The Kia EV6 GT-Line, tweaked and refreshed

The captivating Kia EV6 futuristic design has been updated with a bigger battery, more range, uprated safety, new lights, and even more tech

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Car Reviewed: Kia EV6 GT-Line S

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EV6 is a sharp-looking car with some beautiful styling touches; there were two models of the EV6 to drive at the recent event: the GT-Line S RWD and GT-Line S AWD with (optional) heat pump.

In the line-up, there will be three trim levels in the range: the Air, GT-Line and GT-Line S. All models are equipped with an extensive list of safety equipment and standard equipment. The more than important warranty is paramount for an electric car. The Kia seven-year warranty and eight-year warranty on the battery and motor up to 100,000 miles are a must-have. They also provide 12 months of roadside assistance, should you need it.

A single motor with 225bhp powers the GT-Line RWD. The AWD has dual motors, one on each axle and has a power output of 320hp. This facelift has taken the already excellent EV to another level with the bigger battery, now 84kWh, increasing the range to a rather useful 360 miles for rear-wheel-drive and 324 miles for all-wheel-drive. A real bonus is saving on snacks/coffees at charging locations; the latest 4th generation battery, charging on a journey, takes just 18 minutes, 10-80%, adding over 200 miles in under 15 minutes. However, this charging speed is only available on the fastest chargers with outputs of 150kw or more.

The Kia EV6 in AWD or RWD is sporty to drive, with brisk acceleration, cocooned within the almost silent interior. Handing is very good, and on fast A/B roads, rapid progress can be made; it is a really enjoyable car; driving the EV6 is an absolute pleasure and for keen drivers, the performance is rewarding. The brake re-gen has an auto setting, which works really well, although you can use the paddles to adjust this as you may want. The brakes are excellent, and the new black/silver 20″ alloy wheels are attractive. There are switchable driving modes, but the normal setting is fine unless you have a ‘need for speed’ moment.

As before, the interior features more than enough tech to satisfy the nerdiest: a curved 12.3″ driver display and a 12.3-inch touchscreen combined with the touch panel below for climate control, sound and other settings. The touch panel takes a moment to get used to; it is clever, easy to use and adds simplicity to the dash layout.

The 14-speaker Meridian active sound system is excellent, and the wireless Apple carplay makes a great set-up; Android Auto is, of course, available too. A digital key with fingerprint recognition, wireless phone charging, a head-up display, V2L with a 3-pin power socket and Kia’s free connect services for seven years is worth mentioning.

Seating and interior materials are space-age, with attractive, hard-wearing fabrics and surfaces. The seats are covered with artificial suede/leather and the front seats have electric adjustment with a massage function; memory is available on the driver’s seat.

Passenger space in the rear is more than adequate and legroom is impressive for the tallest passengers. The boot with 480 litres is reasonable, but not quite the size of ‘the brand with the big boots’ Škoda and the Enyaq. A small 20-litre under-bonnet frunk is useful for smaller items.

The heat pump was fitted on the GT-Line S model we tested. They are a relatively new trend; they can absorb the excess heat from the battery to improve the efficiency and range of the car, and they are particularly beneficial in colder weather and save precious range. For everyday driving, there is no noticeable improvement in performance.

Kia’s goal of fifteen purely electric models worldwide by 2027, nine in the UK, is moving fast. This latest EV6 update presents welcome advances in performance/range/safety and practicality.

The EV6 faces stiff competition from the Ford Mustang Mach-E, Škoda Enyaq and Volkswagen ID4, amongst others, but overall it’s more than desirable. An excellent electric car, you may crave the extra performance of the Kia EV6 GT-Line S AWD model, but for most, the 40+ miles extra range and cost savings to be had on the RWD version will be a sensible attraction.