Top Safety Pick +Top Safety Pick criteria

2021 Volvo V90 Cross Country

large luxury car / 4-door wagon

Award applies only to vehicles built after September 2020

2021 Volvo V90 Cross Country 4-door wagon

Crashworthiness

Rating overview
Evaluation criteriaRating
Small overlap front: driver-side
G
Small overlap front: passenger-side
G
Moderate overlap front: original test
G
Side: original test
G
Roof strength
G
Head restraints & seats
G

Crash avoidance & mitigation

Evaluation criteriaRating
Headlights
A
Front crash prevention: vehicle-to-vehicle
Standard system
Superior
Front crash prevention: pedestrian (day)
Standard system
Advanced

Seat belts & child restraints

Evaluation criteriaRating
LATCH ease of use
A

Other available safety features

  • Standard blind spot detection
  • Standard lane departure warning & prevention
  • Standard rear automatic braking

Key

  • G
    Good
  • A
    Acceptable
  • M
    Marginal
  • P
    Poor
  • Superior
  • Advanced
  • Basic

Some ratings use a scale of Poor to Good. Others range from Basic to Superior.

Small overlap front: driver-side

Rating applies to 2021-25 models

Tested vehicle: 2017 Volvo S90 T6 Inscription 4-door 4wd

The Volvo S90 was introduced in the 2017 model year as a replacement for the Volvo S80. These ratings also apply to two wagons, the Volvo V90 and V90 Cross Country, and the Volvo S90 Recharge, a plug-in hybrid variant of the S90 sedan. Beginning with 2025 models, the S90 Recharge became known as the S90 plug-in hybrid.

Evaluation criteriaRating
G
Structure and safety cage
G
Driver injury measures
Head/neck
G
Chest
G
Hip/thigh
G
Lower leg/foot
G
Driver restraints and dummy kinematics
G

Action shot taken during the small overlap frontal crash test.

The dummy's position in relation to the door frame, steering wheel, and instrument panel after the crash test indicates that the driver's survival space was maintained very well.

The frontal and side curtain airbags worked well together to keep the head from coming close to any stiff structure or outside objects that could cause injury.

The driver's space was maintained well, and risk of injuries to the dummy's legs and feet was low.

Technical measurements for this test

About the small overlap front test

Small overlap front: passenger-side

Rating applies to 2021-25 models

Tested vehicle: 2018 Volvo S90 4-door 2wd

The Volvo S90 was introduced in the 2017 model year as a replacement for the Volvo S80. Beginning with the 2018 model year, a longer-wheelbase variant replaced the short-wheelbase version. These ratings also apply to two wagons, the Volvo V90 and V90 Cross Country, and the Volvo S90 Recharge, a plug-in hybrid variant of the S90 sedan. Beginning with 2025 models, the S90 Recharge became known as the S90 plug-in hybrid. Passenger-side small overlap frontal ratings are assigned by the Institute based on a test of a 2018 S90 conducted by Volvo.

Evaluation criteriaRating
Overall evaluation
G
Structure and safety cage
G
Passenger injury measures
Head/neck
G
Chest
G
Hip/thigh
G
Lower leg/foot
G
Passenger restraints and dummy kinematics
The dummy’s head contacted the right side of the frontal airbag but began to move into the gap between the frontal and side curtain airbags, leaving the head vulnerable to contact with forward structure. The inflated side curtain airbag has sufficient forward coverage to protect the head from contact with side structure and outside objects. The side torso airbag also deployed.
A
Driver injury measures
Head/neck
G
Chest
G
Hip/thigh
G
Lower leg/foot
G
Driver restraints and dummy kinematics
G
Technical measurements for this test

About the small overlap front test

Moderate overlap front: original test

Rating applies to 2021-25 models

Tested vehicle: 2017 Volvo S90 T6 4-door 4wd

The Volvo S90 was introduced in the 2017 model year as a replacement for the Volvo S80. These ratings also apply to two wagons, the Volvo V90 and V90 Cross Country, and the Volvo S90 Recharge, a plug-in hybrid variant of the S90 sedan. Beginning with 2025 models, the S90 Recharge became known as the S90 plug-in hybrid. Moderate overlap frontal ratings are assigned by the Institute based on a test conducted by Volvo.

Evaluation criteriaRating
Overall evaluation
G
Structure and safety cage
G
Driver injury measures
Head/neck
G
Chest
G
Leg/foot, left
G
Leg/foot, right
G
Driver restraints and dummy kinematics
G
Technical measurements for this test

About the original moderate overlap front test

Side: original test

Rating applies to 2021-25 models

Tested vehicle: 2018 Volvo S90 T5 Momentum 4-door 2wd

The Volvo S90 was introduced in the 2017 model year as a replacement for the Volvo S80. Beginning with the 2018 model year, a longer-wheelbase variant replaced the short-wheelbase version that was tested during the 2017 model year. Two side tests of a 2018 Volvo S90 were conducted, one by the Institute and the other by Volvo. Ratings are based on both tests and apply to two wagons, the Volvo V90 and V90 Cross Country, and the Volvo S90 Recharge, a plug-in hybrid variant of the S90 sedan. Beginning with 2025 models, the S90 Recharge became known as the S90 plug-in hybrid.

Evaluation criteriaRating
Overall evaluation
G
Structure and safety cage
G
Driver injury measures
Head/neck
G
Torso
A
Pelvis/leg
G
Driver head protection
G
Rear passenger injury measures
Head/neck
G
Torso
G
Pelvis/leg
G
Rear passenger head protection
G

View of the vehicle and barrier just after the Institute's crash test.

View of the vehicle after the crash with doors removed, showing the side airbags and damage to the occupant compartment (Institute test car shown).

Smeared greasepaint shows where the driver dummy's head was protected from being hit by hard structures by the side curtain airbag in the Institute's test.

Smeared greasepaint shows where the rear passenger dummy’s head was protected by the side airbag.

Technical measurements for this test

About the original side crash test

Roof strength

Rating applies to 2021-23 models

Tested vehicle: 2017 Volvo S90 T6 Inscription 4-door 4wd

Rating applies to the S90 short-wheelbase model (tested) and the structurally similar S90 long-wheelbase model.

Overall evaluation
G
Curb weight4,140 lbs
Peak force21,877 lbs
Strength-to-weight ratio5.28

About the roof strength test

Head restraints & seats

Seat type: Power leather seat

Overall evaluation
G
Dynamic rating
G
Seat/head restraint geometry
G
Technical measurements for this test

About the head restraint & seat test
Currently, IIHS tests apply only to front seats.

Headlights

Trim level(s)

  • All trims; built after September 2020
Evaluation criteriaRating
Low-beam headlight typeLED reflector
High-beam headlight typeLED reflector
Curve-adaptive?Yes
High-beam assist?Yes
Overall rating
A
Distance at which headlights provide at least 5 lux illumination:
car-simpler car-simpler car-simpler car-simpler car-simpler 0 ft 100 ft 200 ft 300 ft 400 ft 500 ft 600 ft Low beams Optimal low-beam illumination High beams Optimal high-beam illumination High-beam assist credit

Low beams
On the straightaway, visibility was good on the left side of the road and inadequate on the right side. On curves, visibility was good on both right curves, fair on the sharp left curve and inadequate on the gradual left curve.

The low beams never exceeded glare limits.

High beams
On the straightaway, visibility was good on the right side of the road and fair on the left side. On curves, visibility was good in all 4 tests.

High-beam assist compensates for some limitations of this vehicle's low beams on the straightaway and all 4 curves.

Technical measurements for this test

About the headlight evaluation

Front crash prevention: vehicle-to-vehicle

System details

  • Standard City Safety

Overall evaluation

Applies to 2021 models

Superior
Superior
  • This system meets the requirements for forward collision warning.
  • In the 12 mph test, this vehicle avoided a collision.
  • In the 25 mph test, this vehicle avoided a collision.

About the original front crash prevention test

Front crash prevention: pedestrian (day)

System details

  • standard City Safety

Overall evaluation

This rating applies to all 2021 models

Advanced
Advanced

Crossing child

  • In the 12 mph test, impact speed was reduced by 11 mph.
  • In the 25 mph test, impact speed was reduced by 17 mph.

Crossing adult

  • In the 12 mph test, this vehicle avoided a collision.
  • In the 25 mph test, impact speed was reduced by 19 mph.

Parallel adult

  • In the 25 mph test, this vehicle avoided a collision.
  • In the 37 mph test, impact speed was reduced by 30 mph. A warning was issued 1.9 seconds before impact.

About the pedestrian front crash prevention test

Child seat anchors

Rating applies to 2021-25 models

Evaluation criteriaRating
Overall evaluation
A
Vehicle trimT6 Inscription
Seat type leather

This vehicle has 2 rear seating positions with complete child seat attachment (LATCH) hardware.

It has 1 additional seating position with a tether anchor only.

Evaluation criteriaRating
Overall evaluation
A
Vehicle trimT6 Inscription
Seat type leather
1 2 3
Rating iconRating
GGood
AAcceptable
MMarginal
PPoor
Seating positions that rely on borrowed lower anchors or have only a tether anchor available are not rated.
thether anchor symbol
Tether anchor
lower anchor symbol
Lower anchors
shared lower achors symbol
Lower anchor(s) can be borrowed from adjacent positions(s)
No hardware available

Details by seating position

PositionRating
1
Tether anchor
easy-to-find location
no other hardware could be confused for anchor
Lower anchors
not too deep in seat
not too much force needed to attach
difficult to maneuver around anchors
2
Tether anchor
easy-to-find location
no other hardware could be confused for anchor
Lower anchors
none available
3
Tether anchor
easy-to-find location
no other hardware could be confused for anchor
Lower anchors
not too deep in seat
not too much force needed to attach
difficult to maneuver around anchors
Technical measurements for this test

About the child seat anchor evaluation