The EV6 was Kia’s first dedicated battery electric vehicle (BEV), and while it’s only been a few years since it came out, Kia has been hard at work expanding their EV line-up. A super-sporty crossover SUV with quite a bold look, it now sits in the mid-range of Kia’s now-growing electrified family, between the all-new EV3 and EV9. But, just as Kia’s rivals are heating up, is the EV6 still worth checking out? For a starting price in the mid-£40,000 range, it’s not cheap, but with some notable updates for this facelifted model, the EV6 brings a lot to the table, such as some new electronics, a bigger battery, revised tech, and styling changes, it’s not over for the EV6 just yet.
What Is The Kia EV6 Air About?
As with Kia’s latest electric models, the EV3 and the EV9, the EV6 does echo a familiar style. I’m definitely a fan of Kia’s recent design language, though, unlike its boxier, square-ish siblings, the EV6 is much more curvaceous and swoopy. Nevertheless, while this might feature a distinct silhouette, it’s no less an interesting bit of styling. Admittedly, unlike the Kia EV3 that I also drove recently, I’m not immediately sold on the look of the EV6, or at least, not just yet. It might take a bit of time for me to warm up to it, but it does appear handsome from some angles. The front, most prominently, shows off a very unique lighting signature, unlike anything else I’ve seen.
Elsewhere, you might notice the aggressive front fascia and lower bumper, especially with that sharp front lip that extends all the way to the side skirts. If you look more closely there, you may have also spotted the active air vents to help cool the battery and powertrain. All those concentric, triangular patterns that you see on the lower bumper also carry over to other bits of the EV6, like those distinct 19-inch alloy wheels. I do appreciate some of the finer attention to detail with the Kia EV6’s design, such as the angular cuts on the side mirrors, as well as the sharp, prominent rear roof spoiler. The latter is visible, even when you’re looking from the front.
The rear three-quarters of the Kia EV6 is where it gets a bit more polarising to my eyes, though you might like it more than I do. You have a huge lightbar that runs across the entire length of the EV6. When you consider that fastback-esque rear-end that protrudes quite far out, the Kia EV6 almost looks like an Aston Martin DBX. That’s not to mention the extremely sharp rear spoiler on the tailgate! Plus, I do quite like how Kia was able to neatly tuck away the charging port back there, hidden underneath the taillight. All in all, this facelifted EV6 that I have here isn’t that different compared to the original EV6, so if you’re a fan of that, you may enjoy this one, too.
How Does It Drive?
Unlike the more attainable EV3 that I drove recently, this updated and facelifted Kia EV6 comes with a lot more oomph under the bonnet. For starters, depending on which specific trim you’re going after, the Kia EV6 comes with two distinct powertrains. At the top end of the line-up, you get a mighty dual-motor set-up, which consequently, offers you all-wheel drive. Altogether, you’re looking at a pretty respectable 320bhp and 650Nm of torque. This affords you a sprightly 0 to 62mph time of just 5.3 seconds, before topping out at 116mph. That said, the other powertrain option – the only one for the Air trim level – isn’t really much of a slouch, either.
To be precise, this is the new EV6’s single-motor, rear-wheel drive variant, cranking out 225bhp and 350Nm of torque. That ought to be good for a 0 to 62mph sprint in 7.7 seconds before it tops out at 115mph. In the real world, practically speaking, the single-motor arrangement is adequately fast for most circumstances. Having said that, however, if money is no object, I’d probably pick the dual-motor option, just for that extra fun factor and some extra headroom for overtaking. On top of that, I did notice that compared to other EVs out there at similar price points, the EV6 Air – with its singular motor – felt a tiny bit underpowered in some situations.
Still, given how much cheaper the EV6 Air is compared to the costlier GT-Line and GT-Line S trim levels, you can certainly make do with it. Besides, it’s still plenty of fun on its own. Of course, it’s not the most agile or performant EV out there, but it does feel nice, gently sprung, and ideal for our pothole-abundant UK roads. It moves handily on the road, and by fiddling around between the different drive modes, you could further fine-tune the EV6 for how you’d want it to feel. Surprisingly, there are enough, noticeable changes between the drive modes too, so going from Eco (or Normal) to Sport does bring about a noteworthy increase in your EV6’s responsiveness.
As with any electric car, without an engine rumbling away or a transmission endlessly shifting gears, the EV6 is, naturally, pretty smooth and quiet. Dynamically, it might not light your hair on fire, but for a comfortable, easy-going daily driver, it’s perfect. I’m pleased to see that, as with other Kia models, they’ve included an abundance of driver aids and safety systems on the EV6, all as standard. So, even with the cheaper Air model here, you get things like lane-keep assist, lane-follow assist, front and rear parking sensors, a reversing camera, and forward collision-avoidance assist. Additionally, you also get Kia’s clever highway driving assist system.
What Is It Like Inside?
Now, if you’ve already checked out my Kia EV3 review, then the cabin of its bigger brother, this EV6 here, might appear somewhat uncanny. At least between the Air trim levels on both the new EV3 and the facelifted EV6, it’s almost identical when it comes to the interior layout. This does mean that you get to enjoy some of the quirks of the EV3’s cabin, such as the not-a-circle steering wheel, which houses your drive mode selector. Meanwhile, the front seats come with that same, peculiar sci-fi-inspired headrest design. Otherwise, among some of the many noteworthy interior design elements that are different from the tinier EV3 is the EV6’s centre console.
Elevated high up for your hand to rest more naturally on it, there is a vast, open cubby underneath it for extra storage. This is also where you’ll find the ‘gear’ selector, which is a bit more conventional than what you’d find on the EV3, with its Volkswagen-style drive selector. Just above that, you’ll note the EV6’s touch-sensitive bank of climate controls and shortcut items for the myriad of menus in the infotainment system. There’s a cool party trick here too, in that you could rapidly swap between A/C and infotainment controls with the press of a button. Speaking of, tech and gadgetry is one area where present-day Kias do an exceptional job at.
As such, it’s nice to see that the same rings true here with the refreshed and facelifted EV6. Unlike the EV3, with its rather unusual 3-display set-up, showcasing a small, phone-sized screen just for your HVAC controls, the EV6 goes back to a more traditional dual-display configuration. In this EV6 here, you have a 12.3-inch screen for the infotainment system, which comes paired with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. With this, you are also getting one of the best software and user interface combinations in any car today. Next it to, you’ll find another 12.3-inch display, serving as your gauge cluster. However, there is one key difference from the smaller EV3.
To be specific, both of the EV6’s screens sit on a panoramic curved panel that angles towards you, which makes viewing and fiddling around with it easier for you, as the driver. As far as practicality is concerned, the Kia EV6 is quite utilitarian, with a good bit of legroom and headroom for your rear passengers. It comes with a fairly spacious boot further in the back, even if it doesn’t offer you as much vertical stowage as you may want, given the sloping roofline. In addition to its heated front seats and a heated steering wheel included as standard, this facelifted EV6 has a pleasantly comfortable cabin to spend time in, particularly as a winter refuge.
The Experience
While Kia opted for two battery sizes with the smaller EV3, in the facelifted EV6, you only get one. With its very sizeable 84.0kWh lithium-ion battery pack, the only factor that would impact your range between the different trim levels is which specific powertrain you’ve paired it with. In other words, if you want or need the maximum amount of range possible, I would recommend opting for the single-motor arrangement. Although its outright speed and performance might be a tad lacking, having only a singular motor does help with shaving off all that excess electricity consumption. This particular model here, according to Kia, has a 361-mile range.
As impressive as that might be, in practice, you’re likely not going to get near that. Nonetheless, you can more than handily eke out at least 300 miles out of it, without a fuss. Once the battery dies, owing to Kia’s ultra-fast charging tech, you could top up the new EV6’s battery from 10% to 80% in a blisteringly quick 18 minutes. It’s worth bearing in mind, of course, that you would need to find a 350kW DC charger if you want to achieve that, which isn’t too common yet here in the UK. Nevertheless, if you can’t find anything that would reach its peak 350kW charge rate, a more commonplace 50kW DC charger ought to do the job in one-and-a-quarter hours.
For EV owners who have access to an 11kW AC wall charger at home, the Kia EV6 could trickle charge from 10% to 100% in about 7.5 hours. There’s nothing out of the ordinary there compared to its rivals, but this should give you enough time to plug it in at night, and then wake up in the morning to a full battery. With its vehicle-to-load (V2L) capability built-in as standard, you could even use the EV6’s battery to power and charge electronic devices or some electrical appliances, as well. Alternatively, you could use all that charge for lighting up a campsite, and I’ve seen some folks use V2L as a backup power source in the event of an outage.
Kia EV6 Air Cost
With a starting price of £45,575 for this facelifted Kia EV6, it’s a decent price for a premium, sporty electric car. This is even more of an attractive price tag given everything that you’re getting from the entry-level Air model, with Kia’s generous inclusion of standard equipment. Still, if you’re looking for more, the EV6 can go as high as £58,125 for the GT-Line S trim, with that optional heat pump and that powerful dual-motor powertrain to give you all-wheel drive, not including other options. Either way, you’re still able to enjoy the peace of mind of Kia’s extensive 7-year warranty, which is a nice touch, especially if you’re looking to own an EV6 long-term.
Verdict
Frankly, the unveiling of Kia’s new entry-level BEV, the EV3 compact crossover SUV somewhat makes the EV6 a slightly less appealing option, value-wise. Sure, this facelifted EV6 does come with meaningful upgrades, like the powerful dual-motor set-up, a more dynamic styling, a larger battery pack, and plenty more creature comforts. However, for such a hefty premium, for most buyers, you’d probably be just as happy and content with the cheaper EV3. In spite of that, I still think this facelifted EV6 is a fantastic and well-thought-out package for the money, and if you want to get into that premium EV segment without a huge hole in your wallet, the EV6 is worth a look.
Specification
Kia EV6 Air Specs
- Price: £45,575
- Engine: Single-motor, 84.0kWh battery
- Power: 225bhp
- Torque: 350Nm
- 0-62mph: 7.7 seconds
- Top speed: 115mph
- Weight: 2,065kg
- Economy combined: 361 miles (WLTP)
- CO2: 0g/km