Buyer Research

2022 Volvo S90 — Should You Buy One?

Typical asking price: $28,000–$40,000. This is one of the more reliable vehicles in its class — here's what to watch for anyway.

Deciding between model years? Compare the 6 Volvo S90 years we've written up →

Kestrel Take

Two complaints for the entire model year and no recall campaigns, with only one of the two landing in a component cluster at all. That is not a reliability rating — it is a record so small that the only honest thing to say is that hardly anyone filed, and a buyer should get the car inspected rather than take comfort from a short list. The one complaint that is on file is worth reading: front seat belt pretensioners firing by themselves at a traffic light, twice, hard enough to hurt. By 2022 the S90 had dropped the supercharged engine for the 48-volt B6 or the bigger-battery T8 plug-in hybrid, so the first question is which one is in front of you. Both are long, quiet, comfortable cars that make more sense used than new, and both need an electrical inspection as much as a mechanical one.

What we checked

Checked against public records, 2026-09-25

NHTSA holds 2 owner complaints for the 2022 Volvo S90, and 3 recall campaigns.

That is too small a record to read a pattern from, so we are not going to pretend otherwise — with numbers this low one owner moves the percentage by a lot. What has been filed is grouped under seat belts (1). Treat those as things to look at, not as the vehicle's known weaknesses. A thin file usually means few of these were sold or few owners filed. It is not evidence the vehicle is trouble-free, and the issues below are our own research rather than a reading of this record.

3 recall campaigns cover this model year. Recalls are repaired free, for any owner, with no time limit on most safety campaigns — but only if someone books it in. Ask the seller to show it was done, or have any dealer check the VIN; it takes them a couple of minutes and costs nothing.

Counts come from the NHTSA complaint and recall database — free, public, and worth checking yourself.

Known Issues for the 2022 Volvo S90

Ranked by wallet impact. These are documented, recurring problems — not freak accidents. How we decide that.

Front seat belt pretensioners firing on their own at a standstillMedium

The only clustered complaint on this year describes both front belts suddenly tightening hard while the car sat at a traffic light, twice on separate occasions, retracting into the occupants' chests until they unbuckled. That is one owner, and one owner is not proof of a defect — but it is the kind of failure nobody expects and it leaves evidence you can look for. Once a pyrotechnic pretensioner has actually fired it is spent and the belt assembly has to be replaced, so check that both front belts pull out smoothly to full length and retract evenly, look for a belt that sits shorter or stiffer than its opposite number, and ask the seller directly whether any belt or airbag component has been replaced.

Repair cost (estimate): $450–$1,400 per front belt assembly replaced

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under seat belts (1).

B6 mild hybrid: the 48-volt side is where the odd faults liveMedium

Nothing in the record says this for 2022 — it is context for the inspection. The B6 replaced the old supercharged engine with a turbo four and a 48-volt belt-driven starter-generator, which restarts the engine at lights, fills in low-speed torque and runs some of the electrical load. When that system weakens, it does not fail loudly; it shows up as stop-start that quits working, a rough or slow restart at a light, or a cluster of warning messages that look unrelated. Drive the car in town, not just on a main road, and let it stop and restart at half a dozen lights. Restarts should be quick and almost unnoticeable. Grinding, shuddering or a stop-start system that has quietly switched itself off deserves a diagnostic before you buy.

Repair cost (estimate): $350–$3,000 from a 48-volt battery up to the integrated starter-generator

Source: not yet checked against public records.

T8 Recharge: prove the big battery works before you price the carMedium

For 2022 the plug-in T8 carried a noticeably larger pack than the early cars, and that pack is the single most valuable component in the vehicle. There is no complaint behind this; it is simply the test a used buyer should insist on. Arrive with time to spare, plug it in, and confirm it takes a charge on a normal household outlet as well as on whatever cable comes with the car. Then look at the predicted electric range at full charge and compare it with what this car was rated for new. A car that has been run as a petrol saloon for three years because nobody could be bothered to plug it in is worth less, and the seller should expect to hear that.

Repair cost (estimate): $400–$6,000 from a charge port or onboard charger up to high-voltage battery repair

Source: not yet checked against public records.

Google built-in infotainment that needs an account and an update historyLow

This model year runs Volvo's Google-based system rather than the older Sensus software, which means maps, voice and the app store all sit behind a signed-in Google account — the previous owner's, unless somebody removed it. That is a five-minute job at handover and a genuine headache if the seller has already disappeared. Before money changes hands, check that the system has been factory reset or that the seller signs out in front of you, then confirm the car connects to wifi and reports its software as current. While the screen is awake, cycle the climate controls and the camera view, because on this car those live in the screen too and a system that hangs takes them with it.

Repair cost (estimate): $0–$900 from a factory reset and software update to a display or module replacement

Source: not yet checked against public records.

Walk-Away Red Flags

✗A front seat belt that sits shorter, stiffer or retracts unevenly compared with the other side
✗Stop-start that never activates during a town drive, or a rough restart at a light
✗A T8 that will not begin charging while you stand there
✗Predicted electric range well below what the car was rated for new
✗Centre screen still signed into the previous owner's Google account

Good Signs

✓Both front belts pulling out to full length and retracting smoothly and evenly
✓Stop-start restarting the engine quickly and quietly at half a dozen lights
✓A T8 that charges on a household outlet and shows a healthy full-charge range
✓Infotainment factory reset at handover with the software shown as current
✓Volvo dealer service history with every scheduled service stamped