Name: Kia EV9
Brand: Kia

Driven and reviewed by

Ginny Buckley

6 Feb 2024

Kia’s success story in Europe is remarkable. The brand has gone from being a budget choice to a front runner which is capable of taking on the best – and winning. It’s not just the mainstream brands which have to worry, as Kia is pinching customers from the prestige German brands too, especially in the electric car markets. The biggest test of Kia’s new premium status is the EV9 - a vast, seven-seat, long range SUV that has Land Rover, Audi and Mercedes in its sights. Has the Korean brand built another winner, or is a £65,000 Kia a step too far?

Introduction

The Kia EV9 was introduced in 2023, and is a brand new model based on the same E-GMP platform as the Kia EV6 and Hyundai Ioniq 5. It’s a huge, full-size SUV that’s a similar size to a Range Rover or Audi Q7, and it’s offered with either six- or seven-seat layouts.

The six-seat layout is an ‘executive’ layout that allows you to swivel the middle seats to face the rear seats so that you almost have an on-the-move meeting space. The seven-seat layout is likely to be the more popular as it has a traditional family SUV layout with a sliding three-seat middle bench, and two seats that pop up out of the boot floor for when you want to carry seven people.

One good thing about the size is that the EV9 is one of the most comfortable and spacious seven-seat SUVs, and can genuinely carry seven adults in comfort while still having a modest amount of usable luggage space, as a well.

There’s only one battery option in the EV9 – a 99.8kWh lithium-ion pack, which is available either with rear-wheel drive in the entry-level Kia EV9 Air, or all-wheel drive from a more powerful dual-motor setup is standard on the rest of the EV9 models. Driving range is between 313- and 349 miles, while charging speeds are up to 220kW, making this one of the fastest charging electric SUVs.

The styling of the EV9 makes a bold statement; you’ll either love it or hate it. The front end has Kia’s signature ‘tiger-nose’ graphic and just like the concept there’s no fake grille, just solid colour, while in a clever optical illusion those vertical headlamps and the slim daytime running lights make the EV9 seem even wider than it really is.

There are even sparkly stars, officially known as star maps, that shine through laser etchings in the EV9’s body panels. Their design can be changed via the infotainment system depending on your mood. It's a unique detail that will become a familiar site on future electric Kia models.

Verdict

Bold styling, rewarding driving dynamics, plenty of space in all seats and a winning combination of interior flexibility means this EV9 becomes a serious competitor for cars as diverse as the VW ID.Buzz and the Mercedes EQS SUV. It does come at a high price, but given what you’re getting – and given the similar or higher cost of any similarly practical electric rivals - the EV9 is worth it. It shows just how far the Kia brand has come in the past two decades.