Should you buy one?

Absolutely. It’s easily one of the best electric cars money can buy. That might come as a surprise considering its priced from £65,000, but the EV9’s blend of practicality, comfort, equipment and performance are truly impressive at that price point. It feels like a baby Range Rover – but for two thirds of the price.

Yes, the EV9 lacks the badge appeal of a BMW, Land Rover or Mercedes, but Kia isn’t a budget brand anymore. Kia’s massive sales volumes also prove that buyers are increasingly comfortable opting for these Korean EVs as an alternative.

It’s a great solution for large families. The EV9 does everything to make a stressed parent’s life easier by offering loads of space, acres of storage and enough clever extras to make Skoda blush, such as intelligently placed charging sockets in the front seat backs and hidden sun blinds in the rear door cards.

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Plus, the EV9 is a very capable long-distance cruiser, thanks to its comfortable suspension and enormous battery pack. It’s also surprisingly good fun to drive and the 383hp GT-Line models are quick, although they won’t reward you in the same manner BMW X5.

But driving dynamics aren’t really the point of this sort of car. It was designed to carry passengers and luggage in comfort – and for that reason, we’d recommend the entry-level 203hp ‘Air’ model every time. It’s better value for money, it’s a little less frantic when you put your foot down and it can eke more miles from each charge.

What we like

The EV9 is comfortable, supremely refined, very well equipped and exceptionally spacious. Despite its girth, it doesn’t feel intimidating on the road and its infotainment system is far more approachable than the technology you’ll find in Mercedes’s latest EVs.

Yes, it’s expensive for a Kia. But it represents amazing value for money. It’s sized and equipped to compete with the Range Rover and BMW X7, but it’s more than £30,000 cheaper. We’re struggling to find a car than can offer greater comfort for the money.

What we don’t like

Other than the heavy handed driver monitoring system, not a lot. The only real downside is that the car’s finance deals are quite uncompetitive. Currently, you’re looking at monthly payments of around £1,000 for an Air model on a 31-month PCP deal with a modest deposit of £6,500.

The Volkswagen ID.Buzz has a similar list price, but it’s significantly cheaper in terms of monthly payments. Car finance is always changing, however, so check Kia’s latest deals before writing the EV9 off your shortlist.