Owner Review: 2022 Kia EV6 AWD GT Line

EV owner Gary shares his experience after 29,000km in his all-electric Kia EV6, including charging at his apartment block, how much driving range he really gets, and going the “extra mile” to detour around an accident.

I did a lot of research and wanted to ensure that I bought a car that was an EV from the ground up.

I didn’t want an ICE car that the manufacturer was now selling as an EV. This excluded most EVs. I also wanted evidence of future-proofing and the 800V Kia system fitted that bill.

I was also impressed that Kia did local suspension tuning. It was not a car tuned for Asian or European roads.

We looked at Tesla but felt it was too minimalist and Polestar felt like it was a retrofitted Volvo.

The Ioniq 5 was very appealing, but Hyundai would not take an order, they were only selling via their ‘chook raffle’ system.

(Editor’s note: Hyundai originally sold the Ioniq 5 in limited numbers and to certain postcodes, and demand was such that only the lucky few who completed the online order process on the date and time of any given release were able to purchase.)

I was happy to order the Kia instead and wait 6-12 months. Kia would do that, Hyundai would not. I waited eight months for the Kia.

Charging has been fine, with most charging done at home.

We have done some highway DC charging on longer trips out of town, some AC charging at destinations such as caravan parks, motels, and relatives’ homes. I charge at home one night a week with zero hassles.

Our apartment block installed a Chargefox system and it is fabulous. The user pays at off-peak power rates so it is very cheap at 18c/kWh.

We have done some long roads trips and been to Adelaide, Kangaroo Island, Clare, Sydney, Canberra, Yackandanda, Wilsons Promontory and many other places. Charging on roads trips has meant some planning but very few hassles.

The biggest hassle we had was when we had a 100km diversion from the Western Highway due to an accident – some replanning was quickly needed.

We use PlugShare and try to go to charging stations with multiple ‘pumps’ that have been successfully used in the recent few days. That has minimised problems.

We have had cases where we have needed to unplug and replug to get the charger working – a minor hassle.

The only time we have had to wait to charge, was at free NRMA chargers where locals had been using them instead of their own nearby home chargers. I’m delighted NRMA has started charging fees for usage.

It’s the best car I have ever driven.

Charging is VERY fast and easy, but I can seldom charge at the rate the car can achieve – I am limited by the chargers.

It is a bit disappointing that chargers that charge extra for extra fast charging sometimes do not achieve fast rates – but still charge high rates!

The range has been different to expected – around town we always get 500km from a full charge, sometimes as much as 550km, which is higher than advertised.

On roads trips it can be under 400km, lower than expected. (Editor’s note: Driving range varies depending on driving style and conditions.)

The battery range has seen no degradation – but the range varies a lot based on type of driving, so it would be hard to identify.

The performance is incredible, I am now delighted to see a road train ahead of me on a long road trip.

I know there will be no issue passing safely. The local tuning has also shown out on country roads, where the car is very comfortable on poor quality and gravel roads.

Yes, happy with the styling. Interesting without being aggressive or glitzy like many other cars.

However, we thought the light interior was impractical and a dark interior was only an option with a black or white exterior and we also thought a black exterior is impractical. So, white became the only acceptable colour option.

The styling draws heads and I have not had anyone say they don’t think it looks great. I love the styling and am often stopped and asked: “what is it?” I think it is much more interesting styling than a Tesla.

It has all the technical/safety features I expected but it does not have all the features that the EV6s have overseas. It lacks wireless Android Auto (fixed via a dongle) and my model lacks a mobile app – neither showstoppers but annoying.

This is disappointing but I was told when I ordered the car that this was the case: an early adopter issue.

The multiple options for regenerative braking is great. I experimented with various options and have settled back on the ‘auto’ setting, while my wife opted for a different setting. The radar cruise is also very good.

We paid $93,000 in total. The initial purchase price was high but has long been forgotten, with very low running/operating costs.

The car has a high entry cost but it is a sensational car. It is fun, very well built and has made good use of sustainable materials and is very cheap to operate.

Around town we get well over 500km from a $14 full charge. We have had no reliability issues; the car has been serviced twice.