The Kia EV9 is a gigantic and luxurious seven-seat electric SUV.
The South Korean company’s flagship car is its biggest, most luxurious, and most expensive model by far.
Prices for the Kia EV9 start at £64,995 for the Air model. This is rear-wheel drive and has one electric motor providing 200bhp.
Above that is the GT-Line version I spent a week with, which costs £73,245. It has two electric motors that produce 378bhp and drive all four wheels.
Top of the range is the £75,995 GT-Line S, which has the same mechanicals but adds extra kit such as twin sunroofs, a head-up display and a premium sound system.
All EV9s are seven-seats with the exception of the GT-Line S, which can also be specified as a six-seater that replaces the middle bench with two plush captain’s chairs that can swivel round so you can face people in the back seats.
The six-seater is clearly pitched towards the American market but I’m sure some UK buyers will prefer it. I’ve driven both versions and those captain’s chairs are a comfortable way to be a passenger.
Battery and range
No matter which EV9 you go for, you get a huge 99.8kWh battery. That gives the rear-wheel drive EV9 an official range of 349 miles while the more powerful four-wheel drive model can cover 313 miles.
That’s a little down on the range of the Tesla Model X and BMW iX, but the EV9 is gargantuan and far from the most aerodynamic car that’s ever been designed. A range north of 300 miles is pretty good.
Over a week of driving in relatively cold spring weather my EV9 averaged around 250 miles on a full battery. You can probably expect closer to 300 in the summer and perhaps 220 miles in the coldest, darkest depths of a Scottish winter.
The EV9 can charge at up to 210kW, at which pace the battery will go from 10-80% in less than 25 minutes.
Despite its huge size, the Kia EV9 is easy to drive. Its steering is light and the powerful electric motors push it off the line so quickly that it never feels cumbersome.
Zero to 62mph takes just 5.3 seconds. That’s slower than the warp speed, sub three-second times some Tesla models can manage, but still plenty fast enough.
Ride comfort
Ride quality is one of the EV9’s strongest suits. Kia has designed the car to be a comfortable and the suspension soaks up bumps and imperfections beautifully. Meanwhile, plenty of sound insulation ensures the cabin is virtually silent even at high speeds.
I took the EV9 from Dundee to Aviemore for a weekend away and it was such a relaxing drive I was tempted to stay on all the way to Inverness and beyond.
The only nuisance is a warning beeper that goes off if you exceed the speed limit by even 1mph. You can switch it off but it involves delving into sub-menus and has to be done every time you start the car.
It also sometimes fails to recognise road signs, bonging madly because it thinks you’re still in a 30 zone when the speed limit is 60mph.
The Kia EV9 boasts high-quality interior
The interior sets new standards of cabin quality for Kia. A pair of 12.3in screens swoop across the dashboard. There are heated and ventilated seats in the first and second rows and a heated steering wheel.
Passengers in the middle row also benefit from a clever table that slights out from the centre console.
Legroom is exceptional in the front and middle rows and even the rearmost seats are big enough for average-sized adults to be comfortable in. Whichever seat you’re in, there’s enough headroom to wear a top hat.
Even with all seven seats in place the boot is still almost as big as a Vauxhall Astra’s. Used as a five-seater the EV9 has a massive 828 litres of space. In comparison, the Audi Q8 e-tron and BMW iX have 569 litres and 500 litres.
The Tesla Model X is listed as having 987 litres but Tesla measures all the way to the roofline, whereas most manufacturers go up to the parcel shelf. In reality the Kia EV9 has a much bigger boot than the Model X.
There’s also a storage compartment under the bonnet that’s ideal for keeping the charging cables in.
Kia EV9 verdict
The EV9 was only launched at the start of this year and it’s still a rare sight on our roads. Driving home from a run in Camperdown Park I encountered another EV9 coming towards me, and the driver gave me a smile and a wave.
He was right to be happy with his new car. The EV9 is an extremely impressive car. By happy coincidence, I had a Jaguar I-Pace at the same time as the EV9.
Both cars cost a similar amount. The Jaguar handles better and has more attractive styling. Those are the only two areas where the Jaguar beats the Kia.
The EV9 is much more spacious than the Jag. It’s quieter and more refined. It’s better equipped and has a more premium interior.
If you’d told me 10 years ago that I would be comparing a £75,000 Jaguar to a £75,000 Kia and preferring the Kia, I’d have said you were daft.
But there you have it. Kia keeps pushing further upmarket and making ever-better cars.
Kia EV9 review – facts
Price: £73,275
0-62mph: 5.3 seconds
Top speed: 124mph
Range: 313 miles
CO2 emissions: 0g/km
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