Compare the2027 Kia Telluride VS 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.

With its standard Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist, the Kia Telluride is better at preventing collisions with pedestrians than the Volvo XC90, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety:

	Telluride	XC90
Overall Evaluation	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
	Crossing Child - DAY
12 MPH	AVOIDED	AVOIDED
25 MPH	AVOIDED	-14 MPH
	Crossing Adult - NIGHT
12 MPH Brights	AVOIDED	-4 MPH
12 MPH Low beams	AVOIDED	-11 MPH
25 MPH Brights	AVOIDED	AVOIDED
25 MPH Low beams	AVOIDED	-24 MPH
	Parallel Adult - NIGHT
25 MPH Brights	AVOIDED	-21 MPH
25 MPH Low beams	AVOIDED	AVOIDED
37 MPH Brights	AVOIDED	AVOIDED
37 MPH Low beams	-23 MPH	-9 MPH
Warning Issued-Low beams	1.2 sec	.5 sec

In a Vehicle-to-Vehicle Frontal Crash Prevention 2.0 test conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), the Kia Telluride 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 Volvo XC90 has not been tested.

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.

Side impacts caused 23% of all road fatalities in 2018, down from 29% in 2003, when the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety introduced its side barrier test. In order to continue improving vehicle safety, the IIHS has started using a more severe side impact test: 37 MPH (up from 31 MPH), with a 4189-pound barrier (up from 3300 pounds). The results of this newly developed test demonstrates that the Kia Telluride is safer than the XC90:

	Telluride	XC90
Overall Evaluation	GOOD	GOOD
Structure	GOOD	GOOD
	Driver Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Head Injury Criterion	44	123
Neck Tension	223 lbs.	245 lbs.
Torso	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Shoulder Deflection	.79 in	.91 in
Shoulder Force	201 lbs.	245 lbs.
Torso Max Deflection	1.1 in	1.42 in
Torso Deflection Rate	6 MPH	7 MPH
Pelvis	GOOD	GOOD
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD
	Passenger Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Head Injury Criterion	44	124
Torso	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Shoulder Deflection	.35 in	1.38 in
Shoulder Force	89 lbs.	290 lbs.
Torso Max Deflection	1.38 in	1.42 in
Torso Deflection Rate	8 MPH	8 MPH
Pelvis	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Pelvis Force	357 lbs.	915 lbs.
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD

The Kia Telluride (built after June 2026) 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 XC90 is only a standard “Top Safety Pick” for 2026.

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 46 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 2026 Auto Issue reports that Kia vehicles are more reliable than Volvo vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Kia 5 places higher in reliability than Volvo.

As tested in Car and Driver the Kia Telluride 4 cyl. hybrid gas is faster than the XC90 B6 2.0 turbo/supercharged 4-cylinder hybrid:

	Telluride	XC90
Zero to 60 MPH	6.4 sec	6.8 sec
Zero to 100 MPH	16.3 sec	18.4 sec
5 to 60 MPH Rolling Start	6.8 sec	7.4 sec
Passing 50 to 70 MPH	4.3 sec	4.9 sec
Quarter Mile	14.9 sec	15.2 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	95 MPH	92 MPH
Top Speed	135 MPH	114 MPH

On the EPA test cycle the Telluride gets better mileage than the XC90 running its gasoline engine:

			MPG
Telluride
	FWD	EX 2.5 turbo 4-cyl. Hybrid	34 city/36 hwy
		EX 2.5 turbo 4-cyl. Hybrid	32 city/34 hwy
	AWD	2.5 turbo 4-cyl. Hybrid	30 city/32 hwy
XC90
	AWD	2.0 turbo/supercharged 4-cyl. Hybrid	26 city/27 hwy
		2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	22 city/27 hwy
		2.0 turbo/supercharged 4-cyl.	20 city/26 hwy

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 Telluride’s 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 Telluride stops shorter than the XC90:

	Telluride	XC90
70 to 0 MPH	176 feet	181 feet	Car and Driver

The front and rear suspension of the Telluride uses coil springs for better ride, handling and control than the XC90, which uses transverse leaf 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 Telluride SX Prestige handles at .81 G’s, while the XC90 T8 Ultra pulls only .80 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

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.

As tested by Car and Driver, the interior of the Telluride SX Prestige is quieter than the XC90 B6 Core:

	Telluride	XC90
At idle	28 dB	48 dB
Full-Throttle	71 dB	74 dB

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.

	Telluride	XC90
Behind Third Seat	22.3 cubic feet	12.6 cubic feet
Third Seat Folded	48.7 cubic feet	35.6 cubic feet
Second Seat Folded	89.3 cubic feet	85.7 cubic feet

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.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) conducts detailed tests on headlights for their range both straight ahead and in curves and to be certain they don’t exceed acceptable amounts of glare to oncoming drivers. The Telluride’s available headlights were rated “Good” by the IIHS, while the XC90’s headlights are rated “Acceptable.”

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 too 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 two 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.

According to iSeeCars.com the 2027 Kia Telluride retains 51.21% of its original value after 5 years, significantly more than the 41.32% resale value of the 2026 Volvo XC90 after five years, which can save the Kia’s owner up to $15926 in depreciation.

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.