Autobayng News Team
Sometimes in life, you can do everything right and still not come out on top. Take the Kia EV6, for example. It really deserves to be a bigger hit than it’s been.
Here’s a competitively priced electric vehicle with around 300 miles of range, solid performance, striking looks, decent practicality, and some of the best fast-charging performance you can get under $100,000. Yet it hasn’t exactly lit up the sales charts. 2025 Kia EV6 Photo by: Patrick George
Its mechanical cousin, the Hyundai Ioniq 5, went to more than twice as many homes in 2024 despite being essentially the same car; this year, it’s down to a fourth of that. It’s routinely smoked by the Ford Mustang Mach-E and General Motors’ EVs, despite having many better specs, and don’t even ask about how it does next to the Tesla Model Y.
I’ve never been entirely sure why this is the case, though I have some theories. But I’m also somewhat biased as a 2024 Kia EV6 owner, and one who’s been very happy with the car. So now, I’m pleased to report that the updated 2025 Kia EV6 is truly better than ever—everything I like about my car, with a lot of the annoying stuff gone.
Can this new-ish and improved EV6 capture more attention? After a week of testing the newest one, I’m convinced that it deserves to be a winner, now more than ever. Gallery: 2025 Kia EV6
(Full Disclosure: Kia sent me a 2025 EV6 for a week of testing.)
2025 Kia EV6
Base Price $42,900
As-Tested Price $60,740 (GT-Line AWD)
EV Range Up to 319 miles; 270 miles (GT-Line AWD)
Battery 84 kilowatt-hour
Drive Type Dual-Motor AWD
Output 320 horsepower and 446 lb-ft of torque
Speed 0-60 MPH 4.5 seconds (est.)
Charge Type 10%-80% in 20 min, 350 kW DC; 30 min on Tesla Supercharger
2025 Kia EV6: Specs And Features
The EV6 is still built on the Hyundai Motor Group’s excellent 800-volt E-GMP platform, the same as the EV9, Ioniq 5, Ioniq 9 and many others. Except now, it’s built in America. Production was moved to Kia’s West Point, Georgia factory to grow Hyundai’s U.S. manufacturing base and take advantage of EV tax credits, although those are out the window now.
2025 Kia EV6
Photo by: Patrick George
But upon immigrating to America, the EV6 gets an array of upgrades. Electric range is up across the board. The base EV6 Light gets a 63.0-kilowatt-hour battery pack, up from 58 kWh previously. Most buyers will want the other trims that now use an 84-kWh battery, up from 77.4 kWh now. That delivers up to 319 miles of range in rear-wheel-drive configuration. The sweet spot is the new Wind AWD model (I own 2024’s version of the same car), which gets you up to 295 miles of range.
The bigger battery and range improvements alone would be enough. But Kia went further. The new EV6 comes with a new face featuring Kia’s “Tiger Nose” Grille, and the radically redesigned headlamps mean better high-beam performance—a pet peeve with my own car. It dumps the CCS plug for a Tesla-style North American Charging Standard (NACS) plug, offering easy compatibility with some 20,000 Tesla Supercharger stations. The port was also moved to the left for easier NACS charging. Photo by: Patrick George
The EV6 is still a charging standout. The larger-battery model can hit peak speeds of 240 kW, which means that under ideal conditions on a 350 kW charger, you can go from 10% to 80% in under 18 minutes. After dealing with too many EVs that take twice as long to do this lately, it’s a good reminder of Hyundai’s real tech advantage here. 2025 Kia EV6 Photo by: Patrick George
My tester was a range-topping and loaded GT-Line AWD model, good for 270 miles of range. The lineup starts around $42,000 and the GT-Line AWD begins at $58,000. (There’s also the performance-focused Kia EV6 GT, which is still built in South Korea and is something we hope to cover in a separate test.)
2025 Kia EV6: Driving Experience
2025 Kia EV6
Photo by: Patrick George
Let me get this out of the way first: the EV6’s overall design isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. I think that’s one reason the Ioniq 5 outsells it so handily. The boxy, retro-futuristic Hyundai is a little more pleasing to the eyes, and gets you up to nine more cubic feet of overall interior space. The EV6’s silhouette can sometimes make cargo-hauling tricky, so if that’s a concern, check out the EV9. Photo by: Patrick George
Meanwhile, the EV6 is a bit longer, lower, and more wagon-ish overall. That’s one reason I like it, because some stereotypes are true. But I tend to think that the more conventional-looking Kia EV5 might have found more buyers if it could’ve been sold here instead. 2025 Kia EV6 Photo by: Patrick George
The EV6’s new face has grown on me, and the package remains rather unique overall for a family crossover—not quite like anything else on the road. It’s much more striking than the endless sea of Model Ys out there, for sure.
But the improvements go way beyond the visual stuff. The biggest upgrade here? The door handles now pop out automatically when you approach or unlock the car, across all the EV6 trim levels. Previously, this was only reserved for the GT-Line and GT cars. This fixes a major design weakness on the first car: the flush handles felt cheap and flimsy to press in, and they can often feel tricky to pull out. You won’t want to go back to the old way. I certainly don’t. 2025 Kia EV6 Photo by: Patrick George
That’s a good metaphor for the entire car: incremental improvements that add up in countless ways. The new EV6 feels better-built overall, tighter on the road and with less body roll than my car. It’s quieter inside, too. The switch to Continental tires over the old EV6’s unlovable Kumhos no doubt helped as well.
The EV6 remains the slightly quicker and slightly more athletic choice over the Ioniq 5. That’s not to say Hyundai’s EV is slow or boring; it isn’t, but the EV6’s tuning makes it the more fun one on a good back road. With up to 320 horsepower and 446 lb-ft of torque on tap, it won’t hold anyone up on the highway.
2025 Kia EV6
Photo by: Patrick George
2025 Kia EV6
Photo by: Patrick George
2025 Kia EV6
Photo by: Patrick George
Photos by: Patrick George
On the inside, the EV6 remains the button-lover’s choice. While the software system does a lot, it’s still a haven for physical switches and toggles. The cabin materials feel nice for its class and will erase any lingering memories you may have of the cheap Kias of yore. I am still not a fan of the combined control panel for the climate system and stereo settings, but as before, it’s no dealbreaker. 2025 Kia EV6 Photo by: Patrick George
2025 Kia EV6: Tech And Charging
The EV6 now gets the upgraded software system seen in the Ioniq 5, Ioniq 9, EV9 and other members of the family. Among other things, that means you get a useful “minimum” and “maximum” driving range readings, although all of these cars tend to be conservative on their estimates. 2025 Kia EV6 Photo by: Patrick George
This system also includes some of the best EV-specific settings you can find right now: energy usage charts, charging management settings, battery health information and fast-charge preconditioning are all easy to find. And the voice recognition system remains great, but it’s starting to get outclassed by some of the newer stuff out there now. 2025 Kia EV6 Photo by: Patrick George
That’s true of the rest of the software, as I’ve highlighted in past reviews. You still get a relatively sluggish smartphone app, a relative dearth of third-party infotainment apps like Spotify, and a navigation system that still makes utterly baffling decisions at times. On the plus side, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are finally wireless here, and Hyundai seems to have some next-level software in the works for next year.
But as ever, the EV6 excels at fast-charging. While the Kia will need about half an hour to go from low to 80% on a Tesla Supercharger and a 350 kW CCS station (which will require an adapter now, naturally) I’d take the Tesla plug any day of the week. Kia still offers one of the best ways to get back to your electric road trip very quickly.
2025 Kia EV6
Photo by: Patrick George
2025 Kia EV6: Pricing And Verdict
The GT-Line EV6 was nice. Just expensive, as loaded press testers tend to be, at $60,740, including $1,475 in destination fees.
Now that the door handles work they do across the lineup, I think any buyer would be perfectly happy with something like a Light Long Range AWD model at $50,300, or a Wind AWD model at $54,300.
If you can live without dual motors, the Light Long Range RWD model packs a lot of value and range at $46,200. And keep in mind that Kia’s offering copious discounts all around on its EVs, so you may pay quite a bit less. 2025 Kia EV6 Photo by: Patrick George
I think two things are true of the American EV market in late 2025. First, whether you like it or not, the updated Model Y is still the gold standard for an everyday electric crossover. Second, the Ioniq 5 and EV6 remain two of its strongest and, in some respects, superior competitors.
After more than a year of driving mine, I often wonder: would I buy an EV6 again? And the answer continues to be yes—specifically, this one. Kia kept all the good things about the EV6 and got rid of the irritating ones. If you haven’t paid much attention to this car, now’s a better time than ever to start.
2025 Kia EV6
Photo by: Patrick George
Contact the author: patrick.george@insideevs.com
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