EV Review: 2022 KIA EV6

Photo Credits: Car and Driver, MotorTrend and KIA

Ambitious Addition to Kia’s Electrification Plan

Overview

Performance: One motor, 167 horsepower

Mileage estimate: Up to 310 electric miles

Price estimate: From $40,900 to $55,900

—

Warranty: 5 years / 60,000 miles

Drivetrain Warranty: 10 years / 100,000 miles

Battery Warranty: 10 years / unlimited miles

Roadside Assistance: 5 years / 60,000 miles

Corrosion Warranty: 5 years / 100,000 miles

2022 KIA EV6 Review

Intro

Kia has an ambitious plan for electrification. The South Korean automaker announced its strategy is to produce 11 all-electric vehicles by 2026.

The 2022 Kia EV6 will be the company’s first model to rely strictly on electricity for its power. The compact crossover SUV will reportedly be available in the U.K. in October 2021 and early next year make its U.S. debut in all 50 states. Note that the GT model arrives in late 2022 in the U.S.

Exterior Style

Although the EV6 shares the same platform as the Hyundai Ioniq 5 EV, that’s where the similarities mostly end. The EV6 is far more stylish, thanks in part to its sleek roofline that has one pondering whether it’s a hatchback or an SUV.

Kia demonstrated little imagination in naming the EV6, yet it did produce an attractive SUV that can accommodate five passengers. It has low-mounted headlights and tail lights that go the width of the body, giving it a sporty, athletic appearance that the Ioniq 5 can’t match. It also has a sharply-raked windshield and retractable door handles.

Interior Space

The EV6 cabin is deceiving; it’s spacious and more like a midsize SUV than a compact. The company claims its wheelbase is as long as the three-row, gas-powered Kia Telluride, a midsize SUV.

Kia veered away from its typical interior styling and designed the EV6 with a somewhat futuristic look and a good amount of high-tech content that includes standard Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, wireless smartphone charging, and Wi-Fi hotspot. There’s vegan leather on some trim models and the door panels and dashboard are made of recycled plastics.

The Kia SUV has a floating center console and two 12.0-inch displays, a touchscreen, and a digital gauge cluster. Cool features include the start button conveniently located on the center console and a two-tone, two-spoke steering wheel.

The cargo area is 27.7 cubic feet and extends to 54 cubes with the rear seatbacks folded flat. There’s also a small front storage area (frunk) under the hood.

Charging and Range

There are two battery pack options with the EV6 – a 58-kWh or 77-kWh battery. The larger battery gives the small SUV an estimated range of 300 miles. An 800-volt charger can get the EV6 from 10 to 80-percent battery capacity in approximately 18 minutes. Using a Level 2 home outlet takes about seven hours for a full charge.

Power and Speed

The standard EV6 is rear-wheel drive and has a 58-kWh battery, a single motor, and delivers a modest 167 horsepower. If equipped with the larger battery it hikes to 218 horsepower.

The dual-motor, all-wheel-drive configuration employs a large battery and generates 313 horsepower. It is capable of going 0-60 mph in 5.1 seconds.

Performance

The GT model ups the performance quite a bit, thanks to more powerful front and rear electric motors that give it a whopping 576 horsepower. Kia says it goes 0-60 mph in 3.5 seconds and has a top speed of 161 mph.

Like all EVs, the Kia EV6 uses a regenerative braking system. It has six different braking modes for the driver to select that are conveniently operated on the steering-wheel-mounted paddle shifters.

The standard safety features include smart cruise control, highway driving assist, blind-spot monitoring, blind spot avoidance assist, high beam assist, rear cross-traffic alert, and lane-keeping assist. A remote parking assist is an option.

Conclusion

A well-designed compact SUV with lots of upsides, the 2022 Kia EV6 has much to offer for anyone looking to purchase an electrified compact SUV.

–  J.W

User Video Review: 2022 KIA EV6