READER TEST TEAM
KIA EV9
Kia’s seven-seat flagship is an exciting new addition to the electric luxury SUV ranks. Our readers issue their verdicts
Photography: John Bradshaw
The EV9 is based on the underpinnings of the excellent EV6
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Check out other electric cars in our buyer’s guide on p114
Claire Evans claire.evans@haymarket.com
AS PART OF the annual What Car? Awards, our readers can nominate the upcoming model that they’re most looking forward to seeing in showrooms. This year, they voted overwhelmingly for the new Kia EV9 electric luxury SUV.
As Kia’s flagship model, the EV9 is intended to build on the success of the smaller EV6, which was our overall Car of the Year in 2022. On paper, it looks promising. Two versions are available: a 201bhp rear-wheel-drive model with an official range of 308 miles, and a 378bhp four-wheel-drive version that promises 336 miles between charges. Both come with seven seats as standard (or six if you opt for the top-spec GT-Line S), and a 235kW maximum charging rate means a 10-80% battery top-up can take just 25 minutes.
On top of all that, a price range from £64,995 to £76,995 makes the EV9 much cheaper than rival electric luxury SUVs, such as the Audi Q8 e-tron and BMW iX, which have only five seats. In fact, the EV9 isn’t a great deal pricier than the combustion-powered sevenseat Audi Q7 and BMW X7.