Overview

If you want a good all-round electric car, you can’t really do better than the Kia EV6. It has a comfortable ride, a range of punchy powertrains, a real-world range of more than 300 miles, superfast charge times and a practical (and upmarket) interior.

But Kia has managed to make a good car even better. This is the facelifted EV6 – and it has a bigger battery pack, an even longer maximum range and faster charge times. The tweaks make a great EV more attractive, especially when you learn the updated car is hardly any more expensive than the one it replaced.

That’s no small feat, either. When the EV6 was launched in 2021, it basically owned the electric coupe SUV market. Now, though, there are more rivals than you can shake a charging cable at. Alternatives include the Audi Q4 e-tron Sportback, Skoda Enyaq Coupe, Volkswagen ID.5, Tesla Model Y and the controversial reborn Ford Capri.

So, what makes the EV6 so different? Well, it’s propped up by some pretty special technology for starters. It rides on the Hyundai Group’s E-CMP architecture which, unlike almost every other electric car, has an 800-volt electrical system. That means it can accept charge at a far faster rate, which makes it easier to live with.

That new battery pack is a corker, too. Kia has cranked its capacity up from 77.4kWh to 84.0kWh for the facelift. That’s made the EV6’s maximum WLTP range swell from 328 to 361 miles which, crucially, is 17 miles more than you get from the most long-legged Volkswagen ID.5 and 22 miles more the most efficient Audi Q4 e-tron Sportback.

The Kia EV6 is available with a broad range of powertrains – all of which offer strong performance. The most basic model has a 230hp electric motor on the rear axle, which can shunt the car from 0–62mph in 7.7 seconds.

The dual-motor, all-wheel drive version has an output of 324hp and a 0–62mph time of 5.2 seconds, which we think is more than fast enough for a family car. But, if that’s still not fast enough for you, there’s a GT model at the top of the range with a rather startling 580hp and supercar-slaying acceleration.

Over the next few pages, we’ll assess each area of the Kia EV6 to let you know what it’s like to live with. Our review will consider its practicality, interior quality, technology, driving experience and running costs. Then, once we’ve covered all that, we’ll offer our final verdict on the car to let you know exactly how much better the facelifted model is.

If you’re curious about how we reached our decision on the facelifted Kia EV6, check out our how we test cars explainer page for a detailed insight into our methodology.