gave Kia EV6 It’s one of the most attractive electric vehicles to kick off at the moment, although tight supply means it can’t compete with Tesla on the sales charts.
Designed from the ground up as an EV, the 4.7-meter-long Kia offers stunning design, a good driving range, and excellent driving performance at a very reasonable price.
While the GT-Line grade gets attention, and a cutter GT will arrive in 2023 as a performance halo, here we look at the entry. EV6 Air Which offers the longest claimed range in the lineup at 528 km.
How much does the Kia EV6 Air cost?
The base Kia EV6 variant is priced at $72,590 before on-road costsThe equivalent of less than a tick from $78,600 driveway using a Melbourne postcode.
The EV6 Air is therefore almost identical to a base Tesla Model Y with a pre-retail price of $72,300, which equates to $78,134 driveaway in Melbourne.
Interestingly, the base EV6 is practically line-ball with Kia’s own Niro EV GT-Line ($72,100), which offers a bit more luxury but is a smaller vehicle based on a combustion engine platform with There is less grunt and range.
2023 Kia EV6 Price:
- Kia EV6 Air: $72,590
- Kia EV6 GT-Line RWD: $79,590
- Kia EV6 GT-Line AWD: $87,590
Prices are before on-road costs.
MORE: What incentives are offered to electric car buyers across Australia?
What’s the Kia EV6 Air like inside?
The EV6’s interior design is modern and minimalistic, although the slightly flimsy manual flush door handles with no proximity key are a bit disappointing in function, if not design.
The two-spoke steering wheel looks unique and has simple buttons on each spoke, and a small drive mode selector is mounted on the left side.
Behind it sits a large digital cluster that changes with drive modes and lets you view driving data, driver assist menus, remaining range and more.
To its left inside the permanent housing is a 12.3-inch horizontal touchscreen with sat-nav, wired smartphone mirroring, and a reversing camera. It offers crisp graphics and fast processing.
It’s very easy to use, with simple tiles on the menu screen, and helpful features like a pop-up widget that notifies you when you’ve left a track, and a clock that’s super easy to customize.
Running along the dash and below the screen is a swath of gray fabric that elevates the color palette and complements some fairly cheap-feeling and dirty plastic parts that feel like they belong in a cheaper car.
Beneath this section and the slim vent is a touchscreen display that transforms into a shortcut toolbar from the air conditioning or ventilation menu to take you to navigation, audio or general settings. It’s smart, beautiful and saves space.
There are also physical dials and buttons for features like volume, track-skipping, parking sensor control, reversing camera pull-up, and auto-hold anti-creeping mode.
The center console is roomy, and has cup holders and a rubberized wireless charger pad ahead of it, as well as a rotary dial for the gear shifter and a prominent start button.
The flat floor and lack of a front-to-rear driveshaft means there’s room to hide a large storage bin section under the center tunnel, making it extremely practical. There are multiple USB ports.
Rear-seat occupants get a face-level vent in each B-pillar, seatback USB ports, cup holders, and a 250V and 16A three-prong power point under the seat bench.
Legroom is generous for adults and the floor is fairly flat, although toe room and headroom were modest. Bus Enough for my 194cm frame. Higher grades with a sunroof (not the EV6 Air) are likely to be more compromised in this area.
The boot has levers to flip the rear seats remotely, taking up storage space. 490 liters To 1270L – There is one more 52L Frank Storage Section.
What’s under the bonnet?
The EV6 was a new development from the ground up, and shares much of its hardware with the Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Genesis GV60.
The EV6 Air is rear-wheel drive using a rear-mounted permanent magnet synchronous motor. 168 kW Power and 350Nm of torque, enough for a claim 7.3 seconds 0-100 kmph dash.
All Kia EV6 variants are powered by energy stored in a. 77.4kWh A capacity lithium-ion battery pack with a voltage of 697V, with a manufacturer-claimed weight of 477kg.
The driving range claimed by the manufacturer is a long one. 528 km WLTP, though based on my driving I’ll detail in a minute I’ll get 470km on it. This compares to 504km for the EV6 GT-Line RWD and 484km for the dual-motor GT-Line AWD.
The Type 2 and CCS charging port is next to the right-hand tail light.
Kia says the recharging time on the 11kW AC unit is 7 hours and 20 minutes (10-100 percent), meaning owners with a home wall box will have no problem charging overnight.
An 800V charging infrastructure on the DC side theoretically enables 10-80 percent charging on an ultra-rapid 350kW charging unit in 18 minutes, or 73 minutes on a more common (for now) 50kW charger unit.
I popped through the ChargeFox ultra-rapid charger and added 56.53kWh in 25 minutes, with a peak charging speed of 202kW (displayed on Kia’s equipment). This is equivalent to adding 73% charge in 25 minutes.
| Kia EV6 Air | |
|---|---|
| Motor location, drive | Rear, RWD |
| Power and torque | 168kW and 350Nm |
| 0-100 kmph | 7.3 seconds |
| Battery | Lithium-ion, 77.4kWh |
| System voltage | 400V and 800V (no adapter required) |
| AC charging | 10.5 kW |
| AC Charge Time 10-100% | 7 hours, 20 minutes |
| A DC charging peak was observed. | 202 kW |
| DC charge time 10-80% | ~ 18 minutes on a 350kW charger ~73 minutes on a 50kW charger |
| Claimed driving range | 528 km WLTP |
| Claimed energy consumption. | 16.5 kW per 100 km |
How does the Kia EV6 Air drive?
Although it’s the base, non-performance EV6 variant, it’s no slouch with consecutive zero-to-100km/h times of 7.4 seconds and 7.7 seconds.
Throttle response is also tweaked considerably based on your set driving mode which remains on restart – less energy-saving response in Eco, punchier in Sport.
One point, the Air lacks the Active Sound Design sound synthesizer found in the EV6 GT-Line grade, so everything here is quiet.
I covered 395.3 km in a few days (10 hours and 15 minutes of driving in total) at a temperature of about 20 degrees, using an average of 15.2kWh. It is better than a claim.
After 400km of travel I maintained 18% battery charge, meaning the actual driving range based on my trip would have been less than 500km.
You also get several forms of brake energy recuperation that manifests in more drag or deceleration when lifting off the accelerator with one pedal driving.
Level 3 Region mode greatly reduces your need to use the mechanical brakes, which feel nicely weighted.
Unlike some electric cars, the EV6 feels quite dynamically capable despite its 2000kg weight.
It handles small sharp bumps well, isolates you from road noise, and makes sharp enough directional changes with flat body control.
The driver assistance features are also excellent, particularly the lane-keeping assist that steers the car through surprisingly tight turns – while your hand gently rests on the wheel.
It is also rated for tow. 1600 kg, though this will greatly affect the range. As always, variables such as payload, weather and driving style greatly affect range.
| Kia EV6 Air | |
|---|---|
| Front suspension. | McPherson strut |
| Rear suspension | Multilink |
| Front brake | 325 mm ventilated disc |
| Rear brakes | 325 mm solid disc |
| Regenerative brake | 0-3 levels via paddle shifters |
| Turning circle | 11.6 m |
| Tire | Kumho or Nexen 235/55s |
what do you get
outside
- Portable Trickle Charger Cable (Three Prong)
- Flush the door handles.
- LED reflector headlights
- LED daytime running lights
- LED tail lights
- 19 inch alloy wheels
- Tire pressure monitoring system
- Tire repair kit
- Power folding and heated side mirrors
inside
- Auto dimming rear view mirror
- Fabric and synthetic leather trim.
- Dual zone climate control
- 12.3-inch instrument cluster
- 12.3-inch center touchscreen
- Satellite navigation with map updates
- 6-speaker audio
- AM/FM/DAB+
- Multiple Bluetooth connections
- Wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
- 4 x USB-C ports, 1 x USB-A, and 2 x 12V
- A V2L feature with a three-prong PowerPoint in the back seat
- Wireless phone charger
The EV6 Air goes without many of the goodies found in the GT-Line, which we reviewed here.
The EV6 GT-Line added:
- 20-inch alloy wheels
- Acoustic front window glass
- Rear privacy glass
- Auto folding flush door handles
- GT Line exterior styling
- V2L adapter with 3.6kW
- Leatherette/suede seat upholstery
- Stainless steel ware area delhi plate
- 64 colors interior lighting
- Active Sound Design (Engine Sound Modes)
- Augmented Reality Heads Up Display
- 14-speaker Meridian Audio
- Power driver seat with 2 position memory
- Premium Relaxation Seats (Front)
- Heated/ventilated front seats
- Heated steering wheel
- Remote Smart Park Assist
- Power tailgate
- Blind Spot View Monitor
- 3D surround view camera system
It all looks very attractive at $7000, suggesting the EV6 Air is either overpriced or should be better equipped.
Is the Kia EV6 Air safe?
The Kia EV6 earned a Five star ANCAP safety rating Based on testing by Euro NCAP with a 2022 date stamp.
It scored 90 percent for adult protection, 87 percent for child occupant protection, 64 percent for vulnerable road user protection, and 88 percent for safety assistance.
Standard safety features include:
- Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB)
- Pedestrian, cyclist detection
- Junction Asst
- Adaptive cruise control with stop/go
- Lane Following Assist (Active Centering)
- Keep lane support
- Blind spot monitoring
- Rear cross traffic alert
- Front center airbag
- Intelligent speed limit support
- Multi-collision braking
- Front and rear parking sensors
- Reversing camera
- Tire pressure monitoring
The EV6 GT-Line added:
How much does the Kia EV6 Air cost to run?
The EV6 is covered by Australia. Seven-year, unlimited kilometer warrantywarranty for seven years or 150,000 km with high voltage components like battery, e-motors and onboard charger.
Kia offers three prepaid service plans. The cost of the three-year plan is $594A five-year plan will set you back. $1089and a seven-year plan $1584.
CarExpert’s take on the Kia EV6 Air
The Kia EV6 is such a great electric crossover, I would seriously consider buying one. And at base level as tested it still feels exciting and worth stacking up.
For my two cents, it’s the most appealing Tesla Model 3 alternative on the market right now, and it’s likely to get even better when supplies begin in 2023.
It would be difficult to wade through the GT-Line’s lengthy specifications, yet the EV6 Air is a genuinely well-engineered electric car that’s among the best in the business.
Check out the link below for our three-way EV comparison between the EV6, Polestar 2 and Tesla Model 3.
Click on the images for the full gallery.
More: Kia EV6 v Polestar 2 v Tesla Model 3 comparison
More: Everything Kia EV6