Compare the2027 Kia TellurideVS 2026 Volvo XC90

The Telluride has a standard front seat center airbag, which deploys between the driver and front passenger, protecting them from injuries caused by striking each other in serious side impacts. The XC90 doesn’t offer front seat center airbags.

The Kia Telluride’s rear backup camera has a standard washer for maintaining a clear view under various conditions. In contrast, the Volvo XC90 does not offer a rear camera washer, meaning its effectiveness relies on manual cleaning by the user when necessary.

Both the Telluride and the XC90 have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, plastic fuel tanks, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning, driver alert monitors, available all wheel drive and around view monitors.

The Telluride comes with a full 5-year/60,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The XC90’s 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 10,000 miles sooner.

Kia’s powertrain warranty covers the Telluride 6 years and 50,000 miles longer than Volvo covers the XC90. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the XC90 ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

There are almost 3 times as many Kia dealers as there are Volvo dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Telluride’s warranty.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2025 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Kia vehicles are better in initial quality than Volvo vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia above average in initial quality. With 77 more problems per 100 vehicles, Volvo is rated below average.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2025 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Kia vehicles are more reliable than Volvo vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia above average in long-term dependability. With 6 more problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, Volvo is rated below average.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ March 2025 Auto Issue reports that Kia vehicles are more reliable than Volvo vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Kia 6 places higher in reliability than Volvo.

Both the Telluride and the XC90 have a standard automatic start/stop engine feature to stop unnecessary fuel waste and pollution at stoplights and heavy traffic. All Tellurides have a standard disable switch for the system, so a driver can keep the engine from shutting off when the vehicle stops temporarily. The XC90 T8 doesn’t offer a way to disable start/stop.

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Kia Telluride uses regular unleaded gasoline. The XC90 requires premium, which can cost on average about 84.9 cents more per gallon.

The Telluride has a standard locking fuel door which locks and unlocks with the power locks. The fuel filler door is not lockable on the XC90. A locking fuel door helps prevent fuel theft and vandalism, such as sugar in the tank.

The front and rear suspension of the Telluride uses coil springs for better ride, handling and control than the XC90, which uses transverse leafs springs in the rear. Coil springs compress more progressively and offer more suspension travel for a smoother ride with less bottoming out.

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Telluride is 1.9 inches wider in the front and 2.4 inches wider in the rear than the track on the XC90.

The front grille of the Telluride uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The XC90 doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

The Telluride offers optional seating for 8 passengers; the XC90 can only carry 7.

The Telluride has 1.1 inches more front headroom, .5 inches more front legroom, 3.9 inches more front shoulder room, 1.9 inches more rear headroom, 6 inches more rear legroom, 4.7 inches more rear shoulder room, 1.1 inches more third row headroom, .2 inches more third row legroom and 8.4 inches more third row shoulder room than the XC90.

For enhanced passenger comfort on long trips the Telluride’s middle and third row seats recline. The XC90’s third row seats don’t recline.

The Telluride’s cargo area provides more volume than the XC90.

Pressing a button automatically lowers the Telluride’s second and third row seats, to make changing between passengers and cargo easier. The XC90 doesn’t offer automatic folding second row seats.

The Telluride’s front and rear power windows all open or close fully with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside the car. The XC90’s rear power window switches have to be held the entire time to open or close them fully.

To shield the driver and front passenger’s vision over a larger portion of the windshield and side windows, the Telluride has standard extendable sun visors. The XC90 doesn’t offer extendable visors.

The Telluride EX/SX/Prestige has standard front air conditioned seats and the Telluride Prestige also has them in the second row. This keeps the passengers comfortable and takes the sting out of hot seats in summer. The XC90 doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats for the second row.

The Telluride is equipped with both FM and AM stereo radios, offering access to more content and better coverage than the XC90, which solely provides FM radio. With AM radio, you can enjoy a wider variety of stations featuring news, talk shows, sports commentary, native language programing, automated traffic guidance, and emergency broadcasts. AM waves travel further and penetrate buildings and obstacles more effectively than FM signals, especially at night. Having both FM and AM stereo radios the Telluride offers a more comprehensive listening experience compared to only FM in the XC90.

HD Radio boasts several benefits over conventional radio: superior sound quality with clearer and consistent FM broadcasts, CD-quality audio, and Multicast Channels offering up to four streams from a single station, adding programming choices. Cars like the Telluride equipped with HD Radio provide an improved in-car entertainment experience. The XC90, devoid of this technology, foregoes these benefits. Selecting the Kia Telluride empowers drivers to enjoy a more immersive and enjoyable listening experience while on the go.

The Kia Telluride stands out above the Volvo XC90 by offering not one, but two Qi-compatible phone chargers. This convenience helps travelers with multiple devices to keep powered up on-the-go. Wireless charging eliminates lost or cluttered charging cables and one of them provide more flexibility.

The Telluride Prestige’s Remote Smart Parking Assist can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, starting, stopping and changing direction automatically. Remote Smart Parking Assist will park and retrieve your car remotely: press a button and watch it park itself. This is ideal for tight locations. The XC90 doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

The Telluride is available in both front-wheel drive and four-wheel drive configurations. The XC90 doesn’t offer a two-wheel drive configuration.

Motor Trend selected the Telluride as their 2020 Sport Utility of the Year. The XC90 was Sport Utility of the Year in 2016.

A group of representative automotive journalists from North America selected the Telluride as the 2020 North American Utility Vehicle of the Year. The XC90 was last chosen as a North American vehicle of the year in 2016.

The Kia Telluride outsold the Volvo EX90/XC90 by over three to one during 2025.