Thinking on purchase a KIA E v6! Should I?

The first thing that I will say is that you will get a lot of biased opinions here since this is a Kia EV forum. As buyers of the car we are all biased because obviously we want the car the we chose to retain as much brand value as possible. That being said, when I compared the EV6 to the competition the only other EV I was considering was the Ioniq 5. When I bought my EV6 there were no I5's on dealer lots with the trim level I desired (Limited) for me to even look at or test drive. I have been a huge fan of what Kia has been doing recently as I have bought 2 Tellurides in the last 30 months and now and EV6. The only other competitor that I seriously considered was the Tesla Model Y. A buddy of mine has a Model 3 and the interior styling is similar (or the same, not 100% clear on that) and I just could not get over the lack of driver information (instrument cluster) outside of the main infotainment screen (in Tesla this is the huge ipad like display in the middle). I was sort of looking for a Mach E as I had and got rid of a proper Mustang not too long ago and I've always been a fan of the Mustang brand. Lack of availability, charging speed, and cost to get to the trim level I desired crossed that off the list. The ID4 has the same availability issues in my area and I just don't like the exterior look that much. It's very bland small crossover SUV-ish. I was going to skip the EV6 and wait for the EV9 and trade in my Telluride, but my wife convinced me that it would be a good idea to keep and ICE vehicle around for space and to have a back up for road trips (if we need extra space for cargo and/or passengers) so I took the plunge on the EV6.

I love my EV6.I have only got the Air which is the base model>this car was a mid life crisis luxury for me.Way more than I have ever spent on a car before.It's great to drive.It's comfortable.Lots of space,lots of gadgetry.Lots of neat touches.I haven't done much long range driving .The longest about 100ish mile round trip(range still held up pretty well and cruise control takes some of the stress out of longer drives).
The art of maximising the mileage is to dive conservatively.In town the range is great.I am averaging out around 300+ miles range with various mixes of journey including motorway(freeway).Always be aware that your range will go down when you drive faster,when the weather is against you(cold,heavy rain,strong winds) but you will learn to know how that works with your driving style.I tried a 150kw charger as test and it charged 40%+ in less than 30minutes with a coldish battery but the weather was good.
Your advantage is that if your haven't really driven an ICE car much you won't have the same hangups as those who have for years.

I strongly recommend going out and actually test driving all the cars you're interested in. What we think isn't nearly as important as what you think. That being said, here's my experience.

I've been driving for 45 years and this certainly isn't my first car, but it might be my last. It's definitely the best car I've ever owned. I've wanted to seriously buy an electric car for about 4 years, and finally bought the EV6 about a month ago. I've been a big fan of Tesla for a long, long time, but in the end it was the 800 volt architecture of the E-GMP platform that drew me initially to the Ioniq 5. The super fast charging ability has the potential to make long trips more like trips in a gas car.

But when I went to test drive the Ioniq 5, I didn't like it. I didn't care for the looks, and I didn't like the way it drove. Then I went to test drive the EV6. I really like the EV6's styling inside and out, but more importantly I really, really liked how it drove. I was sold on it 60 seconds into the test drive.

My wife and I also test drove the Tesla Models 3 and Y. After driving the EV6, we were not impressed with the Teslas. While the Teslas were faster, the ride was harsher and the spartan interiors weren't to our liking. Furthermore, I consider the Teslas less safe because you have to look down and to your right, taking your eyes off the road, to see the center screen. There is no instrument cluster in the normal location. If you get the top-trim EV6 or I5 with the HUD, that's even safer in my opinion because the important information is visible "outside" the car. Having to dig down into menus to operate simple controls is the wrong way to go. For us, the EV6 was easily the best of those 4 cars. Nothing else was really in the running because of availability and long wait times.

We've had the car a month now. We above love it. My only regret is not buying two, because we both want to drive it.

I agree alot with what dohsma, Mark S, and ag5pilot has said, except I don't have one yet. I had one reserved to buy but it got sold so, I am waiting for one I ordered to come in. My family has alot of vehicles: a chevy truck, a Sorento, a Sportage, and a Stinger. All are gas vehicles. I thought with the way things are going I should have atleast one non ICE vehicle. I really like Fords and Kias. I looked at other vehicles : tesla-don't like the single large touch screen, and the Mustang Mach E. Kia won out because I also like Kia. I like the continuity with vehicles I already have( safety features, sounds, etc.) and for me the long warranty was key. I tend to keep vehicles until there wheels fall off(more than 10 years) So with that the EV6 won out. I did also look at the Ioniq 5 but I really don't like the twist on the column drive shifter(I tend to want to pull on it like an ICE column shifter) and the non opening window. I can often sit in heavy traffic and being able to roll the windows down, cooled seats going and the sun roof open helps keep me cool as another option to the AC. The EV6 is expensive and batteries work differently than gas so that is something to think about.

I've only had the car a coulpe of days so far, but things that convinced me:

• Compared to Tesla
  • I wouldn't feel as much like a Guinea pig
  • everyone around here has a Tesla (some have two or three in their driveways...)
  • The superchargers are often full on high travel days (yes, there are more superchargers than others -- but WAY more teslas to fill them up)
• Compared to the Mustang Mach-E
  • Better charging capabilities
  • Ventilated seats
  • V2L capabilites for emergencies
  • More effecient - more range per kwh
• Compared to any gas vehicle:
  • Road trips: the fast charging makes road trips possible with the EV6. Still not QUITE as convenient as gas.
  • For general around-the-town use:
    • if you have home/work charging, it's SOOOO nice to never go to a gas station. It takes an extra 15 seconds to plug in at home, and you wake up the next day with a full charge.
    • How much do you usually drive in a day? If it's comfortably less than the range of the car, and you have home charging, EVs are awesome.
    • Sometimes people ask me how long it takes to charge. My typical smartass answer: "it takes 15 seconds to connect the cable at home. How long does it take you to make an extra trip to the gas station?"
• In general:
  • I like the styling
  • I ended up with the GT Line AWD because I liked the fancy features & quick acceleration -- but they can be reasonably affordable in the lower trim levels
  • After test drives, I found the car reasonably comfortable and fun to drive

I agree with the others and @ag5bpilot makes good sense.

In order to know if it will be a fit for you we need to know since you are asking for our input.

For me, it was a simple decision as I had been driving a plug in hybrid for 5 years. I didn’t even test drive the EV6. I had watched enough YouTube videos to get a good impression.

Besides, the exact car I wanted was at my local dealer and they negotiated to my favor and I went in, finalized the desk and drove it for the first to to my home.

it is a great car with good range. The charging station networks will continue to grow. It’s comfortable, awesome looking, good technology, but perhaps a little outdated or poor choices that hopefully will be fixed with updates.

Finally, when my wife decided to let go of her gas powered (ICE) car, we will get her one.

Most of us on here love the car. There are a few that have nothing good to say. But what they have to say is important to read as well. There were and still are issues with some owner’s car, mostly the first adopters in the UK and EU. But Kia is working on those issues.

Good luck and let us help how ever we can. Hope to see you here as an owner.

I replaced my Telsa 3 with the EV6 GT-Line RWD, for one because of the V2L capability. Here are my observations:

• The suspension of the EV6 is much better than the Tesla 3. I'm amazed Tesla still hasn't fixed that by now, especially as their engineers have to drive their cars daily over the crappy roads in the SF bay area.
• The auto-pilot in Tesla is better at staying in the lane but I did have issues with phantom breaking. The system in the EV6 GT-Line is less ambitious as you can only engage lane centering on freeways. The EV6 is not always great at lane centering. In the early days of the Tesla 3, the lane centering wasn't all that great either so I hope Kia will improve the functionality with software updates. I do like the adaptive cruise control in the EV6 a bit better than in the 3.
• The Tesla 3 has the better range and acceleration but I consider the range of the EV6 together with the fast-charging capabilities as good enough. I always had the Tesla 3 in 'chill' mode anyway as I didn't need the acceleration.
• I don't like the premium sound system of the EV6 much though. Tesla is way better here.
• The Tesla 3 interior feels more spacious because of the sunroof and the rear side windows being small.
• The heads-up display comes with the GT-Line and is pretty neat but on sunny days, it is not that visible.
• I really like the blind-side-monitoring of the EV6

If you are in an area with good quality roads, it is a tough choice between the Tesla 3/Y and the EV6.

@DJV Welcome to the forum. I will try not to be biased as I do not own an EV at this point in time but do plan on it at some point. Things to consider before going to an EV what will it be used for, do you go on trips often, what is your daily commute roughly, how much cargo space on average would you need and how is your weather (Ie are you in cold or warm climate regions). All of these are important things to consider when going into an EV.

1. These will help you decide which variation of and EV you will need. Meaning a RWD (Longer Range) or an AWD slightly lower Range but more Power/Torque.
2. If you are a person that does have longer commutes those play a bit of a factor in which variations to get. Can you charge at work?
3. Can you charge at home or Apt? (With EV6 you will need to buy a home charging cable just an FYI unless you in EU) lol
4. Whether you in warm or cold climate regions plays a big part in EV batteries and their Guess O Meter range display. For example if you in cold weather region and your EV suppose to have 320mi range (this is EPA) it might only show about 260. This is normal for weather conditions.
5. Remember with range their are a lot of different variations that play a big part on what the GOM says.
6. Do not pay attention to the GOM only look at battery Percentage if you look at GOM you will drive yourself crazy with range anxiety.
7. You do have to plan your trips out as you need to make pits stops normally about every 170 miles or more to charge and that will take about 20 to 30min.


Their are a lot of information on this forum, youtube, reddit, and other forums that are handy to learn about EVS, and learn thru other peoples mistakes who have talked about their issues all to help others not go thru the same problems they had. It is a hard jump from and ICE to electric car as you have to kinda retrain yourself how to drive with all the 1 pedal driving that can be done in EVs.

My suggestions go on a bunch of different forums read up on EV discussion forums look at the pros and cons and see for yourself if they will work for you. Also do yourself a solid and take an EV on a test drive for yourself. See how it drives no matter which you choose they will be similar on driving style. The performances will be different but driving styles will be same.

I don't have much to add other than another positive vote - I've had mine for a month and couldn't be happier.

One important thing to consider: you are an early adopter with this car (as well as the I5 and many others). This is the first model year of a brand new, very complex platform. If you've been reading the forum you'll see that there are some issues. Nothing that can't be addressed in time, but they can be annoying. You need to be ready to accept the fact that there will be some teething pains with this car, and that the positives outweigh the negatives. If you feel that any of the issues you're hearing about may be a problem for you, then you may want to look elsewhere. It may take some time before some of these issues are corrected.

Every car is a compromise at a price point. There will always be a car A that has more room, and a car B that goes a little faster, and they will have their own issues and peculiarities. The EV6 hits the sweet spot for price, range, performance, style and room for my situation, and I'm willing to live with the annoying capacitive heated seat buttons and non-working battery conditioning because the total package makes up for it.

I carpooled to work for the first time yesterday with a friend who has a Mach-E. He was extremely impressed with the EV6, and I think even a little jealous. It really is a great ride.

Really good comments here. The EV6 is my first EV and in my use case, it isn't all the way there. But as far as the current competition, the EV6 is right at the top.

Part of the challenge is getting used to a EV. Weather really can impact range, more than I expected. Higher speeds also can really impact range. The EV6 is a hoot to drive and has a great suspension in it. Just wish the industry could better figure out what range is. Here in cold Minnesota I am getting around 200 miles per charge. That is lower than I wanted for a few trips I take that do not have fast chargers on them.

The EV6 is also a car, not a SUV. So make sure you drive it and see how you like the driving position. Kia isn't the only one playing the fake SUV card and I was well aware of it when I bought it. How the EV6 fares long-term will be interesting as more real SUV EV vehicles come out. Note the Mach-e has the same issue.

Still, all of that is good for the right driver in the right use case.

Where I think Kia really messed up is not having software updates for the US models sooner. There are some teething issues and I wish Kia was more open on the OTA updates. Not just the car software, but also NAV maps. Some parts of the EV6 feel like they left the oven a little quick.

My wish list is a bigger battery and a bit more upscale interior for a 57K car.

As others have said, try to get a long test drive. If you buy one, get a level 2 charger.

I will add one more thing to my post above. I was never really a “car guy.” I’m 47 and always went with the practical buy…. Buying used cars about 2-3 years old with 30-ish thousand miles on them, then driving them until they died. Just get me from point A to point B reliably, somewhat efficiently and with enough leg/headroom in my price range.

But now in my EV6, not only does it do the things above (especially the efficient part) I am actually having fun on the road as I vacillate between the game of trying to beat my miles/kWh on my commute and relishing the quick launch at stop lights or on freeway on ramps. It’s what I think about in my free time. I am hanging out in a car forum, which I have never done before. Admittedly, some of that new toy feel will fade with familiarity and time and I would probably feel that way with another EV like a Tesla or Mach-E or Ioniq5. But this is the best of the bunch without going to a luxury brand.

Ral-eighV6 said:

It’s what I think about in my free time. I am hanging out in a car forum, which I have never done before.

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Thank God I'm not the only one!

There's a scene in the biopic Bohemian Rhapsody where the members of Queen are discussing what songs to include in their first album and are making fun of Roger Taylor's song "I'm in Love with my Car." That song title seems a lot less absurd since I've owned my EV6. The world is still at war, domestic politics still drive us both crazy, and we've still got serious problems to deal with, but when either my wife or I get behind the wheel, all of that fades away and it's all smiles.

Traffic still sucks, but I look forward to having to drive somewhere now. Anywhere.

Sure, there's some teething problems with the car, but most of them are software and can be fixed. My biggest concern about the car is that I'll lose my driver's license because the car makes it so easy to go fast. It has this strange space-warping ability to make the roads straighter.