Kia EV9 2024 review – a Range Rover on a budget?
Need an electric seven-seater with a 300+ mile range? Right now, the answer is Kia's EV9.
Enormous electric SUVs don't tend to shine under the evo microscope. Bolting a huge battery pack beneath a large, high-riding vehicle is the easiest way to produce an EV with an acceptable range and a healthy profit margin, but seems to completely miss the point when it comes to the thoughtful, forward-thinking design avenues that electric propulsion can open up.
A full-size seven-seater it may be, but the Kia EV9 feels like a breath of fresh air in some ways. This is an electric car that makes excellent use of its footprint and packaging to be genuinely useful and – for now at least – unrivalled in its segment. If you want a 300+ mile EV to carry seven passengers comfortably, this is the only place to look.
The EV9 rides on Kia’s familiar e-GMP platform (shared with the EV6), and comes in three variants; the rear-wheel drive Air, the all-wheel drive GT-Line and the GT-Line S range-topper. Each model is priced at £65,025, £73,275 and £76,025 respectively, with the optional six-seat layout of the GT-Line S costing an extra £1000.
Powertrain, performance and range
Every EV9 is equipped with a huge 99.8kWh battery pack, sending (and receiving) its power through an 800V electronic architecture – there’s also a standard heat pump to improve efficiency. The Air can achieve an impressive 349 miles from a charge – 36 miles more than the dual-motor versions – and a peak charging rate of 210kW enables 155 miles of range to be added in just 15 minutes. A downside of that large battery is that it weighs 566kg on its own – or the same as the evo Fast Fleet Caterham Seven…
The GT-Line and GT-Line S use the same 378bhp dual-motor powertrain, which carries the 2648kg EV9 down the road very nicely. The 0-62mph sprint is covered in 5.3sec and it feels genuinely urgent right up to motorway speeds, at which point the big Kia starts to struggle a little more against drag and friction. The 200bhp, single-motor Air feels lethargic by comparison – you miss the extra grunt when making overtakes or squirting down a slip road – but the immediate torque delivery makes it easy to keep up with traffic and stroll along at decent speed.
In both models throttle modulation is smooth and controlled in the Normal drive mode, becoming snappier in Sport. The active dampers aren’t adjustable through the drive modes, however, and vary automatically according to road conditions.
The EV9 is capable of one-pedal driving, activated via the wheel-mounted paddles. Should you need to use the brake pedal, the blend between regen and the friction brakes is impressively seamless, with the 360mm front, 345mm rear brakes providing adequate and progressive stopping power. Initial bite isn’t particularly strong, and all that weight certainly makes itself known after a few stops, but this won’t be a problem unless you’re driving the EV9 in a manner you probably shouldn’t be.
Ride and handling
From the first turn of the wheel, it’s clear that the EV9 has been set up to be relaxing over long distances rather than engaging to drive – a sensible approach for this kind of car, and for the most part the Kia fits that brief well. It's calm and quiet at motorway speeds with well controlled body movements, but on fiddly, bumpy back roads, the EV9 begins to unravel slightly – particularly on 21-inch alloys. It’s generally comfortable, but imperfections can shimmy through the structure and the suspension works hard to maintain a level platform on heavily crowned roads. The smaller 19-inch wheels provide an extra layer of compliance to take the edge off bumps, and we’d stick with these.
The EV9 is easy to position on the road for a two-metre-wide SUV, and if you gently introduce it into corners it’s stable, secure and sure-footed. Up the pace and there’s a ponderous feel as you persuade all that mass to change direction, but the EV9 doesn’t throw up any surprises – at worst, it leans into gentle, easily manageable understeer. The single-motor Air feels similar, aside from slightly more positive steering feel and a more neutral balance when accelerating out of corners. Whichever version you choose, there’s no escaping the fact that you’re dealing with a five-metre-long SUV without rear-wheel steering, so manoeuvring in tight spaces can be tricky.
Design, interior and tech
The design of the EV9 is quite unlike anything on the road – it’s boxy, modern and has real presence in the metal. The party trick, however, is that it feels like Kia has maximised its size to offer a vast, extremely versatile interior. Unlock the EV9 via its part-recycled key and its flush handles emerge from the doors. Climb aboard and the lack of a transmission tunnel gives a completely flat floor throughout the cabin, and with sliding second-row seats, you can fit three adults behind one another in relative comfort. The GT-Line and GT-Line S come with heated and ventilated seats throughout, with the latter offering an optional six-seat layout with individual swivelling chairs in the second row.
This practicality is backed up by solid – if not overly plush – build quality and an enormous suite of kit that includes a digital rear-view mirror, active noise cancellation, three-zone climate control, six onboard USB-C ports, a 360-degree parking camera and a full-sized three-pin UK plug socket in the boot. The EV9 even goes as far as blocking the scent of the washer fluid from entering the cabin when you clean the windscreen.
A pair of 12.3-inch displays take centre stage up front, along with a row of illuminated hard keys on the dashboard (which can take one or two attempts before registering a press, it must be said). The infotainment touchscreen could be more responsive but the interface is relatively intuitive to use on the move, but if you don’t get on with it, Apple Carplay and Android Auto are included as standard. Thankfully, the climate controls are always accessible via a dedicated display to the left of the driver.
Price and rivals
Regardless of whether you can stomach the thought of a £64,995 Kia, the truth is that the EV9 lacks any direct rivals at the moment, and justifies that asking price with excellent versatility and equipment levels. It’s by no means as plush or sophisticated as a Range Rover, but it doesn’t cost over £100k either…
Volvo’s EX90 is coming soon as a similarly-sized seven-seat electric SUV, but one that’s certain to be a more upmarket proposition with a higher price tag to boot. The forthcoming Volkswagen ID. Buzz LWB packs unrivalled style and a cavernous interior, but offers a shorter 258-mile range than the Kia and is closer to a van than an SUV. The EV9 isn't perfect, but given what it offers for the price and its lack of competitors, it’s impossible not to recommend.