Electrekking: 2024 Kia EV9 owner review

Over the last decade the McLennan family has progressed from owning a hybrid (Toyota Prius), to a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV), to a pure battery electric vehicle (BYD e6). They purchased the Kia EV9 specifically for their family’s nine-month all-electric “big lap” around Australia.

We asked them about the experience, why they decided on a Kia EV9 and what they think about it.

Why did you buy an EV?

We care deeply about protecting our incredible planet so that our kids can have a healthy future and continue to enjoy all the natural wonders of our beautiful country.

Over the last five years we have fully electrified our home. We recognise that electrifying everything, including our transport, has an important role in reducing emissions and minimising the effects of climate change. We were therefore reluctant to revert to a fossil fuel-powered internal combustion engine when we needed to source a vehicle for our trip around Australia.

Like all of us who love the great outdoors, we strive to minimise our impact on nature, so the idea of doing our Big Lap all-electric was appealing; not only as an exciting challenge, but also as a way to tread a little more lightly on the planet.

We recently joined the NRMA as we are accessing NRMA EV chargers while travelling in the Northern Territory and will likely access them down the east coast of Australia. The NRMA does not have a presence in our home state of WA, so there has been no reason to join before travelling interstate.

Why did you buy the Kia EV9?

We were planning a nine month big lap trip during our long service leave and hoped to complete the journey in an all electric vehicle and solar camper trailer. However, until recently there haven’t been any EVs available in Australia that had the capacity to undertake the kind of journey that we were planning. Towing capacity and all wheel drive, semi-off road performance were key reasons for choosing the EV9 to allow us to undertake the trip.

We calculated that the EV and camper combination need to achieve a range of 270 km to comfortably bridge the gap between charging options along our planned route. This meant that we were looking at a vehicle that could achieve a minimum of 540 km unloaded. We also had no interest in the trip just being a tour of charging stations, so we also factored in getting off the highways to visit many of Australia’s iconic destinations. 

The EV9 was purchased new and was actually the very first EV9 Earth in WA. After having been told that production of the Earth model had been delayed several months, we reluctantly put in an order for a GT Line, being the only other alternative that would be both available before our planned departure date in March 2024 and able to pull our approximately two tonne camper trailer.

Being the luxury version, the GT line had a bigger price tag and included features that we didn’t actually want or need. We were therefore surprised and delighted when we received a phone call a week before Christmas saying that an EV9 Earth had arrived unexpectedly in Fremantle port and it was ours if we wanted it.

The shape of the EV9’s tall, square back, ordinarily a disadvantage for aerodynamics, was actually an advantage for combined towing aerodynamics. Other potential tow vehicles like the Model Y, were lower with swooping rooflines and streamline tails, meaning their range would suffer proportionally more from a larger drag when towing.

Purchasing the vehicle was a risk as its towing performance was an unknown factor with no data being available and Kia not yet having tow kits available. Fortunately we were able to obtain a custom towbar from EV Stealth Solutions in time for us to do some tow trials prior to our departure.

The EV9 has now driven over 15,000 kilometres. The first 5,000 were around the city in Perth and another 10,000 km on our big lap trip to date, travelling between Perth to Darwin. The plan is to complete a circumnavigation of the Australian mainland over the remainder of the year during our long service leave.

What are the Kia EV9 rivals?

We also explored the possibility of accessing a Rivian or Ford F150 Lightning for the journey, but neither were going to be available in Australia for our planned departure. We also test drove and did some modelling for both a Tesla Model Y & Volvo XC40 to get an indication of their performance towing our aerodynamically modified camper trailer.

How has driving and charging the Kia EV9 been?

Ordinarily, we charge our EVs almost exclusively at home. We are fortunate to have a PV solar system and battery so that the electricity source is usually from renewables. While travelling, charging has been at public charging stations or at powered campsites with top up power from the 2.1kW of solar panels and 10kWh of batteries in our camper trailer.

Is the car’s charging rate fast enough for how you use the car?

The car has an advertised rating of 350 kW, however the fastest we are yet to achieve is 135 kW on a 150kW charger in the NT, and 117kW on the WA EV Network’s 150 kW chargers (800V architecture). At the 150kW fast chargers the battery can charge to 80% in under 30 minutes, which is usually less time than needed for a toilet break and visit to the shop to grab some lunch or pick up grocery supplies.

How does the car drive overall? Is its performance and handling adequate?

The EV9 tows exceptionally well with great stability on the road thanks to the heavy batteries giving it a very low centre of gravity.

The vehicle is particularly spacious which makes long road trips very comfortable. We have folded down the rear seats to expand the boot space and have installed drawers and a fridge to provide more storage while travelling.

Has range been an issue? What kind of real-world range do you find you’re getting?

Although multiple laps of Australia have already been easily completed in EVs, a lap with a two tonne camper adds to the challenge due to the significant loss of range experienced when towing.

WA is currently installing the WA EV Network, with chargers at ~200 km apart, from the SA border in the south, all the way up to Kununurra at the NT border in the north. Where the network is still incomplete, it has required an overnight stay at a powered site to trickle charge and top up the battery at times. In more remote parts of the country it can be necessary to adjust travel speed to make the distance to the next destination, and once, we dropped the camper early and continued the final stretch of the journey without it in tow, instantly almost doubling the remaining range available.

Trip Leg Summary: Perth to WA/NT Border

• Distance travelled: 8,140 km (generally at ~90km/hr)
• Range per charge (towing, typical): 260-300 km varying depending on speed, road surface, wind, changes in elevation etc
• Average overall trip energy consumption: 3.1 km/kWh or 32.2 kWh/100km (includes both towing plus shorter day trips without the camper)
• Average energy consumption towing: 2.8km/kWh or 35.7 kWh/100km
• Lowest efficiency: Cheela Plains to Tom Price 2.1 km/kWh ascending and into headwind (47.6 kWh/100km)
• Best efficiency: Auski Roadhouse to Port Hedland 3.4 km/kWh (29.4 kWh/100km)
• Amount spent at chargers: $466 (plus cost of powered campsites we used along the way)
• Charging at: Variety of fast ($0.60/kWh) and slow ($0.35/kWh) chargers. Some charging stations were free

Has the Kia EV9 represented value for money?

At $122,000, the EV9 cost significantly more than we would normally consider spending on a vehicle. However, if we wanted to undertake an early electric journey, the limited options for vehicles in this category meant it was necessary to pay this price to get the right tool for the job. Given its performance over the first 10,000 km of our journey, the high level of comfort and technology, as well as the significant savings on fuel and emissions, we are glad we invested in this vehicle.

Has the car been reliable? Have you had any issues maintaining it?

Touch wood, the vehicle has been largely trouble free over the first part of our journey and during the first six months of ownership.

The 12v accessory battery is known to be an Issue with this mode vehicle and we have now had three instances of it going flat overnight. It can be jump started, but it requires opening the retracted door handles manually and then using the emergency key to open the car and get to the manual frunk release under the glove box. It then requires removal of the plastic covers in the frunk storage to access the 12v battery to jump start with a portable battery pack.

What have running and repair costs been like? More or less than you expected?

Overall the costs have been in the range we expected. Servicing costs are reasonable due to Kia’s prepay discount. However, charging costs for running have been a little less than expected, with a few free chargers in country towns, and top ups at caravan parks. We are not missing the fuel bills!

Over the 8,000km travelled from Perth to the WA/NT border, we spent a total of $466 at charging stations utilising a variety of fast and slow chargers. A number of charging stations were free and we did stay at powered camp sites along the way when we needed a top up charge overnight, but overall a significantly lower cost than travelling the same distance in a diesel vehicle.

What do you think about the Kia EV9 tech and styling?

We do like the car’s styling and it often draws attention and positive comments, but this was not a major determining factor in choosing to purchase. The outside is a little futuristic without being too over the top, and the inside is spacious, with enough tech and features to be useful, but not so much bling/architectural features to be annoying.

Does the car have all the tech/safety you would expect and want?

In general the car possesses the features that we would expect with a few minor exceptions which would significantly improve the experience of longer distance travelling like we are undertaking. 

At present there is no factory tow pack available and therefore no tow mode. Consequently, the car does not react appropriately when backing with a trailer and the efficiency/range information does not readily adjust to reflect the estimated impact of towing.

It would be very helpful if Kia developed software similar to that of a Tesla that calculates charge at destination, especially when travelling long stretches between towns in more remote parts of the country where charging infrastructure remains limited.

Are there any standout features?

• Vehicle-to-Load (V2L) power: As standard, the EV9 has a 240V 15Amp socket on the inside as well as externally via an optional adapter. This gives the ability to draw as much power from the car’s battery as you’d get at a powered caravan site, so for camping it’s a game changer.
• Fingerprint recognition for driver detection/profile settings:  A good idea to increase safety without the need for keys but would be even better if more driver preferences could be saved with the profile.
• Off-road performance on dunes/sand: The EV9’s instant torque and all-wheel drive give it impressive performance in sandy off-road conditions. The 200mm clearance is really the only limiting factor.

Room for Improvement?

• Tow mode: To date, there is no factory tow pack available from Kia. This required us to source a custom towbar and electrical connector. As a result, the vehicle is unaware when towing that the emergency reverse braking system shouldn’t be activated. This feature can be turned off, through a complex set of steps using the main touch screen, but needs to be done every time the car is started. Hopefully, Kia will provide a module to provide this feedback and the vehicle will be aware that a trailer has been attached and make the appropriate adjustments.
• 12-volt battery: Given that the accessory battery having a tendency to go flat, the charging process is something that Kia needs to address. 
• Auto lane following: This system is on by default upon starting the car, and according to Kia, this is necessary to keep the ANCAP five-star rating. On country roads, especially those which don’t have a left lane marking we have found it often mistakes the bitumen boundary as the lane, so patches and changes in the bitumen can cause erratic automatic steering adjustments, which can be off-putting (and at times bordering dangerous) when towing. We manually turn this setting off when towing but have to remember to do it every time the car is turned on.
• Utility mode: This mode is intended for camping, allowing the accessory sockets to be used for 12V and 240v power. This feature would be ideal if you could use the feature while the vehicle is locked, but this is not currently possible, so any fridges in the back of the car will be cold/powered when driving, but off when the vehicle is parked or left overnight. Kia’s workaround was suggesting the car be locked from the inside, and climb out the boot with the keys!
• Wading depth: There are a number of places that we planned to visit that required water crossings to access. We have missed a couple of these sites due to there being a lack of clarity from Kia around the official wading depth of the vehicle. There are reports of the EV9 having undergone deep water testing and online forums quoting a depth of 19.5 inches, but the manual refers to a 200mm water limit, being the clearance of the car.

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