Kia EV9 review

You could argue that the Kia EV9 was a bit of a trailblazer because, when it launched, it was unrivalled for practicality at its price 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 decidedly limited.

Sure, the Mercedes EQB has as many seats as the EV9 but adults really won’t fancy a trip in an EQB's third row. The much larger Mercedes EQS SUV solves the issue of space and throws in a luxurious interior but is seriously pricey.

Indeed, unless you want an electric-van-based MPV (the Vauxhall Vivaro Life Electric for example) your only options are the Peugeot e-5008 and the long-wheelbase version of the VW ID Buzz.

The question is, should you choose the Kia EV9 over those rivals? What’s more, should you choose it over non-electric rivals including the Audi Q7 and Land Rover Defender? That’s what we’re going to find out in this review.

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

The entry-level RWD version is driven by its rear wheels and can officially do 349 miles, while the heavier AWD model tops out at 315 miles (313 miles on 21in wheels).

Those official ranges are pretty much impossible to match in real-world driving, but the EV9 will travel further than a similarly priced Audi Q8 e-tron or BMW iX. That’s also more than a Mercedes EQB (up to 320 miles) and around the same as the Peugeot e-5008 (347 miles).

The 200bhp EV9 RWD has a respectable 0-62mph time of 9.4 seconds. That’s a fair bit slower than any Tesla Model Y but there’s still enough punch for everyday driving and it builds momentum gently in a linear fashion. 

The EV9 AWD adds a second motor on the front axle 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 occupants back in their seats.

However, this is an enormous seven-seat SUV with relatively soft suspension so if you make use of the AWD’s power there’s quite a lot of movement. The nose of the car rears up during hard acceleration before pitching down towards the ground again when you hit the brakes.

There’s also quite a lot of body lean in corners, but at least the EV9 doesn't sway violently when changing direction – as a driving at a moderate pace seems most suitable in a car like this anyway. The light steering is useful when manoeuvring at low speeds and switching into Sport mode adds a bit more weight to help it feel more precise.

The pay-off for the softer suspension set-up is a comfier ride. The RWD EV9 lopes along comfortably on a motorway and does a good job of taking the sting out of bumps and potholes. The heavier AWD version has slightly firmer suspension that irons out the road surface a bit better, and while this results in a slightly calmer ride, the difference is subtle.

Unlike many alternatives in its price bracket, the EV9 is not 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.

That hasn't stopped the model impressing us when it comes to towing though. Read more about its repeated success on our Tow Car Awards page.

Aside from some wind noise – no doubt generated by its boxy silhouette – the EV9 is 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.

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 used inside 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 as 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.

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 them 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.

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 great for family carpool karaoke.

The driver gets a 12.3in digital display, which is clear and positioned high enough to negate the need for a head-up display – something the top-spec GT-Line S gets, but no other version. The only slight issue for some drivers is that the top of the steering wheel obstructs the top section of the display when set to its lowest position.

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.

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.

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 an extra £1,000, 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 with its rear-most seats in place – in fact, there’s more space there than in the Toyota Yaris small car, which is quite impressive. For even more space, you can fold down the second and third row seatbacks electrically by pressing buttons 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 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.

On the face of it, the Kia EV9 probably looks pricier than you might expect, with a starting price that’s similar to the Audi Q7 and more than the entry-level Land Rover Defender 110.

Against its electric rivals, meanwhile, it’s fairly well priced, costing more than the Mercedes EQB, around the same as the VW ID Buzz LWB and less than the Audi Q8 e-tron and BMW iX. Either way, you’ll want to make sure you get the best price through our New Car Deals pages. 

At least it’s predicted to depreciate slower than most of its rivals, with the exception of the Defender. That should help to keep PCP finance payments competitive and ensure you get plenty of your money back if you decide to sell after three years. 

Our preferred entry-level Air trim – which is only available with rear-wheel-drive – 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 has a maximum charging speed 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 and EQB.

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 eighth out of 32 brands in the overall manufacturer league table in the 2023 What Car? Reliability Survey – that’s above Tesla, BMW, Mercedes and Land Rover. 

You get a seven-year/100,000-mile warranty, which is longer than the three-year cover 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).

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