Kia EV6: Electric car gets bigger batteries and lower price

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It is difficult to imagine what was going on behind the scenes in Wolfsburg, among other places, when the Hyundai Group presented the e-GMP platform for electric cars. A voltage level of 800 volts does not necessarily mean a high charging capacity, but it does make things easier. Since 2021, electric cars such as the Hyundai Ioniq 5 and the Kia EV6 have been at the forefront of charging performance. The 18 minutes it takes to charge the battery from 10 to 80 percent under ideal conditions are marketed to the public. Numerous tests have shown that this promise is not an empty one. Now, following the revised Hyundai Ioniq 5, the Group is also launching sales of the Kia EV6 in an updated form.

Externally, this is particularly evident at the front, which has undergone a major design change with its new headlights. Compared to this, the small touch-ups to the front and rear bumpers are almost harmless. There are seven colors, of which only two are available for all equipment lines: Red and black. One new feature is a matt dark blue, which Kia only offers for the top version for an extra charge of 1800 euros.

Updated infotainment

The interior is now furnished to a higher standard, writes Kia. More striking are a new steering wheel and a matt surround in the center console, which was previously glossy black. More important for most customers, however, is that Kia has comprehensively modernized the infotainment system. The route planner has been further improved, and a driver profile with various settings can be stored in the car and accessed via a fingerprint sensor. Finally, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay can also be used in the EV6 without the need for a calf. The inductive charging station gets a little more power with 15 watts. With the optional "Digital Key 2.0", a cell phone or smartwatch can be set up as a key.

The stand, which others get via a major update that we recently reported on, is always included in the revised EV6. Kia has presumably evaluated feedback from customers and has come to the conclusion that notifications from assistants should be more discreet. Although the warning for exceeding a speed limit has had to be on every time a new car is started since July, Kia has now also shortened the way to turn it on – with a button on the steering wheel. The driver no longer has to make an active steering movement to make it clear to the assistants that they have their hands on the wheel.

Charging power increased again

Kia has left the drives unchanged, although the rear one is better encapsulated, which should make the car even quieter. Rear-wheel drive remains at 125 and 168 kW, while the all-wheel drive version still has 239 kW. A GT version with considerably more power will follow. Kia has revised both storage units. The small one has increased from 58 to 63 kWh, the large one from 77 to 84 kWh. The promised charging time in the window between 10 and 80 percent has remained unchanged, which in turn means that Kia has had to increase the charging capacity even further. The battery with 63 kWh accepts up to 195 kW (instead of 180), while the large one has a maximum of 258 kW (previously 240). A range of up to 343 km can be recharged in 15 minutes. Even if this figure is based on WLTP consumption, this is still an impressive value that not many electric cars can offer – in this price range. Preconditioning of the battery, which enables high charging performance even outside of optimal conditions, can now also be used without entering a destination in the navigation system.

Despite the higher energy content, both batteries have lost a little weight. At 369 and 476 kg, they have become about one kilogram lighter, writes Kia. The range is between 428 km in the base model, 546 km in the all-wheel drive model and 582 km in the EV6 with a large battery, rear-wheel drive and 168 kW. The authors of the press release were slightly overtaken by the actual expansion of the charging infrastructure. With the "Kia Charge" charging service, 99 percent of public charging points in Germany could be used, which would be a good 130,000. According to the Federal Network Agency, more than 145,000 charging points were already accessible at the beginning of September. The traction battery of the EV6 can still be tapped externally, for example to charge the battery of an e-bike.

Prices fall, but ...

"Kia reduces the price of the EV6": this is a good advertising headline. However, the manufacturer is stretching the basis a little here. The new base model does indeed have a lower list price of 44,990 euros, and the other versions are also less expensive than before. However, Kia has not used the discontinuation of purchase support in December 2023 for an official price reduction. Formally, the manufacturer's share of the premium thus remained in the Group's coffers. Now part of it is being returned to customers. Together with the more extensive standard equipment, the 2025 EV6 has a lower price than the 2024 version.

Conclusion

Kia has significantly upgraded the EV6 as part of this facelift. The infotainment system was already not the worst on the market, but the new features make it even more convenient. The higher energy content and, above all, the further increase in charging power make many competitors in this price range look pale. The small detail improvements, which include a towing capacity increased to 1.8 tons, more effective noise insulation and assistants that promise to be less annoying, make this generation EV6 fit for the second half of its construction period.

(mfz)