Kia EV6 review

Interior:

Dashboard & tech

There’s plenty of tech to enjoy inside the EV6. For starters, there’s a wraparound, curved display which combines the car’s main infotainment and driver’s display under one continuous piece of glass. The good news is that it’s easy to operate and has all of the key functions you could need, including Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

However, there’s also a full strip of buttons underneath the main screen, which allows you to quickly access certain functions. The really clever function is that at the press of the button, these controls switch between climate settings and audio functions, so it feels very futuristic.

Comfort

Comfort is where the EV6 does very well. Much of that is down to this car’s refinement, as at speed it’s very quiet. There’s little road noise or wind noise to speak of and that gives the car an executive, premium feeling when you’re travelling at speed.

The front seats are nice and comfortable - as are those in the rear - and because of the sweeping roofline, you get a cocoon-like experience when you’re sitting in the back.

Quality

Kia’s quality levels only get better and that’s proven in the EV6. Everything has a solid, hard-wearing feel to it, with good materials that are put together well.

The only snag is that there’s quite a lot of gloss black plastic used throughout the EV6’s interior and, as well as being quite shiny, it attracts fingerprints and dust very easily. Over time, this can start to look a little shabby due to scratches, too.

Practicality & boot space:

Interior space

The EV6 is a bit of a mix between SUV, estate car and saloon, but the end result is a car with quite a low roofline. Up front, that doesn’t mean too much, but in the rear, it means that headroom for taller passengers could be a bit tight. That said, the car’s long wheelbase means that there’s loads of legroom and you’ve got plenty of space to stretch out.

Separate controls for the heating and ventilation mean that you can get to a comfortable temperature easily, whether you’re sitting in the front or the back.

Boot space

At 480 litres, the EV6’s boot is well-sized and easy to access thanks to a low load lip. However, it is a little shallow, which means that you might struggle to load those bulky items. For weekend bags and shopping, however, it’ll prove just fine. Of course, you can also fold down the rear seats and extend that area further should you need to.

The EV6 also benefits from a small ‘frunk’ under the car’s bonnet, offering around 55 litres on single-motor cars. Dual-motor cars get a much smaller area due to the additional motor up front.

Versatility

As a quite large car, the EV6 should be up to all sorts of tasks. The roofline at the rear does mean that loading child seats into the back of the car might be more of a challenge than it would be in a conventional SUV, though we can’t see it being too much of a problem for most people. Elsewhere, there are loads of storage dotted throughout the cabin with well-sized door bins and handy cubbies, ensuring that the EV6’s interior should stay tidy.

Driving:

Driving experience

From behind the wheel, the EV6 delivers a driving experience that you’re more likely to find from a car in the class above. It’s brilliantly refined and feels particularly well-suited to long-distance driving. Visibility isn’t that bad to the front, though the car’s rear-end design means that your sightlines backwards are quite restricted.

One of the only negatives associated with how the EV6 drives is its sheer size. It can be quite hard to tell through pictures, but this is a large car overall and that means it takes a little extra caution to position into tighter spaces or drive around narrow multi-storey car parks.

Performance

The EV6 is available with a series of battery and motor configurations, but they’re all good performance-wise. There’s a choice between 225bhp rear-driven versions or more potent 320bhp all-wheel-drive cars. Even in those entry-level cars, you’ll get from 0-60mph in 7.1 seconds, while dual-motor cars will manage the same sprint in around six seconds.

There’s also a range-topping Kia EV6 GT model, which brings an outrageous 577bhp and a 0-60mph time of just 3.3 seconds. It’s the one to go for if you want supercar-beating acceleration.

Running costs:

Fuel economy & CO2 emissions

The EV6 is an electric car, meaning you won’t have to worry about filling up or CO2 emissions. However, if you’re able to access cheap home charging, then the EV6 experience will be particularly value-focused. However, if you’re going to have to use more expensive public charging more often, then costs could go up.

Value for money

The EV6 is one of Kia’s more premium vehicles and its price is reflected in this. Prices start at £45,635 for an ‘Air’ specification car, rising to £58,185 for a car in GT-Line S trim. The range-topping EV6 GT, meanwhile, comes in at £60,035.

However, there are some savings to be found by choosing a used example. Early examples can be found for just over £14,000, in fact, while around £18,000 is enough to get you a solid low-mileage example with the larger battery.

Reliability & warranty

Kia has established a good reputation for reliability and the EV6 has been continuing that. It’s been largely free from recalls, too, and is covered by Kia’s impressive seven-year or 100,000-mile warranty. The battery is covered by an eight-year or 100,000-mile warranty, too, and Kia will replace it if its usable capacity drops below 70 per cent.

Safety:

Safety features

The EV6 is packed with safety technology. Highlights include forward collision avoidance assist, highway driving assist - which helps to keep the car in a lane, among other features - and intelligent speed limit.

There’s a driver attention warning system on all cars, too, while higher-spec models benefit from further touches such as the safe exit warning on GT-Line cars and above, which will sound an alert if an occupant of the car attempts to exit the car into the path of a cyclist or other road user.

Trims & engines:

Trim levels

The EV6 is available in three trim levels - Air, GT-Line and GT-Line S - with the range-topping EV6 GT being seen as a separate performance version.

Air: Standard Air models get lots of standard equipment, including 19-inch alloy wheels, a heated steering wheel, and heated front seats, as well as wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

GT-Line: GT-Line adds a sportier feeling through its GT-Line exterior styling package, while standard equipment includes dual LED headlights with adaptive beam and wireless smartphone charging.

GT-Line S: At the top of the tree is GT-Line S, adding 20-inch wheels, black artificial suede seats and a sunroof with tilting and sliding function.

Engines

The EV6 is available with either a 63 or 84kWh battery, which brings respective ranges of 265 and 361 miles. There’s also the option of either a single motor car with 226bhp, or a dual-motor car with 321bhp. As mentioned, a range-topping EV6 GT ups that to 577bhp.

The EV6 also benefits from an impressive charge limit of 350kW, meaning that a 10 to 80 per cent charge could be completed in just 18 minutes.