Kia EV6 review

Performance is impressive; acceleration from the rear-wheel drive EV6 is good (0-62 mph in 7.3 seconds), but the all-wheel drive model is faster (0-62 mph in 5.2 seconds). The high quality interior feels as though it has been designed for a driver, rather than by someone who doesn’t drive – the latter seems to be the case with many of the latest car interiors.

You change gear using a rotary dial, which works well, and you can adjust the level of brake regeneration with steering wheel-mounted paddles. There’s a drive mode button on the steering wheel, which is easy to reach, and offers the choices of Eco, Normal, Sport or Snow. There’s also a button on the steering wheel to switch off the lane departure warning system.

The start/stop button is positioned between the two front seats near the gear selector and it’s easy to see, compared to most start/stop buttons that are typically hidden behind the steering wheel. The buttons for the heated seats and heated steering wheel are located close to the start/stop button – again, easily accessible.

There’s a large, 12.3-inch central touchscreen and underneath there’s a strip of shortcut buttons for the infotainment and for the heating and ventilation – pressing a button switches between the two.

The Kia EV6 has an official combined driving range of 328 miles, and a city driving range of 459 miles. The real-world range is likely to be around 255 miles.

The EV6 can utilise 400V fast charging and 800V ultra-rapid charging. Kia’s figures say that the EV6 can charge from 10-100% in 7 hours and 20 minutes using a 7kW home charger. If you’re using public charging, a 50kW charge point should give a 10-80% charge in 1 hour 13 minutes, and if you can find a 350kW charger, a 10-80% charge can be achieved in just 18 minutes. Extra range of 62 miles can be provided in just four and a half minutes.

Kia’s partnership with the IONITY charging network offers EV6 customers access to reduced prices at over 400 high power charging stations across 24 European countries via the Kia Charge app.

The EV6’s charging flap is incorporated into the rear driver’s side corner of the car under the lights, with a release button on the dashboard, and there’s a button to close the flap inside the charging compartment.

Kia EV6 prices start at £40,945. The Kia EV6 GT Line 77.4kWh RWD costs £43,945. The all-wheel drive EV6 costs £47,445 in GT-Line trim (with a range of 314 miles) or in GT-Line S trim it costs £51,945, with a 300-mile range. The AWD model also has 321bhp and 605Nm of torque compared to 226bhp and 350Nm for the rear-wheel drive model. Trim levels are Air (rear-wheel drive only), GT-Line and GT-Line S. Only one battery size, 73 kWh, is available. A high-performance GT model is due to join the range late in 2022, with 577bhp, 740Nm of torque and an expected 0-62mph time of 3.5 seconds and a top speed of 162mph.

The EV6 is well equipped, with an augmented Reality Head-Up Display as standard on ‘GT-Line S’, and an optional heat pump on ‘GT-Line’ and ‘GT-Line S’ models, which aids efficiency in cold weather. It even has a 3-pin plug socket, which is located under the front of the rear seats, and ‘Vehicle-2-load’ in the form of a 3.5kW power outlet that can be used to charge another EV, or domestic appliances or camping equipment.

The Kia EV6 is an excellent car. It’s great to drive, it has a 328-mile range (WLTP) in the case of the rear-wheel drive model, and it can charge at an ultra-rapid 350kW charger. The interior is spacious, it looks good, it feels high quality, and it’s very user-friendly.

If you want more grip and more performance, there’s an all-wheel drive EV6 lease option. The EV6 also offers better value than many rivals.

The Kia EV6 is undoubtedly one of the best electric cars currently on sale.