Kia EV6 Review

We described the Kia EV6 as an 'iPhone' moment when we first reviewed it in 2021 and that analogy continues to ring true today. While the technology on offer in the Kia EV6 is some of the most advanced on the market, it's wrapped up in a genuinely desirable (and easy-to-use) package. Ultimately, the Kia EV6 is a true feel-good car: one you'll be proud to own and it should fit into your life easily.

All this means the Kia EV6 is one of the best electric cars on the market, which is a bold statement, considering there's an ever-expanding list of rivals seeking a slice of the cake. It shares its technical bits with the Hyundai Ioniq 5 (although, as you'll read in this review, it's actually quite different from the Hyundai), as well as the Genesis GV60. The Volkswagen ID.4 (or ID.5) will also likely be on your shortlist, as well as the Skoda Enyaq iV.

The premium feel of the Kia EV6 puts it against a pricier bunch of competitors, too. We reckon it can more than hold its own against the Audi Q4 e-tron, BMW iX3, Volvo EC40 and Mercedes EQA. It really is that good.

The Kia EV6 looks bold and confident, with a muscular front end and a sleek profile that hides what is actually quite a large machine: it's longer than a Volkswagen Tiguan SUV. Around the back you get a pretty full-width light bar to complete the radical design. A facelift in mid 2024 changed the looks quite a bit, but the car was no less striking afterwards.

It's much the same on the inside. Sitting behind the Kia EV6's steering wheel, you can imagine being Doc Brown, priming the flux capacitor in preparation for your next trip Back to the Future. Alright, so the Kia EV6 can't bend time (no hoverboards either, sadly) but from the inside it feels like a car from an era others have yet to reach. 

From its huge infotainment screens to its dual-purpose controls, augmented head-up display, starship-like floating control console and woven trims, the Kia EV6 is quite different to almost anything else on the road.

Up front, it doesn't have quite the perceived roominess you get in the Volkswagen ID.4, but there's loads of legroom both front and rear, and only the really tall will find themselves at all short of headroom. The hatchback-style boot lid is a weighty thing but gives you excellent access, although its sloping style does ultimately restrict what you can fit above the glass line. 

Yet the Kia EV6 is reassuringly conventional to drive. Sure, it has lots of clever autonomous tech but you still get a steering wheel and (Tesla take note) it's circular. Selecting drive and reverse is a doddle, while you get regenerative brakes you can adjust intuitively using paddles behind the steering wheel. 

Get underway, and the first thing that strikes you is how easy the Kia EV6 is to drive. Whether you go for the basic two-wheel-drive model or the top-of-the-range all-wheel-drive car, you get an easy surge of acceleration that makes it brilliant for snicking in and out of gaps. There's no need to worry about operating the clutch, the engine bogging down or changing gears, the EV6 just goes where you want on a wave of electric motion.

The power delivery is near-silent, of course, which makes the experience all the more relaxing. Only the firm ride takes the edge off your in-town experience. It's not uncomfortable (and definitely better than the Tesla Model Y) but you feel more of the road surface than you do in an Ioniq 5. That's a deliberate decision to make the Kia feel more sporty, however. 

Clear the bustle and you'll find the Kia EV6 is an excellent open-road companion. It's well behaved in bends and there's fun to be had from zapping effortlessly from one corner to the next, even if it's a couple of points down from being truly engaging, although the range-topping Kia EV6 GT goes some way towards changing that.

The ride improves on A and B roads, and feels even more polished when you hit the motorway, while the car remains very quiet, too. A full suite of autonomous driving aids adds another layer of relaxation, as does the Kia EV6's range, which doesn't seem to drop with quite the same velocity as other EVs when cruising. 

You should get at least 300 miles from a charge in a mixture of driving, and fast charging at up to 239kW (increased to 258kW during the 2024 facelift) means long drives shouldn't be the logistical headache they can be in some electric cars. True, some electric cars have longer ranges, but the EV6 is still very impressive in that regard. 

So it sounds like Kia has hit the EV jackpot? It really has. The Kia EV6 is a usable EV that will slot into most lives with relative ease. More than that, it's a car you'll want to own because of the way it looks, feels and drives. For a long time, Kia's talked about plucking sales from the likes of Mercedes, Audi and BMW, and the EV6 feels like a car that can do just that.

For most buyers, the best choice is the EV6 Air 84kWh rear-wheel drive. It has the longest official range in the line-up, enough performance to feel genuinely brisk and a strong enough standard specification that you never feel short-changed.

GT-Line makes sense if you particularly want the sportier styling, upgraded cabin trim and extra equipment, but Air already captures most of what makes the EV6 appealing. GT-Line S adds some very desirable luxuries, though it also pushes the EV6 deeper into premium-price territory.

The all-wheel-drive versions are very quick and add extra traction, but the rear-wheel-drive cars are still more than fast enough for everyday use and they make the strongest case on both range and value.

The current Kia EV6 range starts at £45,635 for the Air 84kWh rear-wheel-drive model. GT-Line RWD is £48,635, while GT-Line AWD is £52,135.

Above that, GT-Line S starts at £53,735 in rear-wheel-drive form and rises to £57,235 for the all-wheel-drive version. Opting for the heat pump on GT-Line S nudges the price slightly higher still, to £54,685 for RWD and £58,185 for AWD.

Those are not bargain-EV prices. The EV6 now competes on quality, technology and desirability rather than affordability, and that means buyers will quite reasonably compare it with more premium-badged alternatives.

The Hyundai Ioniq 5 is the most obvious alternative because it shares much of the same electric architecture, charging tech and battery setup. The Hyundai leans harder into comfort and cabin space, while the Kia feels sportier and more tightly wound.

The Skoda Enyaq and the Volkswagen ID.4 are the pragmatic alternatives if practicality is your biggest concern, while the Tesla Model Y remains a key rival for outright space and charging-network convenience.

If you want something with a more premium feel, the Polestar 2, the Audi Q4 e-tron and the Volvo EC40 are all worth considering. The Genesis GV60 is also closely related underneath, though it goes harder on luxury and pricing.

The EV6 makes a strong first impression from the driver’s seat. There's lots of space up front, the seating position is easy to get comfortable in and the view out is good once you get used to the broad dashboard and raised centre console.

Rear-seat space is also one of the EV6’s strengths. There's generous legroom, enough width to feel family-friendly and a completely flat floor, which helps the middle seat feel more usable than in many rivals.

Headroom is slightly tighter than in an Ioniq 5 because of the lower, sleeker roofline, but it's still good enough for most adults. Only especially tall passengers are likely to feel short-changed.

The boot is usefully shaped and the hatchback-style opening helps with bulky items. Rear-wheel-drive cars offer 490 litres and a 52-litre front boot, while all-wheel-drive versions drop to 480 litres in the rear and 20 litres in the front. Those are healthy enough figures, although a Skoda Enyaq or Tesla Model Y still does better if outright luggage space matters most.

The Kia EV6 measures 4,695mm long, 1,890mm wide & 1,550mm high. That makes it longer than some family SUVs, though its lower roofline gives it a more car-like stance.

Those dimensions are a big part of why the EV6 feels so grown up on the road, but they also mean it can feel broader and more substantial in tighter urban spaces than some hatchback-sized EVs.

The EV6 uses Kia’s dual 12.3-inch curved display setup, and it still looks every bit as high-tech as you’d want in a car like this. The screens are clear, the menus are logical enough and the whole thing feels more intuitive than many rival systems.

One of the EV6’s smarter ideas is the dual-purpose touch panel below the screen, which switches between climate and infotainment shortcuts. It can be a little fiddly at first, but it's much easier to live with than burying everything in sub-menus.

Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard, along with over-the-air functionality and navigation that can factor in charging stops. GT-Line S adds the more impressive parking camera tech and upgraded audio, but even the basic system already feels convincingly upmarket.

The EV6 feels good inside, even if it's not perfect. The doors and upper surfaces are nicely trimmed, the design is distinctive and some of the woven finishes do a good job of making it feel a bit special.

Not every surface is soft-touch, though, and the centre armrest still feels less substantial than the rest of the cabin. So it doesn't quite have the final layer of richness you might expect from a more expensive premium-badge EV.

Even so, the EV6 still feels more stylish and more expensive inside than many mainstream rivals, and that goes a long way in justifying the price.

The current mainstream EV6 range uses an 84kWh battery. Rear-wheel-drive Air and GT-Line models produce 228PS and cover 0-62mph in 7.7 seconds, with an official range of up to 361 miles.

GT-Line AWD and GT-Line S AWD raise output to 324PS, cutting the 0-62mph time to 5.3 seconds. Range drops to 339 miles in GT-Line AWD and 324 miles in GT-Line S AWD.

GT-Line S RWD sticks with 228PS, does 0-62mph in 7.7 seconds and manages up to 347 miles. The EV6 GT sits separately with a whopping 650PS, 0-62mph in 3.5 seconds and up to 279 miles of range.

For most buyers, the rear-wheel-drive 228PS version remains the sweet spot because it already feels quick enough while delivering the best range.

The EV6 feels more tied down than the Ioniq 5. The steering is meaty enough, the body stays well controlled and there's a little more genuine enjoyment to be had on a good road than in many rival EVs.

The trade-off is ride comfort. The EV6 is not harsh, but it definitely has a firmer edge than the Hyundai, and you notice that most around town on broken surfaces. Once speeds rise, it settles down nicely and becomes a very polished motorway car.

Refinement is another strong point. There's little wind noise, road noise is well managed and the lower-spec cars with the smaller wheels feel especially calm at speed. It's one of those EVs that feels engineered for real everyday use rather than just headline figures.

The Kia EV6 has a maximum five-star rating from independent safety organisation Euro NCAP, with strong scores across the board. That remains one of its key strengths as a family EV.

Standard safety kit's extensive, including autonomous emergency braking for cars, cyclists and pedestrians, lane-keeping systems and adaptive cruise control. GT-Line S adds the upgraded Highway Driving Assist 2 setup, which brings more sophisticated motorway assistance and lane-change support.

The EV6’s 800V electrical architecture remains one of its headline features. On a powerful enough charger, Kia says it can charge from 10% to 80% in just 18 minutes. Peak charging now reaches up to 258kW on the updated car.

At home, Kia quotes 7 hours 35 minutes for a full 10% to 100% charge from an 11kW three-phase charger. On a slower domestic setup it will take longer, but overnight charging is straightforward enough.

That means the EV6 remains one of the easiest long-range EVs to live with. The hardware is there to make motorway charging stops short, and that still gives it a meaningful edge over many rivals.

Kia’s seven-year or 100,000-mile warranty remains one of the best in the business, and it continues to be a major selling point for the EV6. That level of cover matters all the more in an expensive electric car packed with complex battery and infotainment systems.

Kia also performs well in reliability surveys, and EVs generally have fewer moving parts than petrol or diesel alternatives. On paper at least, the EV6 makes a very reassuring ownership proposition.

Insurance starts at group 34 of 50 for the EV6 Air RWD and rises through the range, with GT-Line RWD in group 35 and AWD versions in group 40. The EV6 GT sits far higher still in group 45.

That means the EV6 is not especially cheap to insure, and it's worth pricing up carefully before you commit, particularly if you are tempted by the faster all-wheel-drive cars.

After year one, the Kia EV6 pays the standard annual EV VED rate, currently £200.

Because several versions sits above the £50,000 Expensive Car Supplement threshold for EVs, those cars also attracts the additional annual charge from years two to six. At current rates, that adds £440 a year, taking the total annual bill to £640 during that period.