Kia EV9 Review

Practicality and boot space

This is the really big win with the EV9 - its functionality, and the option to have either six- or seven-seats. 

In the seven-seat model, the third row feels spacious with good sized rear windows, proving that travelling in the back can still be a first class experience. It's slightly let down by the fact that there are only two sets of Isofix fittings in the middle row of seats, which slides, reclines and folds in a 60/40 split, but there are another two pairs of Isofix fittings in the sixth and seventh seats, making four altogether. There are also five top-tether anchors, so this still promises to be a great option if you’ve got a gaggle of young kids all needing car seats.

In addition to the three-seater bench for the bigger family, Kia offers the option of a six seater, which has a pair of rotating ‘captain's chairs’. The passengers can either use these as loungers, or rotate the seat 180 degrees so that you can get in and out more comfortably, strap baby seats in more easily or turn a little further to face the other rear passengers. You’ll bang knees if you are adults, mind – this is not a van-sized car.

To make it more comfortable for family life, there are three climate zones and more sockets than seats – and that’s not counting the 240v socket for the e-bike or the camping fridge in the boot area. In hot or very cold weather you might want to turn off the heating and air con for the rear cabin if it's just two of you in the car though - keeping that vast rear cabin at the right temperature can gobble up the battery power. If you are using all seven seats, it’s good to know that even those in the very back have their own cup holders, air vents and charging points. 

And because it's not just about children but also about suitcases and all the other little stuff necessary for long trips, there is over 300 litres of storage space even with all seven seats in use, and over 800 litres with the rear bench folded. It’s nearer 1,500 litres with all the seats stowed. And then there's the frunk under the bonnet, which has a capacity of another 90 litres, depending on the model variant. This really is a huge car – inside and out. You’ll struggle to find a more practical car unless you start to shop in the van-based people carrier class. 

Interior and design

Part of the modern feel that the EV9 does so well is achieved by the sustainable, vegan two-tone interior – future Kia’s won’t feature leather, either, and it isn’t an option on the EV9. There are natural oils in the seat foam and the interior plastics are recycled from materials like old fishing nets to help with sustainability. 

The materials are all soft to the touch and beautifully made - there are no sharp moulding edges where you'd touch on any of the plastics for example. It doesn’t feel as luxurious as a top-end Land Rover or BMW, but you also don’t feel short changed despite the high price of the Kia. 

It also feels light and airy, not least thanks to the flat floor and big expanse of glass around the cabin. 

Slide into the driver’s seat and you sit high up in a fairly old-school SUV driving position, giving you a good view out onto the road. There’s plenty of adjustment to the seat, which is electrically adjustable as standard on every EV9, so just about any size of driver should be able to get comfortable.  

Dashboard

Inside the EV9 you won’t see the ‘floating dash' from the concept, but it does feel modern and spacious. Sitting at the heart of the dash is a long, slightly curved display that houses three screens; the infotainment system and all the driving related technology is intuitively centred around the new steering wheel design, just where the driver needs it to be.

A new steering wheel design brings a flat top and bottom – designed to make your view of the infotainment screen clearer - and will be seen across all of Kia's electric models going forwards. The steering wheel also houses all the driving modes - exactly where the driver needs them to be.

That infotainment screen is large, but it doesn’t seem to dominate the interior and it's right in the driver sight line. The only issue on right-hand drive cars is that the heating and ventilation screen is almost totally hidden by the steering wheel. Tapping it will bring the icons onto the main screen, but if you want to see at a glance you'll need to ask your passenger.

Technology and equipment

The EV9 really moves things on is with its tech, it’s the most technologically advanced vehicle Kia has made, and Kia will also be offering ‘Feature on Demand’ services so that customers can choose what features they want to add to their car, rather than paying for everything up front. The interesting part comes when you sell the car, as they may not be transferable, meaning the new buyer may need to choose their own options and pay for them again. 

In a couple of firsts for Kia, it also has the option of digital side mirrors and will be capable of receiving over-the-air software updates, which sends tech updates and new features in a similar way to how your mobile phone or laptop receives them. The EV9 will also be at the forefront of Kia’s self-driving technology. AutoMode, the company's upcoming autonomous driving system will be made available as an option for the first time on the EV9. It uses driver assistance tech and a suite of safety aides to achieve Level 3 self-driving capability, similar to that offered by Tesla.

Equipment is really generous on the Kia. Even the Air gets heated seats, LED lights, electric front seats, auto lights and wipers, three-zone climate control, more charging points than you’ll likely need, powered bootlid and keyless entry. 

You also get those two 12.3-inch screens, with fingerprint recognition so that you can save your settings for the car and then simply get in, scan your fingerprint and the seat and infotainment will be set to your preferences. Sat-nav, charger search function, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, voice control and wireless phone charging is also standard across the whole EV9 range. You have to go for top-spec GT-Line S to get a head-up display and an upgrade to a 14-speaker system from the standard 8-speaker audio.  

Safety

The EV9 comes with a whole host of safety aids, including towing assist – which might be useful as the big Kia can tow an impressive 2500kg, making it one of the best electric tow cars on sale. A 360-degree parking camera, blind-spot camera that shows a view down the side of the car when you indicate and warns if the car senses a bicycle or car in your blind spot, autonomous braking if the car senses an imminent collision, lane-keep assist, adaptive cruise control… If you can think of it, the Kia almost certainly has it as standard on every version of the EV9. 

It's no surprise, then, that the EV9 achieved a full five star safety rating in Euro NCAP crash tests.