New range-topping electric SUV offers seating for seven and up to 336 miles of range On sale Autumn Price from £60,000 (est)

Darren Moss darren.moss@haymarket.com

MEET THE MOST exciting new car of 2023.Yes, at the most recent What Car? Awards, readers voted the Kia EV9 as the car they were most looking forward to going on sale this year. It was no narrow victory, either; the EV9 garnered more than twice as many votes as the secondplaced car. However, all we’d seen at that stage was a concept version of the EV9; will this production version be as well received?

Well, the showroom-ready EV9 – Kia’s largest SUV by a country mile, dwarfing the current range-topping Sorento large SUV – keeps the sharp angles and tall, boxy stature of the concept. Cladding around its lower edges aims to emphasise the EV9’s rugged nature, while thin LED lights at the front and rear give it a futuristic look. Some of the concept’s other features – such as roof rails that could be raised or lowered at the touch of a button, and cameras in place of traditional door mirrors – have been removed, though.

Every EV9 will draw energy from a 99.8kWh battery, but how far the car can travel between charges depends on whether you go for a rear-wheel-drive or four-wheel-drive version. The former is powered by a single 200bhp electric motor and has an official range of up to 336 miles.That’s farther than the smaller EV6 can take you; that model can officially eke 328 miles out of its 74kWh battery.The EV9 also beats equivalent versions of the rival Audi Q8 e-tron, BMW iX and Mercedes-Benz EQB on range. Go for a four-wheel-drive model, however, and the official range falls to around 310 miles, but power is upped to 378bhp.