Kia EV6 review: space-age SUV has us over the moon

Kia EV6 verdict

Despite looking very much like something capable of interplanetary exploration, the Kia EV6 isn’t quite the leader of the EV space race that it once was, but it nevertheless remains one of the most impressive options on the market, even three years after its initial launch. 

Though newer rivals may offer more range, we’ve found Kia’s quoted figures to be pretty accurate, plus the EV6 still has one of the fastest charging speeds of any electric car. All versions of the Kia EV6 are pretty brisk and it remains one of the better electric family cars to drive. If you don’t mind the high insurance premiums, you’ll find there’s a lot to like about the EV6 and its brilliant seven-year warranty.

Range details, specs and alternatives

A sister car to the equally-striking Hyundai Ioniq 5, the Kia EV6 is a futuristic-looking amalgamation of a family hatchback and fashionable electric SUV. It arrived all the way back in 2021, but is still going strong, even when compared with newer and equally competitive rivals such as the Tesla Model Y, Volkswagen ID.4 or even more premium options like the Audi Q4 e-tron.

Kia offers the EV6 in three forms, with all making use of the same 77kWh battery pack. The entry-level rear-wheel drive model gets a single rear-mounted electric motor that produces 226bhp and, combined with the above battery pack, provides a range of up to 328 miles.

The ‘AWD’ model adds a second electric motor to the front axle to provide, as its name suggests, all-wheel drive, as well as a raised power output of 321bhp. As a result, the time the EV6 takes to complete the 0-62mph sprint is cut from 7.4 seconds to just 5.2, although range does take a hit slightly for a maximum of 314 miles.

Sitting at the pinnacle of the line-up is the Kia EV6 GT. A more sedate, yet no less impressive alternative to the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N, the 577bhp EV6 GT can reach 62mph in just three-and-a-half seconds and can, according to Kia, do 263 miles on a charge – if you don’t make full use of all the power on offer, that is.

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Available in Air, Horizon, GT-Line and GT-Line S guises, the first two trims only come in rear-wheel drive form. All cars get twin screens for the infotainment, plus Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, as well as heated front seats and a heated steering wheel trimmed in a vegan leather alternative. 

Stepping up to Horizon trim only costs around £700 more and adds adaptive LED headlights, an electric memory driver’s seat, heated rear seats, a wireless phone charging pad, front parking sensors, blind spot monitoring and a powered bootlid. So, what’s the catch? The Kia EV6 Horizon is only available in either black, grey or navy – although given how most new cars nowadays are ordered in one of these shades, we don’t think people will mind all that much.

Stepping up to GT-Line costs around £3,000 over and above the base Air, and can be optioned with or without a heat pump (£900), for more efficient running all year round. It also gets wireless phone charging, premium seats with suede trim, and dual-LED headlights with auto high beam. These models also benefit from Kia’s V2L charging system, which means you can run things like electric barbecues, laptop chargers or even a washing machine off the car’s battery. In theory, you could even charge another EV, or run power back into the grid if your supplier supports this.

GT-Line S comes fully-loaded with an opening glass roof, a power tailgate, Meridian stereo and a head-up display. These cars also get extra driver aids, as well as remote park assist. You’ll pay around £4,500 more than the equivalent GT-Line to upgrade.

For a more detailed look at the EV6, read on for the rest of our in-depth review…