Kia EV9 Review

Kia did the unglamorous work here. The EV9 is five metres long and shaped like a box on purpose, so the third row seats adults, the second row slides and reclines, and the boot behind all three is usable rather than notional. It runs the same 800 volt hardware as the EV6, so it charges properly, and it tows five thousand pounds. Inside, Kia kept a physical volume knob and a row of climate controls, fitted good materials and left the glass area alone, so visibility is excellent.

The price was the shock, because a well equipped example undercut a comparable German electric SUV by a sum measured in tens of thousands. The weaknesses are honest ones. Efficiency is mediocre, with 304 miles coming from a 99.8 kilowatt hour pack, because physics does not negotiate with frontal area. Three row electric demand proved thinner than anyone expected, so discounting was heavy and residuals suffered for it. It remains the sensible answer in a class full of poses.