Kia EV9 review

The Kia EV9 is a bit of a trailblazer because when it first arrived it was unrivalled for practicality in the electric SUV class. Even now, if you want to go fully electric and need to carry six passengers in comfort, your options are quite limited.

As well as the EV9, you could consider the Mercedes EQB – but adults really won’t fancy a trip in its third row of seats. The much larger Mercedes EQS SUV solves the issue of space and throws a luxurious interior into the mix, but it's very expensive.

Excluding electric-van-based MPVs, your other options at the moment are the Peugeot e-5008 and the long-wheelbase version of the VW ID Buzz – although we've no doubt there will be more electric seven-seaters on sale in the future.

The question is, should you choose an EV9 over one of those rival car models? What’s more, should you choose it over non-electric seven-seat alternatives, including the Audi Q7 and Land Rover Defender?

Read on to find out how well the Kia EV9 performed in our testing, and how we rate it against its main rivals...

All versions of the Kia EV9 have the same 96kWh (usable capacity) battery, but the maximum range between charges depends on whether you want two or four-wheel drive.

The entry-level RWD version is driven by its rear wheels and has an official range of 349 miles. In our 2024 summer range test it managed an impressive 314 miles on a full charge – although efficiency wasn't brilliant at 3.3 miles per kWh. Blame the EV9's tall and boxy silhouette for that.

Meanwhile, the heavier four-wheel drive (AWD) version has an official range of up to 315 miles (it varies a little depending on the size of wheels fitted).

In short, the EV9 can go further than the longest-range version of the Peugeot e-5008 currently on sale (although a longer-range version is due later), as well as equivalent versions of the Audi Q8 e-tron and BMW iX.

The 200bhp EV9 RWD isn't quick, but there’s still an adequate amount punch for everyday driving. Its 0-62mph time is a respectable 9.4 seconds so it's fractionally quicker than an e-5008.

The EV9 AWD – which was a category winner at our 2024 Tow Car Awards – adds a second motor for lots more power and drops the 0-62mph time to just 5.3 seconds. That’s quick by any standards, and it feels it as the car deploys its power instantly, pinning you and your passengers back in their seats.

However, this is an enormous seven-seat SUV with relatively soft suspension, so it doesn't really like being driven in anger. The EV9's nose rears up during hard acceleration before pitching down again when you hit the brakes.

You're far better off taking it easy, especially around corners: if you tackle a tight bend too quickly there's a noticeable amount of body lean. The light steering is useful when manoeuvring at low speeds, and switching into Sport mode adds a bit of extra weight to to give you more confidence at faster speed.

The pay-off for that softer suspension is a largely comfortable ride. The RWD EV9 lopes along smoothly on the motorway and does a reasonable job of taking the sting out of bumps and potholes in town. 

However, unlike some SUVs in its price bracket, the EV9 isn't available with air suspension to help manage its hefty kerb weight. As a result, it misses out on that extra layer of suppleness against sharp-edged intrusions that a BMW iX or Land Rover Defender 110 provides. The lack of air suspension also means you can’t adjust the ride height.

Aside from some wind noise – no doubt generated by that boxy silhouette – the EV9 is fairly hushed on motorways with little road noise to bother you or your occupants. True, it doesn’t isolate you from the outside world as well as the Q8 e-tron and iX, but then few cars in any class do.

“I found the EV9 very competent at towing when testing it for our Tow Car Awards – although pulling a caravan puts a big dent in the range.” – Dan Jones, Senior Reviewer

Kia’s interiors have been getting better and better over the years and we’d go so far as to say the EV9 is the brand’s best effort yet.

Not by much though, and the materials don’t impress compared with those in premium five-seat electric SUVs – including the Audi Q8 e-tron and BMW iX – or petrol seven-seaters such as the Audi Q7 and Land Rover Defender.

The covering on the steering wheel doesn’t feel very premium, for example, and the soft-touch material on the dashboard isn’t particularly dense or plush given the price bracket the EV9 is competing in. There are no options to personalise the interior with different colour schemes, meaning there’s a lot of grey on show.

The driving position has that elevated feel SUV buyers love, and the front seats are comfortable with a good amount of side support. However, there are some ergonomic irritations, such as the Start button hidden behind the steering wheel on the gear selector, and the fact that the wheel blocks your view of the 5.3in air-con touchscreen behind.

Fortunately, there are some physical switches for the most commonly used air-con controls (temperature and fan speed), and these are easily visible in the middle of the dashboard. Above those you’ll spot some text that marks out haptic shortcut buttons for the infotainment system. If you prod these hard enough, they vibrate so you know your request has been registered.

The infotainment system is controlled using a 12.3in touchscreen, similar to the one in the Kia EV6 but with a slightly different layout. The screen doesn’t have the clarity or response times to compete with Audis and BMWs in this price range, but it’s still easy enough to use and comes with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay smartphone mirroring.

The driver gets a 12.3in digital display behind the steering wheel, which is clear and positioned high enough to negate the need for a head-up display – something that only top-spec GT-Line S versions get. The only slight issue for some drivers is that the top of the steering wheel can obstruct the top section of the display.

In most respects, visibility is good wherever in the car you’re sitting – even on the two third-row seats, thanks to the EV9's big windows. Our only criticism is that it can be difficult to judge the projection of the bonnet from the driver’s seat, and that's not a major problem because you get front and rear parking sensors, and a 360-degree bird’s eye view camera.

“Upgrading to range-topping GT-Line S trim swaps the standard eight-speaker sound system for 14-speaker Meridian equivalent, which is really punchy and I found great for carpool karaoke.” – Neil Winn, Deputy Reviews Editor

The biggest draw of the Kia EV9 is how big and practical it is. Indeed, no other electric SUV comes close. Third-row passengers benefit most from the EV9’s sizeable dimensions, because unlike in some seven-seaters six-footers have plenty of head room.

There’s more than enough knee room too, as long as those sitting on the row in front don't slide their seats all the way back. And they shouldn't need to: knee room on the second row is, frankly, ridiculous.

That's the case whether you go for the standard EV9 seven-seater – with its 2-3-2 seats layout – or the six-seat configuration, with three pairs of seats. In the six-seater, you get two individual chairs in the second row, and they can swivel 180 degrees to allow passengers to face backwards if desired.

The swivelling chairs also make it easy to load and unload kids into child seats. The EV9 has four Isofix child-seat mounts – two on the second row and two on the third. However, to have the six-seater version you’ll first need to choose range-topping GT-Line S trim then fork out extra, which means you’ll be spending a lot of money.

With all the seats in use, the EV9 has slightly more boot space than a VW ID Buzz LWB – in fact, there’s more space than in the boot of a Toyota Yaris, which is quite impressive. For even more space, you can fold down the second and third row seatbacks electrically to create much more luggage space. In two-seat mode, the EV9 is essentially transformed into a funky-looking van.

There's also some storage under the bonnet, although in four-wheel-drive versions you’ll fit the charging cable there but not a lot else. Rear-wheel-drive EV9s have slightly more under-bonnet stowage, but not enough for a carry-on suitcase like you can in the Tesla Model Y.

Interior stowage is impressive, with a huge tub under the floating centre console in the front, and a cubby under the central armrest. In the second row, there’s a pull-out drawer at floor level in front of the middle seat, plus two cupholders a little higher up. Third-row passengers get their own cupholders.

“Although the EV9 has Isofix mounting points on four of its seats, I think it's a shame there isn't one one on the front passenger seat.” – Will Nightingale, Reviews Editor

The Kia EV9 is probably more expensive than you might expect, with a starting price that’s similar to the Audi Q7, and above that of an entry-level Land Rover Defender 110.

Against its electric rivals, though, the EV9 is actually fairly well priced, costing more than the Mercedes EQB, but around the same as the VW ID Buzz LWB and less than the Audi Q8 e-tron and BMW iX.

Depreciation isn't predicted to be especially heavy, either, although the EV9 is likely to lose its value faster than an equivalent Defender. And because monthly PCP finance payments are fairly hefty, the EV9 makes most sense to company car drivers who instead pay benefit in kind (BIK) tax through a monthly salary sacrifice.

Our preferred entry-level Air trim – which is only available with rear-wheel-drive (RWD) – comes with three-zone climate control, electric front seats (heated and ventilated in the first two rows), a heated steering wheel, a powered tailgate and a heat pump for more efficient warming of the interior in cool conditions. The standard 19in alloys look pretty small on a car this big, mind.

Stepping up to either GT-Line or GT-Line S trim adds all-wheel drive, along with 21in alloys, sportier styling, more comfortable front seats and adaptive headlights. On top of that, top-spec GT-Line S also gets a sunroof, a head-up display and an upgraded stereo. 

The EV9 impresses when it comes to charging, because it can accept a maximum of of 210kW. In ideal conditions, and if you can find a fast enough public charging point, a 10-80% top-up can be taken care of in just 24 minutes. That’s quicker than a Q8 e-tron, iX or EQB can manage.

We can’t give you much of a steer on reliability because the EV9 is still quite new. However, we can tell you that Kia finished 11th out of 31 brands in the overall manufacturer league table in the 2024 What Car? Reliability Survey – that’s above Tesla, Mercedes and Land Rover, but below BMW.

You get a seven-year/100,000-mile warranty with the EV9, which is longer than the three-year cover that comes as standard on a BMW or Mercedes.

The EV9 was awarded the full five-star rating when it was tested by the safety experts at Euro NCAP. All models come with lots of safety kit, including blind-spot monitoring, lane-keeping assist, rear cross-traffic alert and automatic emergency braking (AEB).

“For me, spending extra on GT-Line or GT-Line S trim makes little sense – especially since the cheaper Air model has a longer range.” – Lawrence Cheung, New Cars Editor

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