have a pretty comprehensive list of safety features, and all are standard across the range.

The small SUV comes with seven airbags including a front-centre airbag, adaptive cruise control, autonomous emergency braking, lane-keep and lane-follow assist, highway driving assist, speed limit assist, rear occupant alert, downhill brake control, hill-start assist, multi-collision braking, blind-spot and rear-cross traffic alert, driver attention warning and a tyre pressure monitor. There’s also the aforementioned front and rear parking sensors, and the rear-view parking camera – but no surround-view option.

In terms of on-road behaviour, the speed and driver alert warnings are overzealous and need to be turned off each time you start the car. They’re requirements for the EU, and that means we get them here, too.

As usual in a Kia these days, you can set the ‘star’ shortcut button on the steering wheel to head straight to the menu to turn it all off, but when it comes to the usual active stuff like lane-keep and cruise control, it’s all well-sorted and behaves predictably, feeling trustworthy. 

The ES90 is covered by Volvo’s five-year, unlimited kilometre warranty, which is competitive for the luxury market even if it’s shorter than the cover some mainstream brands offer.

Servicing costs are currently unclear, at the time of publication. Volvo Australia typically offers five-year servicing plans for its models but is yet to finalise the cost for its electric vehicles.

Despite its long history in Australia, Volvo still has a relatively small footprint in this country with only 28 dealers/service centres spread across the country. However, more are planned to expand that coverage in the coming years.

Kia’s seven-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty applies to the EV3, and though that was once industry-leading, it’s now being matched or overtaken by many rivals.

Roadside assistance is covered for one year but can be extended to up to eight years if serviced with an authorised Kia dealer.

Kia also backs the high-voltage equipment in the car with a more specific seven-year or 150,000km warranty, whichever comes first.

Australian servicing costs are pretty minimal in the EV3, with Kia offering well-priced pre-paid plans of three ($674), five ($1285) or seven years ($1897). Certainly some points for Kia on that one.

Service intervals are on the shorter side for an EV, at every 12 months or 15,000km, whichever comes first.