Compare the2026 Volvo EX90VS 2026 Mercedes EQS SUV

Both the EX90 and EQS SUV have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The EX90 has power child safety locks, allowing the driver to activate and deactivate them from the driver's seat and to know when they're engaged. The EQS SUV’s child locks have to be individually engaged at each rear door with a manual switch. The driver can’t know the status of the locks without opening the doors and checking them.

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.

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 and rear 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, daytime running lights, 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 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 EQS SUV has not yet been evaluated by the IIHS for 2026.

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.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ March 2026 Auto Issue reports that Volvo vehicles are more reliable than Mercedes vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Volvo 4 places higher in reliability than Mercedes.

The EX90 Twin Motor Performance’s electric motors produces 21 more horsepower (670 vs. 649) than the Maybach EQS 680’s optional electric motors.

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 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. 285/40R22).

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

For greater off-road capability the EX90 has a 1.1 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the EQS SUV (8.4 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 550 4MATIC (8.5 vs. 7.8 inches).

The Volvo EX90 may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 750 pounds less than the Mercedes EQS SUV.

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’s cargo area provides more volume than the EQS SUV.

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.

Maximum trailer towing in the Mercedes EQS SUV is limited to 3500 pounds. The EX90 AWD offers up to a 4850 lbs. towing capacity.

A Trailer Stability Assist is standard on the EX90, using the Dynamic Stability and Traction Control sensors to detect trailer sway, then uses individual brakes to counteract any swaying and help keep the tow vehicle and trailer steady. A trailer sway program costs extra on the EQS SUV.

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.

The EX90 is available in both rear-wheel drive and four-wheel drive configurations. The EQS SUV doesn’t offer a two-wheel drive configuration.

The Volvo EX90/XC90 outsold the Mercedes EQS SUV by almost 19 to one during 2025.