Premium SUV available in three new colours

THAT giant of Volvo’s family of SUVs — the XC90 — has recently emerged in the Swedish carmaker’s distinctive Black Edition variant.

This successful variant is now available on the new XC90 plug-in and mild hybrid SUV and includes four exterior colours.

This old warrior — the XC90 first emerged in 2002 — has seen some transformative changes during its lifetime and is very much a car of the new millennium.

For the original XC90 was introduced at the North American International Auto Show and has been a popular buy in the US ever since.

My experience of the earlier XC90s was that they were uncompromisingly large and tank-like. But several years ago, Volvo made both XC90 and its smaller brother, the XC60, lighter and nippier in design and therefore more manageable.

I think this was a good move and attracted more potential buyers who might have been put off by the earlier heavier versions.

Autocar noted that “the XC90 has been around now for a long time, but its sales are still steady, and its customer base is hardcore and loyal.” But added that Volvo needed to change up with the times. And the carmaker, renowned for its safety-first and built-in quality, did “change up”.

The new Black Edition variant shows how far the 2025/26 XC90 has come in terms of evolving into a main contender in today’s ultra-competitive luxury SUV market.

So, what might you get now if you are willing to stump up the money for the latest variant of the XC90?

While the Black Edition models have traditionally only been available in Onyx Black, Volvo has added three more exterior colour options: Crystal White, Denim Blue and Vapour Grey.

And in keeping with the electric-flavoured times with regards to new cars, Volvo’s Black Edition XC90 variant is available as a XC90 plug-in and mild hybrid SUV.

Each Black Edition car comes with unique exterior details, with the iron mark, grille, rear badges and wheels finished in high-gloss black.

Inside, customers can choose between two all-black interior rooms, both with charcoal headlining and chequered aluminium decors, and two options of material for the charcoal-coloured seats.

In late 2022, the electric-only EX90 was introduced as the successor of the XC90. However, in September 2024, Volvo launched the second facelift of the XC90, and stated that both models would be sold together for the foreseeable future.

The addition of the XC90 means five Volvo models are now offered in Black Edition trim. The large hybrid SUV joins the Black Edition variants of the XC60, the fully electric EX40 and EC40, and the XC40 mild hybrid.

An EX30 Black Edition variant is also in the works, with more information on timing coming soon.

“Following clear demand from our customers, we are expanding our line-up of Black Edition cars, adding the XC90,” said Erik Severinson, chief commercial officer at Volvo Cars. “There’s now a timeless and confident-looking Black Edition for our customers in all sizes.”

The new Volvo XC90 was renewed extensively and received a wide range of technology and design updates in 2024. Volvo says this makes the current XC90 the best version Volvo Cars has ever made of its award-winning flagship hybrid SUV.

The XC90 is one of the safest cars on the road, with an advanced safety cage and a wide array of active safety technology built in.

The plug-in hybrid XC90 also leads a broad line-up of Volvo hybrids with a cord. Volvo Cars’ plug-in hybrids are a bridge towards an all-electric future and provide electric cars with a back-up plan for those customers for whom going fully electric is not yet a viable option.

As such, they are a key part of Volvo Cars’ electrification strategy for the coming years, as the company works toward becoming fully electric with a line-up of tailpipe-free, premium cars.

The Black Edition is available on Plus, Plus Pro and Ultra trim levels in the UK market. On the XC90 and XC60, both plug-in hybrid and mild hybrid variants are available as Black Edition. Detailed specifications of the forthcoming EX30 Black Edition are yet to be confirmed and may differ from other, existing Black Edition models.

The price of the Volvo XC90 Black Edition starts at £72,450.