First Look: The Onvo L90 Is China’s Half-Price Kia EV9
Three-row EV flagship by Nio’s mainstream subbrand boasts China’s biggest SUV frunk.
Frank MarkusWriterJofel TolosaPhotographerMay 16, 2025
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After six years of building executive sedans, shooting breaks, SUVs, and SUV coupes, rapidly growing Chinese automaker Nio launched its Onvo subbrand to sell more mainstream, family-oriented models. Onvo springs from “on voyage,” and its logo, which appears to us as a stylized “N,” is meant to resemble a meandering roadway. Following closely on the tire tracks of the Onvo L60, a Tesla Model Y fighter, is the L90 three-row SUV. The brand’s sophomore product is clearly aimed at the Kia EV9 and Hyundai Ioniq 9, matching their jumbo interiors while also offering a gigantic, low-lift-over frunk much like the type Americans are used to finding in electric pickups such as the F-150 Lightning.
L90’s Size, Space, and that Pickup-Like Frunk
Relative to its king-size Korean competitors, the Onvo L90 is 3.4 to 5.2 inches longer and 0.7 to 0.8 inch wider than both, with height and wheelbase dimensions that measure between the two. Onvo hasn’t released interior dimensions, but we expect the six passengers in three rows will find the L90 at least as accommodating. During the press launch at Auto Shanghai 2025, Onvo reps dramatically pulled seven 20-inch roll-aboard suitcases out of the area behind the third row of seats.
The L90’s biggest selling feature is its claimed largest-in-class 8.5-cubic-foot frunk, out of which two more 20-inch rollaboards plus a child’s suitcase and a few other items were pulled at the unveiling. A technological enabler of this jumbo frunk is a new, Nio-designed integrated cooling system that consolidates 49 components into a single, more compact unit.
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The frunk’s big benefit is the ease with which it can be loaded via a 32.7-inch-wide opening that’s just 23.6 inches off the ground—lower than many sedan trunks. Nio founder and CEO William Li and Onvo head of product Eric Yu even demonstrated a seat-cushion accessory designed to transform the frunk into a comfy perch from which to go perch fishing (while indicating that a narrow subfloor compartment could stow collapsible fishing rods). Oh, and another unique selling proposition is that the power frunk-lid can be activated by tapping it twice.
Big EV Power
Onvo-yagers will have the choice of rear- or all-wheel drive, with the rear motor in both borrowed from Nio’s fastback flagship ET9 and rated for 456 hp (torque figures are still to come). That’s more power than any of Kia’s U.S.-market AWD models offer at present. Opting for all-wheel drive adds the AC-induction-type front motor from the L60, which adds 134 horses, bringing the total to 590 hp. That trumps the global EV9’s zootiest GT model (501 hp) fairly handily.
Air Ride Suspension
With control arms in front and a multilink setup at the rear, the Onvo L90 will cushion occupants with air suspension likely derived from that of the Nio ET9, though without that car’s ClearMotion active hydraulics.
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Battery, Range, Charging
Onvo will launch the L90 with an 85-kWh battery pack, perhaps in standard and long-range variants, which would vary by chemistry (lithium-iron-phosphate versus nickel-cobalt-manganese). Future battery options with 100- and/or 60-kWh capacity may be added if there is demand. Although its 900-volt system should be capable of decent charging speeds, Onvo models like the L90 will also benefit from Nio’s impressive network of 3,275 (and growing) battery swap stations. In addition to being able to exchange a depleted battery for a mostly full one in 3 minutes or less, this system also affords the option of up- or downgrading the capacity of the replacement battery to match the driver’s impending needs, as these batteries are interchangeable with those of the Onvo L60 and most other Nio products.
Onvo L90’s Exterior Design
Relative to other Nio and Onvo designs, the L90 seems a bit squarer and more conservative, though the headlamp design and slightly sharkish, grilleless nose resembles that of the L60, while incorporating a “Star Path Illumination” pixel headlight system. This interactive lighting element allows for customized light patterns and (of course) includes a welcome animation. The vehicle’s gravitas is further augmented by standard 21-inch wheels and higher-profile tires that fill the wheelwells nicely.
When and How Much?
Chinese buyers will be able to start voyaging in the Onvo L90 in the third quarter of 2025 (about the time the brand introduces its third product, the L80). Pricing has not yet been announced, but China expert sites are predicting a launch price of around $37,000—presumably for a standard-range RWD model. Yep, that’s almost exactly half what we pay to get into a Kia EV9 GT-Line in the U.S., but then China really is like a whole other country …
Frank Markus
I started critiquing cars at age 5 by bumming rides home from church in other parishioners’ new cars. At 16 I started running parts for an Oldsmobile dealership and got hooked on the car biz. Engineering seemed the best way to make a living in it, so with two mechanical engineering degrees I joined Chrysler to work on the Neon, LH cars, and 2nd-gen minivans. Then a friend mentioned an opening for a technical editor at another car magazine, and I did the car-biz equivalent of running off to join the circus. I loved that job too until the phone rang again with what turned out to be an even better opportunity with Motor Trend. It’s nearly impossible to imagine an even better job, but I still answer the phone…
