Volvo XC90 T8

• Report 1: The Volvo XC90 T8 joins our fleet for six months
• Report 2: The joys of a Volvo seven seater

Report 1: The Volvo XC90 T8 joins our fleet for six months

We're switching from an EV to a PHEV. But with the added bonus of seven seats as we get the keys to the Volvo XC90 T8 which replaces the Audi A6 Avant e-tron.

Date: 22 September 2025 | Current mileage: 2435 | Claimed economy: 201.8mpg | Actual economy: 68.3mpg

Amazingly it's been 10 years since this generation of the Volvo XC90 was first introduced. And yet the big Volvo shows no signs of slowing down. While Volvo may have recently launched its electric equivalent, the Volvo EX90, the XC90 continues to sell well having recently been updated.

Perhaps this should come as no surprise though. The previous generation Volvo XC90 had a similarly long life, selling consistently well for 13 years. And with many manufacturers holding off replacing their big SUVs - the Audi Q7 has also been on sale since 2015 and won't be replaced until 2026 - there would appear to be a few good years left in the Volvo XC90 yet.

Indeed, in September last year Volvo revised the XC90 with a new front end, a larger central touchscreen and tweaks to the interior. It has slimmed down the range too so now there are no diesels available, just the B5 petrol mild hybrid or the T8 plug-in hybrid which we've gone for.

Our Volvo XC90 T8 is in top spec Ultra trim so we've not had to add an options aside from £795 for Onyx Black metallic paint. We've stuck with the standard 21-inch alloy wheels and went for the Dark theme which replaces all the usual chrome trim with gloss black. In total the list price is £85,055. 

 

Of course, soon after our car arrived, Volvo introduced the Volvo XC90 Black Edition, which we would have chosen given the chance as it adds black badging, all black wheels and an all black grille. Confusingly you can also get the Black Edition in blue and grey.

This isn't the first time we've run a Volvo plug-in hybrid. A few years we go we ran a Volvo V60 Polestar Engineered but where as that was more about performance, the Volvo XC90's forte is really practicality. Despite being a bigger car, the 42-mile EV range of the XC90 is a considerable step up from the 28 miles in the V60. So far we've not had to dip into the petrol tank thanks to lots of short local journeys, so it's been running on electric only.

It will be interesting to see how much that range drops in cold weather. It's been enjoyable mild of late, meaning prime conditions for EV batteries. We will see whether that 42-mile range remains when temperatures are close to freezing. Still, it does have a heated steering wheel, so that's a bonus.

With three children and a dog, the seven seats of the Volvo XC90 is already proving a godsend. It means our eldest will sit right at the back and keep the dog company while also stopping the three children from arguing in the back of the car on every journey that's more than 10 minutes. Fun as that is. Here's to the next six months of peaceful journeys...

Report 2: The joys of a Volvo seven seater

Having forgotten just how useful a seven seater can be, we're very happy to have one back on the drive and it's proving universally popular.

Date: 22 October 2025 | Current mileage: 2921 | Claimed economy: 201.8mpg | Actual economy: 68.1mpg

Having sold our ageing Audi Q7 last year and replaced it with an Audi e-tron, we've often missed having a seven seat car in the household. Not least because with three children who all like to wind each other up on any given car journey, drives to pretty much anywhere often see someone getting told off...

So the arrival of the Volvo XC90 has been welcomed by everyone in the family. Well, apart from Rosie the dog who usually likes to curl up in the boot and have a snooze while the children argue.

On longer journeys, we've taken to having one of the rearmost seats flipped up so our eldest can tuck himself away there with his phone and his headphones (we don't know what he listens to and don't ask...) while the dog sleep next to him. Then our other two get a bit more space in the middle row, helpful when our youngest (4) is still in a car seat. Being a Volvo, it has easy to access Isofix mounts, so no having to feel your way under the seat backs.

If we're just nipping round the corner we'll stick all three in the middle row, but the raised tunnel on the floor (which is also quite wide) means it's pretty cramped for whoever sits there. The older two usually take it in turns. This seems to be a Volvo trait as it was one of the main reasons we didn't buy a Volvo V90 as our family car several years ago.

The good news in the Volvo is that there's loads of room in the back row, thanks to its square shape and high roof. And even with those seats up, there's still a decent amount of boot space, handy for all our coats and wellies.

The only real issue we have is with the access. It's easy enough to flip the seat forward using the handle on the top of the seat back, (not the handle lower down as I often do...) but it only slides forward slightly and creates a massive trip hazard. That's fine for our kids as they know it's there but trickier when we've given lifts to their mates, especially in the dark. This is the main reason we don't bother on short journeys as while it's comfortable back there, it's a bit of a faff getting in - and more importantly out. 

What the kids have discovered is the fact that the middle row gets heated seats (on the outer ones at least). We're pretty sure they'll be whacking those on when winter arrives. For now though, with this unusually mild and sunny autumn, the integrated sunblinds on the doors are proving more useful. 

For the last month we've managed to mainly run the XC90 in EV with lots of local trips. But with plenty of 100 mile round trips coming up, we'll be actually using petrol. So it will be interesting to see what fuel economy is like once the battery runs out.