Kia EV9 review

It costs more than most Kias you will ever buy. That is the first thing to accept.

The Kia EV9 is the brand’s new flagship, a seven-seater (or six, depending on how you configure it) that pushes into territory previously reserved for Mercedes and Audi in the UK market. Pricey? Yes. Do you get what you pay for? Surprisingly, yes.

A massive battery grants long range. Fast charging works at a pace that does not break the spirit of a road trip. Adults actually fit in the back. The interior materials feel expensive. It is not without faults. Some are minor annoyances. They are not big enough to make you look elsewhere.

A long lineage goes electric

Kia has sold seven-seat cars for years. First came the Sedona minivan, then the Carens. The Sorento SUV eventually took up the mantle of practicality for the brand. Now that job falls to the EV9, which ditches petrol for a fully electric setup.

The hardware underneath is uniform. Every EV9 in the UK lineup rides on a 99.8kWh battery. That gives you 96kWh of usable juice. From that, you can expect up to 349 miles per charge. You choose your drive style rather than your power source.

• Rear-wheel drive single motor. Efficient. Calm.
• Four-wheel drive dual motor. Grip. Power.
• The EV9 GT. Insane speed.

The GT shares the battery pack but pumps over 500bhp to all four corners. It defies physics for a family hauler.

“We tested it against a Volvo XC90. The Kia ran rings around it. More space, better refinement, cheaper.”

Big. Heavy. Surprisingly Agile.

It is tricky to park. That is unavoidable with a vehicle of this dimension. But the refinement? Impeccable.

Three powertrain choices exist, all using the same 99.8kwh brick. It boils down to needs. Efficiency gets you rear-wheel drive. Traction needs four-wheel drive. Scaring the kids on the school run gets you the GT.

The chassis handles well. Too well, really. Most people expect a floaty sofa. They get something with balance.

Five levels of regenerative braking are available. You can freewheel with no resistance. Or you can use one-pedal driving, letting the car halt itself completely without touching the brake. Pick your poison.

The base Air model feels slow. 200bhp moves two-and-a-half tons, sure. But it lacks effortless shove. You wait for the punch. It arrives, eventually.

The GT-Line is different. 378bhp and instant torque make 5.3 seconds to 60 mph feel brisk for 2.6 tonnes of steel. It does not hesitate.

The GT is ridiculous. It launches in 4.6 seconds. It beats a Golf R off the line. To engage the driver, Kia borrowed tech from the Ioniq 5N. You get paddle-shifted virtual gears and synthesized V6 engine noise from the speakers. It is silly. It is fun. Which matters?

Low-speed struggles

Turn tight? Good luck.

The 12.4-meter turning circle hurts in tight town squares. Four-wheel steering would fix it, but Kia did not include it here. Not even for this price.

The throttle is sensitive. Modulation at parking speeds feels awkward. You want creep, you get lurch. The suspension feels brittle over broken surfaces too, especially on the larger 21-inch wheels or the firm GT setup.

Speed cures it, though.

Motorway Nirvana

Get moving, and the complaints vanish. The ride becomes soft. Languid even. Bumps disappear before they reach the cabin. The low center of gravity from the floor battery pack provides neutral balance.

It feels stable. Safe.

Steering is precise and weighted. It reassures you that the mass under the rear axle will not flip on a sudden maneuver. The GT handles corners surprisingly well, thanks to electronic dampers that keep the body roll in check.

Highways are its home. Noise isolation is class-leading. Wind buffeting? Nonexistent.

Standard equipment includes adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go. Lane centering assists. You still must drive. It is not self-driving. But the stress of a holiday trip drops noticeably.

Alex Ingram, former chief reviewer:

“Opinions split on how hard regen should be. Giving the driver choice is a win.”

Range, Cost, and Reality

The UK gets the big battery. Good.

Other markets settle for a smaller 76kwh unit. We do not have to compromise on capacity. A heat pump comes standard. This matters. Cold weather saps battery life. The heat pump draws less power to warm the cabin.

There is Vehicle-to-Load technology. Plug your coffee machine or camping fridge directly into the car.

The Kia app lets you pre-heat or defrost windows while plugged into mains electricity. Save battery. Preserve range. Smart.

The Range Breakdown

• Air (RWD): Up to 349 miles. We saw roughly 320 miles in real life. 2.7 miles per kWh in cold snaps.
• GT-Line (AWD): 316 miles claimed. The AWD system eats energy.
• GT: 316 miles paper. 201 miles reality in testing. Push it, and the numbers plummet.

Charging speed is impressive, if you can find a strong charger. At a 210kW rapid charger, you jump from 10% to 80% in 24 minutes. Doable on a toilet break. At home? A standard 7.4kwh wallbox takes 15+ hours. Plan accordingly.

Money Matters

Insurance groups are high. The base Air sits in group 45. Everything else is in the max tier, 50. This will cost you.

Road tax follows EV rules. Free year one. Then the £425 standard VED applies. But since the car costs over £50k, a £375 luxury car surcharge hits for five years. That brings the annual bill to £625 between years 2 and 6.

Future pain looms. The proposed eVED per-mile tax might start in 2028 EV9 owners could face a double tax hit. Company car users, however, benefit from low Benefit-in-Kind rates because of the zero emissions.

Depreciation? Surprisingly decent. Expect to retain about 51-52% of the value after three years and 36,00 miles. Slightly better than the Hyundai Ioniq5N. Worse than the Volvo EX90.

The Interior Experience

It looks good. Modern. Low dash. Wide stance.

The infotainment screen is intuitive. Kia finally got this right. Menus make sense. No digging through layers.

The dashboard houses two 12-inch screens. But look closely at the center stack. Between them lies a touch panel for climate control. From the driver’s seat, the steering wheel blocks almost the entire thing. It is annoying. Lazy design.

Fortunately, physical toggles below fix this. You adjust temperature by touch or twist. A relief. Many rivals should copy this.

GT buyers get green brake calipers and unique wheels. Cosmetics, yes. But nice ones.

Is the material quality up to par with a Porsche? No. Some plastics feel a step down for the price. But few will complain about a clean, spacious cabin. Storage is ample. Seating is generous. It is built for living.

The EV9 is not perfect. It parks badly. It costs a lot. It taxes heavily.

But it drives like a luxury sedan. It charges quickly. It holds its value reasonably. It offers seven seats without sacrificing adult comfort.

Why are we surprised it beats the Volvo?