Kia EV9 review: one of the most versatile electric vehicles around

The boxy looks of the Kia EV9 are drawing attention from people coming out of established premium cars, like the Land Rover Discovery. Given its practicality, the impressive list of standard equipment, and the high-end electric vehicle technology it has, we’re not surprised that the Korean brand’s flagship is turning so many heads. It may be Kia’s most expensive car to date, but it might just be its best, too.

The enormous Kia EV9 seven-seat electric SUV follows an impressive line of outstanding electric vehicles from the brand, using a class-leading 800-volt architecture that allows for ultra-rapid charging speeds, reducing the need to keep the children entertained on long trips as you top up the battery. Its interior provides all the modern conveniences you’d expect of a large SUV, but it’s not without one or two quirks. For the most part, these are minor gripes within an extremely well-rounded package.

About the Kia EV9

With this model, Kia beat its group partner Hyundai to the punch in building a true jumbo electric car. The EV9 is a full five-metre-long creation with imposing styling (lots of simple creases and hard edges, plus an unashamed SUV profile) and proper three-row accommodation that arrives in the UK before the Hyundai Ioniq 7 enters the fray.

It also finally confirms that large seven-seat SUVs don’t have to be powered by petrol or diesel, as the Discovery and so many others are. Nor do they have to come as a half-way house, company car-friendly plug-in hybrid such as the BMW X5 and Volvo XC90. Sure, there will be the Volvo EX90 that will offer similar seven-seat versatility in an electric form, but that’ll be several orders of magnitude more expensive. Then there’s the cheaper Mercedes EQB, which also offers seven seats but is smaller and, therefore, not as practical as the EV9. And it doesn’t have the big Kia’s clever EV technology.

That tech starts with the single battery size on offer with the EV9. It’s a whopping 99.8kWh pack (96kWh usable), providing up to 349 miles of driving range. You can choose from two motor configurations: a rear-drive set-up with 200bhp and 350Nm, or a dual-motor, four-wheel-drive layout with 380bhp and 700Nm of torque. 

The lower-powered model is restricted to the entry-level ‘Air’ trim level. It starts at just under £65,000 – a figure that would have seemed inconceivable for even a range-topping Kia only five years ago. However, you do get a lot for your money because it comes with 19-inch alloys, LED headlights, twin 12.3-inch displays plus a 5.3-inch climate-control panel in between, six USB-C sockets (two per row), front and rear parking sensors, a powered tailgate, second-row window blinds, an eight-speaker audio system, and power-adjustable front seats.

Anyone wanting a four-wheel drive model must step up to GT-Line. It costs just over £73,000 and features 21-inch alloys, two-tone upholstery, electric adjustment on the steering column, massage functionality on the driver’s seat, adaptive-beam headlights and exterior styling tweaks.

The top-of-the-range trim is GT-Line S. It takes everything GT-Line has and adds a head-up display, a 14-speaker Meridian sound system, and front and second-row sunroofs.

This is also the only version available with the six-seat layout, incorporating ‘captain’s chairs’ in the middle row; they can rotate 180 degrees when the vehicle is stationary, allowing occupants in the back to interact more easily.