Kia EV6 receives new entry-level variant with £6k price drop
New version of the Kia EV6 comes in at under £40,000 and avoids the luxury car supplement...
On sale Now Price from £39,235
Despite being released after the original trilogy, the 2000s Star Wars prequels act as a precursor to the films from the 70s and 80s, setting out detailed backstories – and, in a sense, the new variant of the Kia EV6 will aim to do the same thing, acting as an introductory model to the existing lineup.
Indeed, you can now have your Kia EV6 with a new, smaller 63kWh (total capacity) battery, as opposed to the 80kWh (usable capacity) battery standard on all other models.
The new battery is available exclusively with entry-level Air trim, and it’s priced at £6000 less than the next-cheapest model. That means it’ll now avoid the luxury car tax supplement, slotting in just below the £40k mark.
The newest version of the EV6 should be good for an official range of 265 miles – but Kia claims it can manage up to 400 miles if you stick to city streets. That’s not quite as far as the entry-level Hyundai Ioniq 5, which can officially manage 273 miles from its similarly-sized battery.
The new variant benefits from the same 800-volt charging capabilities of the other models, with a 10-80% charge taking as little as 18 minutes when you use a 350kW charger. That said, most public chargers in the UK can’t facilitate those speeds, but a 50kW charger should top you up to 80% in 58 minutes.
Performance is less punchy, with an official 0-62mph time of 8.7sec – marginally slower than an equivalent Ioniq 5. Stepping up to the larger battery will cut that time by one second.
Despite its lower starting price, the newest version comes with all the same kit as larger-battery models in Air trim, including 19in alloy wheels, LED headlights, heated front seats and steering wheel, adaptive cruise control and heated door mirrors. Inside, it gets the familiar 12.3in curved infotainment touchscreen with wireless Android Auto and Apple Carplay smartphone mirroring.
It promises to be just as spacious as the other models, which means even the tallest of passengers should have no issues stretching out in the front or rear. Boot space remains unchanged, despite the smaller battery, with a not-so-capacious 490 litres.
The new variant of the EV6 should arrive in showrooms at the end of the month, with prices starting from £39,235. That puts it in line with the Ioniq 5 and Nissan Ariya, which have similar-size batteries.
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