Kia’s high-tech, innovative EV6 electric car sets a new standard for sub-$100,000 EVs in Australia
It’s not every day a brand-building, game-changing car comes along. For Hyundai last year, it was the award-winning IONIQ 5, and now sister brand Kia’s related next-generation EV has followed suit – only at a lower price, with a bigger battery and extra practicality. Unlike its cousin, the Kia EV6 SUV also gets a unique suspension tune. With ultra-fast 350kW charging capability, the new circa-$68,000 EV6 could be the best electric car under $100,000 on the market today.
High points
The 2022 Kia EV6 is a battery-electric mid-size SUV offered with two powertrain options across three model variants in Australia at launch.
There’s a couple of single-motor, rear-wheel drive variants – the entry-level Air priced from $67,990 plus on-road costs, and the GT-Line that starts at $74,990 – while a more powerful twin-motor all-wheel drive model in GT-Line trim is also available at $82,990 plus ORCs.
They’ll be joined by a ballistic high-performance Kia EV6 GT by late 2022, for which customers are already putting down cash deposits despite a circa-$100,000 price tag.
Competitors? Mid-size battery-electric SUVs like the incoming Tesla Model Y and Volkswagen ID.4 will be key rivals, but neither have arrived in Australia yet.
Finely-polished EVs like the Hyundai IONIQ 5 – the 2021 carsales Car of the Year – and the Polestar 2 are among its closest rivals at the moment, along with models from luxury brands such as the Mercedes-Benz EQA.
Bigger and more imposing in the metal than on a screen, all Kia EV6 variants at launch come with a hefty 77.4kWh battery pack that offers a driving range of between 484km and 528km (WLTP) depending on the model grade.
Despite the Kia EV6 costing more than the Hyundai IONIQ 5 in many overseas markets, Kia Australia has managed to undercut its Korean EV cousin (priced here from $71,900 to $75,900 plus ORCs) without making too many sacrifices to the equipment list.
While the EV6 Air misses out on power-adjustable front seats, it comes with 19-inch alloy wheels, dual curved 12.3-inch digital displays, LED lights all-round and inside, flush-fit door handles, a wireless phone charger, five USB ports (A and C) and a vehicle-to-load (V2L) household power point in the back seat.
Kia EV6 GT-Line model grades add things like 20-inch alloy wheels, a sports body kit, a second external V2L power point, tinted windows, up-spec faux leather and suede heated and cooled eight-way power-adjustable front seats, a 14-speaker Meridian sound system, a sunroof and plenty more besides.
For full details check out our Kia EV6 price and spec breakdown story.
While there’s no spare tyre, just a goop kit to plug up punctures, the biggest issue faced by the Kia EV6 in Australia is the fact that more than 1500 customers have put in orders and only 500 cars are coming here in 2022.
It’s likely the allocation will increase in 2023, but keen customers who aren’t already in the queue could be waiting up to two years for the EV. Ouch.
There are seven colours available with only Runway Red being the ‘freebie’. The remaining white, black, blue and grey are a $520 option, while Moonscape, a matte grey colour favoured by Porsche, will add a whopping $3295 to the price – although it does include ceramic paint protection to reduce stone chips and whatnot.
The Kia EV6 is covered by a seven-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty, which is one of the best you’ll find for an electric car today. However, the battery warranty of seven years (150,000km) is at least a year shorter than most rivals.
Kia offers up to eight years’ roadside assistance and a trio of capped-price service packages priced at $594, $1089 and $1504 for three-, five- and seven-year tenures respectively. Service intervals are triggered at 12 months or 15,000km, whichever occurs first.
Bright spark
Based on Hyundai Motor Group’s new E-GMP electric vehicle platform architecture, the 2022 Kia EV6 is festooned with high-tech gadgetry and has high levels of safety too.
As well as airbags covering front and rear seat occupants, all models come with blind spot detection, autonomous emergency braking (AEB) with junction crossing, and very effective autonomous go/stop/turn functionality via smart cruise control and lane keep/lane follow assistance.
You really can do hands-off driving in this vehicle.
The GT-Line models in which we spent most time during the launch get extra goodies, namely auto parking systems and an impressive array of cameras delivering rear and 360-degree overhead views to make parking easier, along with a live video feed of blind spots that engages when you hit the indicators.
There’s also excellent V2L provisions. All models are fitted with regular three-pin household sockets located under the back seat to charge a laptop or use a hairdryer, massage pillow or microwave if you get hungry, while GT-Line versions get a second external socket too. These deliver 3.6kW of power.
GT-Line models come with one of the best head-up displays I’ve used, feeling closer to an augmented reality (AR) projection than a typical HUD due to its large size and clever blind spot alerts and navigation prompts. One day the entire windscreen will be filled with info, no doubt.
The only blemish on the Kia EV6’s report card is the lack of wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. If you forget your USB cable you can kiss Google Maps goodbye.
Endurance runner, not sprinter
The 2022 Kia EV6 Air and GT-Line models are packaged with a single permanent magnet synchronous electric motor (168kW/350Nm) attached to the rear axle that drives the rear wheels and delivers a 0-100km/h time of 7.3 seconds, which isn’t exactly rapid by EV standards.
These models can deliver a WLTP-verified driving range of up to 528km and 504km respectively, and based on our testing the claims are achievable, although highway driving at 100km/h tends to drain the battery faster.
The Kia EV6 GT-Line AWD model gets dual e-motors – a front-axle motor (74kW/255Nm) adding to the same rear motor found on RWD models (168kW/350Nm) to deliver a combined total of 239kW and 605Nm.
Despite carrying an extra 105kg, the dual-motor all-wheel drive EV6 accelerates from 0-100km/h in 5.2 seconds, which is still not particularly rapid in EV terms. The range suffers with the extra herbs too, down to a claimed 484km.
From standstill there’s a discernible difference between the single- and twin-motor EV6, the latter launching with far more intensity.
But once up and running, the difference is less evident, as the single-motor variants deliver excellent roll-on acceleration and effortless overtaking performance at freeway speeds.
Energy consumption ranged between 18.5kWh/100km and 22.8kWh/100km during the launch drive, which isn’t bad considering the flogging they copped across mostly 100km/h country roads with plenty of cornering, braking and acceleration. Claimed energy consumption is 18kWh/100km.
All Kia EV6 models are currently packaged with a 77.4kWh lithium-ion battery pack that weighs in at almost 500kg and can be charged up from 10 to 100 per cent in just under 33 hours using a regular household power point. You can cut this to seven hours with a circa-7kW wallbox.
Using a 50kW fast-charger reduces that time to 73 minutes, and if you can find a 350kW ultra-fast charger, Kia says the battery can be replenished from 10 to 80 per cent in just 18 minutes.
The latter two figures are very rapid by modern standards, and that’s because the Kia EV6 has the advantage of an 800V electrical system that allows for such fast charging speeds – and is currently only matched by top-spec Audi and Porsche EVs that cost at least twice as much.
Driven to succeed
Kia’s chassis engineers have done a tremendous job tuning the 2022 Kia EV6 for local conditions, finding a nice middle ground between the ultra-soft Korean-market models and much stiffer Euro-spec suspension.
The Korean-Australian collaboration delivers an engaging blend of cornering performance and ride comfort, allowing the car to absorb bigger hits and smooth out rougher country roads, while dealing with smaller, sharper bumps in urban areas.
The Kia EV6 is also one of the first mainstream vehicles to use the latest Sachs shock absorber technology, dubbed Sensitivity Damping Control. You can read all about it in our preview story, but ultimately it means the car is comfy when cruising but not too doughy when navigating corners either.
It takes a little time to get used to the low centre of gravity and body roll does increase when you push the car hard as its mass shifts around. But we’re talking about white-knuckle driving at 8/10ths through tight corners, testing its grip limits – the sort of stuff most owners will never do.
The brakes do struggle hauling in its lardy 2105kg kerb weight from higher speeds, but overall the EV6 is an engaging and rewarding EV to drive and sportier than most mainstream SUVs.
The steering is direct with a touch of weight and the difference in throttle response between Comfort and Sport modes is impressive, transforming the Kia EV6 from cruiser to cruise missile.
At the other end of the spectrum, such as when pottering around town – in this case, Canberra – the regenerative braking system works well.
Dialled up to maximum ‘i-pedal’ mode, where the car will come to a complete stop lifting off the throttle, the EV6 performs well, and it’s in urban areas with lower speeds limits where the Kia EV will achieve its greatest range.
Another noteworthy aspect of the EV6 is cabin quietness. GT-Line models feature extra sound-damping materials, such as in the front doors and windows, and while there’s a hint of tyre roar on coarse-chip surfaces and a smidgen of wind noise at 100km/h when the radio is turned off, it delivers German luxury car-like levels of refinement.
Even the powertrain is hushed, with very little whining or whirring at full load, something not all EVs achieve.
Consider the ‘open-plan’ layout of the cabin that delivers excellent legroom and shoulder-room for all occupants, along with very good storage solutions, sound ergonomics and well-thought-out controls, and you’re looking at a very impressive package. Even the boot is well-sized at 480 litres, expanding to 1260 litres with the rear seats folded away.
The only packaging whinge is that the front boot/trunk (froot or frunk?) is quite small on both RWD and AWD models, at 52 and 20 litres respectively, with enough room for a small bag and not much else.
Changing the game
The EV6’s cousin, the Hyundai IONIQ 5, was voted the 2021 carsales Car of the Year because it’s an exceptional and innovative vehicle.
While the 2022 Kia EV6 doesn’t deliver the same visual impact, it’s cheaper, more pragmatic and has a bigger battery and longer range. Our 2022 Car of the Year testing should be edifying.
There’s no doubt that Kia is firing on all ions, and with a raft of incoming all-new EVs based on the same platform architecture, the Korean brand’s upward trajectory in the EV space will continue.
The Kia EV6 is an impressively engineered and well-executed vehicle in every respect, and the Australian-tuned suspension adds a point of difference that no other EV can match today.
Simply put, the Kia EV6 is arguably the best EV under $100,000 on the market right now.
How much does the 2022 Kia EV6 GT-Line RWD cost?Price: $74,990 (plus on-road costs)Available: NowPowertrain: Single permanent magnet synchronous motorOutput: 168kW/350NmTransmission: Single-speed reduction gearBattery: 77.4kWh lithium-ion polymerRange: 504km (WLTP)Energy consumption: 16.5kWh/100km (WLTP)
Safety rating: Not tested
How much does the 2022 Kia EV6 GT-Line AWD cost?Price: $82,990 (plus on-road costs)Available: NowPowertrain: Two permanent magnet synchronous motorsOutput: 239kW/605NmTransmission: Single-speed reduction gearBattery: 77.4kWh lithium-ion polymerRange: 484km (WLTP)Energy consumption: 18.4kWh/100km (WLTP)
Safety rating: Not tested
Keyword: Kia EV6 2022 Review