Kia EV6 electric car in the test: The almost perfect all-rounder

The Kia EV6 has been on the market for about three years. Now the model has received a so-called facelift, i.e. a refresher treatment. And that was definitely good for the car. In addition to a new look, there are larger batteries and a modified chassis. Since the EV6 already offered many advantages over other manufacturers when it was launched, the question arises as to whether the car has now become an offer that is difficult to refuse.

At least the color of the test car was completely convincing upon delivery. The so-called “Yacht Blue Matt” is available exclusively for the highest equipment line, the so-called GT-Line. A really great color that skilfully underlines the sporty figure of the car.

The Kia EV6 is not a tiny city car: with a length of 4.7 meters and a width of 1.9 meters, it is a full-sized crossover SUV. Of course, but not nearly as gigantic as the Kia EV9 (tested here). The price for the highest standard equipment with the largest engine is 62,690 euros. If you click on everything in the configurator, you end up at just over 70,000 euros.

There’s a lot of technology under the hood. The new batteries offer either 63 or 84 kilowatt hours. The test car is equipped with the large energy storage device. According to the manufacturer, the vehicle with the 20-inch rims should travel 522 kilometers.

Naturally, this could not be achieved in the test, which took place at temperatures of around five to eight degrees Celsius. The Kia EV6 consumed around 24 kilowatt hours per 100 kilometers, meaning it managed around 350 kilometers with the large battery. Depending on the use of the heating, the route and the weather, it would probably have been more rather than less. A satisfactory result for winter conditions, especially since the range is not the ace up the Kia’s sleeve.

Thanks to its 800-volt battery system, the EV6’s battery is full again in no time. Despite the low temperatures, the car went from ten to 80 percent at a fast charging station in just under 20 minutes. At times the Kia draws more than 250 kilowatts into the battery, which means that the charging breaks are always extremely short. This is not a given in this price range.

On the other hand, the power on the alternating current column is conventional and time-consuming. The Kia charges with a leisurely eleven kilowatts and therefore takes a long time until the battery regains its strength. So you should only load here if time is not an issue anyway.

When it comes to performance, the Kia EV6 is impressive. As a GT-Line with all-wheel drive, the car has 325 hp and moves quickly – especially in sport mode. The revised chassis is now slightly softer, making the sometimes criticized harshness of the predecessor a thing of the past. However, the chassis is a bit loud in some situations; you can hear it working in the back seat.

In general, the Kia EV6 is not the quietest car despite the electric drive. At higher speeds it quickly becomes a bit noisy. Speaking of speed: According to the speedometer, it stops at 191 km/h. As with most electric cars, grass in the Kia EV6 makes no sense anyway.

The car feels most comfortable at 120 or 130 km/h and with the driving assistant switched on. The adaptive cruise control with lane change assistance works absolutely reliably. Although you can’t take your hands off the steering wheel, you don’t actually have to do much on the highway.

Where the vehicle technology is already impressive, top performance is of course expected from the infotainment and software. This much is certain: the system around the large display in the center console and the digital speedometer is definitely fast. But Kia is roughly comparable to an Android smartphone. Some menus are very nested, and the structure of the operating system and all functions is not necessarily immediately obvious. The Kia can do almost everything and offers an enormous variety of functions, but tends to hide them behind far too many clicks.

But don’t worry: it can be learned. It just takes a while. You also get used to using the programmable quick access buttons to silence the annoying (but legally required) speed warning before you start driving. It’s not nice, but all new cars have this problem.

The only thing that was negative about the software was the automatic charging planning of the navigation system. A maximum of only four charging points are possible and the car calculates extremely conservatively. For a journey of around 400 kilometers, the Kia definitely wanted to charge twice, but one charging stop was easily enough for the outward and return journey. It was also not possible to set the remaining range with which you would like to arrive – if you have a charging station at home, you will be able to live with single-digit percentages. Here the human has to override the machine’s wishes, otherwise this often leads to unnecessary breaks.

As a driver, front passenger or rear passenger there is actually nothing to complain about. On the contrary: Even when fully occupied, everyone in the Kia EV6 has enough space and headroom, and even the backrests of the back seat are individually adjustable. If it’s colder, the back row can also look forward to heated seats. Of course, there are also those for the front seats, and a heated steering wheel is also available. The only thing missing from the Kia EV6 is massage seats, a popular gimmick in electric cars.

There are plenty of storage options, and the center console also offers a large shelf in the footwell. The test showed that it is ideal for balls of wool, which can be easily unrolled if the passenger wants to knit a scarf or socks while driving.

There is also a wireless charging cradle available for one person’s cell phone; all other devices must be connected to a cable. There are enough connections at both the front and back. The wireless charging cradle was negative in the test because the fan was a bit too loud. But you can only hear that when stationary in absolute silence.

What’s more important is that nothing wobbles or creaks in the Kia EV6; the workmanship is at a consistently high level.

If you are looking for a visually appealing and technically well-equipped car for medium and long distances, the Kia EV6 is the right choice. The range, coupled with the very good charging performance, leaves little to be desired. However, if you want to go as far as possible, you should choose the small rims. The large 20-inch wheels noticeably eat up kilometers.

You should at least have a certain willingness to learn about the software; you will be rewarded with a really well thought-out all-rounder at prices starting at 45,000 euros.

Good alternatives for the Kia EV6 would probably be the VW ID.7 (tested here) or a Smart 3 Brabus (tested here).