Kia EV6 first drive: the EV you know and love, but better

When Kia announced the EV6 in 2021, it started by introducing us to the GT. With jaw-dropping acceleration, it was something of a marketing masterstroke, presenting a car that could compete with the Tesla Model 3 for speed and all the attention that goes with it. Having won numerous awards and sold plenty of the EV6 models (mostly of the non-GT version, mind), this popular EV has had some mid-life work done.

The story of this electric car goes a little further. It's built on the E-GMP platform and in car circles that’s almost legendary. The electric platform of the Hyundai Motor Group underpins electric cars from Hyundai, Kia and Genesis, resulting in the likes of the Ioniq 5, the Genesis GV60 and the Kia EV9, for example.

And not to go all Game of Thrones on you, but the Kia EV6 was also the first of its name. The EV9 followed, the Kia EV3 has just been announced and the Kia EV4 is expected in 2026. So the Kia EV6 is something of a pivotal model for Kia's whole electric car strategy. It's a good job, then, that the Kia EV6 is a great car.

Price and availability

The Kia EV6 starts at just over £45,000 for the Air trim, but the good news is that - at the time of writing - all EV6 models come with an 84kWh battery, so you’re not paying that price for a car with a small battery. The Hyundai Ioniq 5, by contrast, is available with a 63kWh battery, so starts at a lower price just under £40k.

I was driving the Kia EV6 GT-Line S AWD, which is about as far up the scale as you can get. On the road this car costs £57,175 at the time of writing, but it's the top trim and it has that dual motor arrangement for increased power and performance.

The RWD version of the GT-Line S is £53,675, but there are standard GT-Line versions of both models too, which are cheaper. In all, there are current seven different configurations of the EV6, so plenty of choice.

Design and interior

The design of the Kia EV6 is instantly recognisable. Choosing a lower and more sporty appearance than most crossovers on the road, the EV6 looks aggressive with that swooping roofline. As part of this mid-life makeover the Kia EV6 has had a nose job, with a switch away from the distinctive light signature of the original model. But Kia is still pushing its "Star Map" lighting design, with the lights designed to look like they're connecting points together with lines of light.

The GT-Line trim gets the connecting light bar front and centre, while the rear sees a long line of light spanning the distinctive rear. That rear design is again sporty, the rear lip making this car instantly recognisable on the road, with the charging port neatly integrated in the right-hand rear corner, rather than being cut out of a panel. It's the care and attention to little details that make the EV6 feel special.

The interior of the Kia EV6 is a lovely place to be. There's a flat floor through the car, meaning the centre rear passenger actually has somewhere to put their feet and there's plenty of storage space in front too. I'm reliably informed there's a perfect place for a handbag to go: rather than dumping it on the passenger seat or in a footwell, you can put it under the central armrest.

Image 1 of 3

My favourite part of this design - which hasn't changed since the 2021 version - is the start button on the end of the armrest. There's something sci-fi about it, the raised angular section with that EV button and the controls for the seat head and ventilation. It's a nod to something else that Kia does well: using plastics without it looking cheap.

The armrest also houses the 15W wireless charging pad, partially covered so your phone is out of the way, but not too far away. With the Kia EV6 supporting wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, it's a great combination - you just drop your phone in to charge when you get in the car.

If you did want to charge it with a cable, the USB-C ports are down at floor level between the driver and passenger's feet, which is a little odd - but for those in the back, the USB-C on the rear of the seat in front is really handy.

There's a new steering wheel in the new Kia EV6 and it adopts the design in the Kia EV9 which is positive, while there are still two 12.3-inch displays in an arc sweeping across the dash. These displays not only look great and are within easy reach, but the dash design creates a little lip at the base of the screen where you can rest your hand when using the display - it's a minor thing but it makes a massive difference to usability on the road.

When driving I noticed that driving directions from Android Auto were appearing in the heads-up display, something I experienced on the ID.7 too. This just makes everything feel so much more complete - on many cars, if you use your smartphone then you won't get instructions in the HUD, but here you do.

Range, performance and driving impressions

I mentioned that there's now an 84kWh battery in the Kia EV6 and extending the range was one of the aims of this facelift. It's now cited as 324 miles, with 311 miles on the meter when I got into the fully-charged car. I then found that the averages I achieved were around 3.3 miles per kWh - and this was in mixed driving, without really trying to conserve power. That would give a range of 277 miles, although I'm sure that in city driving with more regeneration, this could easily be bettered.

Regeneration options are plentiful, controlled via paddles on the steering column. There's an auto mode that tries to predict the level of regen appropriate for the driving conditions, but I found this to be unpredictable - you never quite know what you're going to get when you lift off the power. At the top end you have iPedal or one-pedal driving, but you can select a regen level from nothing (where the car will coast freely), up through three steps of resistance.

On the road the Kia EV6 is quiet and refined, surprisingly adept at handling bumps without throwing you around, even with the optional 20-inch wheels. It's a really easy car to drive too, and those twin motors generating 320bhp, give you a 0-62mph time of 5.3 seconds, so it doesn't just feel fast, it is fast.

When it comes to charging, the EV6 also uses an 800V system, so it's compatible with faster charging - up to 258kW, which would charge you from 10-80% in 18 minutes in optimal conditions.

Should I buy the Kia EV6?

The Kia EV6 is a sublime car to drive. It's practically sized, comfortable for four adults, with a squeeze into the central seat for a fifth, and a boot that's reasonable at 480 litres, rather than being huge. Importantly, however, everything just seems to fall into place. What Kia has managed to do is hold on to that space-age feeling that the original EV6 offered, while making this car just a little better.

Should you buy the Kia EV6? If you're in the market for a long range electric car that feels like it's from the future, then you probably should.