Kia EV6 review - Range, charging & running costs

​While the term 'range anxiety' is becoming much less of a concern for buyers of electric cars, it's long been thought that when EVs could break the 300-mile barrier, there'd be even less reason to resist the switch away from fossil fuels. The EV6 fits the bill, with an official range of up to 328 miles as well as super-fast 240kW rapid charging. Despite its relatively high list price, it should be affordable for many company-car drivers thanks to its low tax liability, as well as private customers able to find it on a good leasing deal.

Kia EV6 range and charging 

In most markets there are 58kWh and 77.4kWh battery versions of the EV6, but UK customers are only being offered the bigger of the two for the foreseeable future. It's a shame a more affordable version isn't available but it seems likely the decision is based on demand – and besides, sales figures from European markets suggest the majority of buyers are opting for the longer-range cars anyway.

The bigger battery offers that headline figure of 328 miles with the lower-powered motor and rear-wheel drive. Choose the GT-Line version with four-wheel drive and range slips to a still-impressive 314 miles, or 300 miles for the GT-Line S with larger 20-inch alloy wheels. For comparison, the Tesla Model Y Long Range has a range of up to 331 miles, and costs roughly the same. The Cupra Born 77kWh has a range of up to 343 miles.

There’s also a 577bhp Kia EV6 GT, which despite its ‘Grand Tourer’ name, has the shortest range of any EV6 on sale. At just 263 miles, you’ll be stopping to charge more frequently than either of the standard models.

That said, both Kia and Hyundai appear near the top of the class when it comes to EV efficiency, and during a varied test drive on UK roads, motorways, city streets and the occasional A and B-road blast, our test car returned 4.2 miles per kWh. This would indicate a real-world range of 325 miles, which isn’t far off the official figure, despite using all its various driving modes. In the all-wheel-drive version, a range of around 290 miles is more realistic.

This figure will also drop somewhat in winter, and it’s a shame the otherwise excellent Horizon trim isn’t available with an efficient heat pump, even as an option. Driving the EV6 Horizon in wintry weather we managed 3.4 miles per kWh, for a projected range of around 260 miles.

Charging is class-leading, with Kia's 800-volt electrical architecture (the same voltage you'll find in a Porsche Taycan) providing speeds of up to 240kW if you can find a potent enough public DC charger. Do so, and it'll take the battery from 0-80% in just 18 minutes, making long journeys no issue at all. Using a home 7kW wallbox charger will take just under 10 hours for a 0-100% charge.

Insurance groups

The high performance and new technology found in EVs tends to see them placed in higher insurance groups than equivalent petrol or diesel models. The entry-level EV6 Air trim sits in group 33 out of 50, which is slightly lower than the Hyundai Ioniq 5. With four-wheel drive and some extra power, the GT-Line sits in group 39, while the range-topping 577bhp EV6 GT falls into group 45 – not bad considering the performance on offer. For context, the Volkswagen ID.4 sits in groups 20-30, while the Ford Mustang Mach-E Extended Range is in group 37; the flagship Mach-E GT is in group 47.

Warranty

Kia is well-known for its seven-year/100,000-mile warranty, which is still one of the best in the industry and can even be transferred between owners. If there are any issues with the EV6, owners are unlikely to have to spend money getting them fixed.

Servicing

Servicing should be much simpler for EV models because electric motors and batteries only require attention if anything goes wrong. Items like cabin air filters and brake fluid will still need attention, along with brakes, tyres and windscreen wipers.