Anyone who follows the electric vehicle world probably knows two things to be true: one, Hyundai and Kia have been on a roll lately. And two, their EV models can all be had for some truly mind-blowing deals right now. But as the Kia EV9 gets all the attention and the upcoming affordable Kia EV3 gets all the hype, is the middle-child Kia EV6 still worth buying?
According to one owner who was new to EVs and is a dyed-in-the-wool gas car enthusiast, the answer is absolutely yes.
Get Fully Charged
Kia's global EV push
A subsidiary of the Hyundai Motor Group, South Korean Kia has huge plans for a lineup of EVs made all over the world. They include production in the U.S., Korea, China, Eastern Europe, probably Mexico and more. The brand's class-leading push into EV tech has elevated it from its cheap-car origins, and the electric options it makes now are among the world's best.
YouTuber Emadifications makes his preferences very clear upfront. He's currently owning and modifying a fleet that includes a Mercedes E400 wagon and a manual 2005 Audi S4, and in the past he's owned a Volkswagen Golf R, a B9 Audi S4, a supercharged Mazda Miata and more. I'd say he has excellent taste.
So the Kia EV6 that he acquired in February 2022 was his first foray into the electric world, and I'd call him a rational convert: still likes ICE vehicles, definitely thinks there's a place for EVs, and sees value in plug-in hybrids too. I can dig it. But more importantly, the EV6 continues to impress—so much so that he recommends EV shoppers check one out today.
His car is an EV6 Wind AWD model, so it's nicely equipped in the middle of the lineup: above the lower Light trims but below the loaded GT-Line ones and the ferociously quick GT model, which is almost its own thing. But it's not wanting for performance at 320 horsepower and 446 lb-ft of torque, or range at up to 282 miles. That's very solid for an all-wheel-drive dual-motor crossover; often those take a bigger range hit for their performance gains, like the similar Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Volkswagen ID.4 that come in around 260 miles of range.
Our EV6 owner friend still loves the way it looks. And true to his tuner background, he's added some visual modifications that I actually really like: a carbon fiber body kit, a front splitter, a black roof wrap, brake calipers painted in a Ford shade of blue and a spoiler extension. Kia designers, take note. This would make a pretty sharp exterior package from the factory.
But how has it held up? Pretty well. The interior plastics have maintained their integrity, there's no excessive wear overall, the electronics work great, no exterior trim pieces are falling off and the car still looks great. He's barely been to the dealership for service save for a 12-volt battery issue that got fixed there; he's done the other maintenance work, such as it is, like tire rotations and cabin air filter replacements, all by himself.
The biggest wear and tear items were the tires, which were replaced at 29,000 miles. Sounds reasonable to me. In total, he says he's spent just $750 in "maintenance" over the past two years, which would seriously undercut any gas car unless you're just not taking care of it.
Gallery: 2024 Kia EV6
The biggest challenge has been the known Integrated Charging Control Unit (ICCU) issue that can drain the 12-volt battery, but he indicates the current recall should fix that problem. "It's the only big problem I've had over two years," he said. In city driving, leaving regenerative braking on and never using the dedicated Eco mode, he has averaged between 240 and 260 miles in the city and 180 to 220 miles on the highway. That's in hard driving, too, and so while he admits they aren't great, "They could be worst-case scenario for some people." I'm not sure I'd expect hypermiling from a guy who loves modified Audis, but I have the same heavy foot problem myself.
Emadifications mostly charges at home without issue. He says that public DC fast-charging in the Dallas-Fort Worth area is "hit or miss" but quickly getting better, but he recommends mapping out your road trips and carrying a Level 1 portable charger. Kia's EVs should be
He says his Texas Kia dealership experience has been hit-or-miss with EV maintenance, and he does recommend packing a remote battery jumper kit (about $50) until the 12-volt issue is permanently fixed. But that seemed to be set to happen right after this video ran, and he doesn't sound worried about it.
So what's the final verdict? "The prices you can get off MSRP, and the lease deals are so good... that it could get you into an electric vehicle for cheap," he said. While it's primarily his wife's daily driver and a "second car" for him, the Kia EV6 remains a great option.
It still looks good, has very good tech, and should benefit from the infrastructure getting better soon. Plus, an updated version is coming soon. Put this on your list if it's not already.
Contact the author: patrick.george@insideevs.com
