Kia EV6 Review

Pricing

Kia offers the EV6 with two drivetrain options (RWD and AWD) and three trim levels: Air, GT-Line and GT-Line S. The performance flagship GT is sold as a separate model.  

Kicking the range off is the base Air spec, available only with the entry RWD powertrain. It starts at £45,575 with your only real option being the colour – it’s stacked with equipment as standard, although you can't have the heat pump (which helps to improve efficiency and range in the winter). GT-Line models start from £48,575 and bring upgraded LED headlights and a more assertive styling kit on the outside and comfier front seats inside, as well as those external outlet power sockets and wireless phone charging. This is your first opportunity to get the 321bhp EV6 AWD, too, which is a further £3,500, starting at £52,075. You also have to go for GT-Line to be able to add that heat pump, although it's a pricey £950 option. 

GT-Line S trim tops the range (£53,675 for the RWD, £57,175 for the AWD) and brings inch-bigger 20in alloys, an electric tailgate, a premium sound system, posh park assist and a few more safety flourishes nestled below a panoramic glass roof. It also comes with an augmented reality head-up display.

All of that means that the Kia EV6 covers a broad price range and has many rivals, running from the Hyundai IONIQ 5 through to the Tesla Model Y, BMW iX1 and iX3, Mercedes EQA and many more. 

While the EV6 isn't cheap even by the standards of these alternatives, it is well equipped and very competitively priced. 

Running Costs

A big battery means bigger charging costs, so you’re into double figures for a charge – around £20 for a complete top up at home on a standard tariff, or £45-ish to boost yourself from 10- to 80 per cent with a public charger. Still, if you charge regularly at home and can make use of a cheaper off-peak tariff, you can still cut your 'fuel' costs by more than half compared with a similar petrol or diesel car. Another big incentive in the Kia's favour is its warranty, with an impressive seven-year/100,000-mile standard cover - more than double its key rivals. The same period covers the battery, too. 

Insurance

The insurance looks a little costly on the EV6 – peaking at group 45 – but that simply evidences that Kia is no longer merely a value brand, but a proper premium player with desirable cars like the EV6. 

Servicing costs

Kia offers a three-year fixed price servicing deal on the EV6, which costs just under £400 - around £200 cheaper than a plug-in hybrid or conventional petrol or diesel car will cost. The car is clever enough that it'll tell you when the car needs servicing depending on the sort of driving and mileage that you do, with a polite message on your dash, but it won't need attention as often as a combustion engine car.