Kia EV6 vs Volkswagen ID.4 GTX: range and charging

Kia only offers the EV6 with a 77.4kWh battery in the UK, but it’s available in either rear or all-wheel-drive form, and in three different trim levels, which can affect maximum range. Rear-drive EV6s, with their single electric motor, can cover up to 326 miles on a charge, however the all-wheel-drive, dual-motor versions, like our test car, have a range of between 314 and 300 miles in GT-Line and GT-Line S trim respectively.

The ID.4 GTX, on the other hand, is only offered with a 77kWh battery and dual-motor setup, resulting in a claimed range of 298 miles – on par with the figure for the top-of-the-range Audi Q4 e-tron 50 quattro it shares its powertrain with. The reduction in range compared to the standard ID.4 with the same-size battery is due to the extra electric motor that drives the front wheels.

It's worth noting that we put these two head-to-head in very cold conditions, which limit the range of electric cars, so in summer we’d expect efficiency closer to each manufacturer’s claimed figures. But nevertheless, the Kia was the more efficient of the two on our test, returning 3.1 miles per kWh and showing an indicated range of 240 miles on its dashboard. The ID.4 GTX, meanwhile, returned 2.7 miles per kWh, and could only muster 208 miles.

Charging

One of the more appealing parts of the Kia’s drivetrain is the 800-volt charging system that allows it to charge at up to 233kW. Find a 350kW ultra-rapid charging point capable of that speed, and topping up from 10-80% will take less than 20 minutes.

Rapid chargers that fast aren’t very common in the UK right now, but it certainly helps to future-proof the EV6 as infrastructure gets better over the coming years. Meanwhile, even on a 50kW charger – a speed that most public points can reach – the Kia will charge to the same capacity in just over an hour, which is a few minutes quicker than the Volkswagen.

Charging the ID.4 takes longer than the EV6, as the former's charging speed tops out at 125kW, which means 34 minutes to go from 10-80% capacity – nearly twice as long as all versions of the Kia. Due to their similar battery sizes, both cars take over 12 hours to fully recharge from flat using a 7.4kW home wallbox.