Kia EV6: 2022 carsales Car of the Year

The Kia EV6 is carsales’ 2022 Car of the Year, proudly presented by Bingle.

Kia’s first standalone electric vehicle was always going to be in with a strong chance of claiming Australia’s top automotive consumer award this year, given its closely related stablemate, the Hyundai IONIQ 5, took out our top gong 12 months ago.

Far from being a mere facsimile of its Korean cousin, however, the Kia EV6 builds on the impressive Hyundai EV’s strengths with much-improved dynamics and genuine driver involvement thanks its local chassis tuning program.

When it arrived early this year, the Kia EV6 also launched with a lower starting price and, until the upgraded MY23 IONIQ 5 arrives this month, continues to come with a bigger battery, longer range and more power.

Against our five Car of the Year criteria – cost of ownership, safety, innovation and technology, practicality and presentation, and ride/handling – it is very difficult to pick holes in the EV6 package.

Five of the 10 judges ranked the classy electric SUV first and another three put it second, making for a dominant victory.

First launched at $67,990 plus on-road costs, the Kia EV6 range now kicks off at $72,590 plus on-road costs for the entry-level, single-motor Air RWD variant, with the up-spec GT-Line RWD grade adding an extra $7000 ($79,590 plus ORCs).

Also priced slightly higher than its upgraded MY23 IONIQ 5 equivalent, the range-topping dual-motor all-wheel drive EV6 – only available as a GT-Line – will set you back $87,590 plus ORCs.

As such, this is not a cheap car to buy, yet it still scores extremely strongly when it comes to cost of ownership.

Our friends at RedBook supplied cost of ownership data for not just our 10 finalists and two wildcards, but all 30 of our shortlisted contenders.

RedBook’s unique cost of ownership data takes into account not only the purchase price, standard equipment levels and aftersales provisions (warranty, roadside assist, etc), but also finance, depreciation, insurance, service and running costs (tyres, fuel/electricity, etc) over three years or 45,000km.

Of those 30 contenders, the EV6 ranked first, suggesting that buyers will recoup a lot more of that initial outlay over the life of the car than other vehicles.

The purchase price is also made more palatable by a comprehensive standard equipment list. In the case of the GT-Line there are heated and ventilated electric seats, a heated steering wheel, head-up display, a 360-degree camera, power tailgate, 14-speaker Meridian sound system, wireless phone charging and much more.

It’s also loaded with safety kit across the range, including autonomous emergency braking with car, pedestrian, cyclist and junction detection, lane keep assist, active cruise control, parking collision avoidance, blind spot monitoring with display and rear cross traffic alert, intelligent speed assist – the list goes on.

All EV6s use a 77.4kWh battery, the single-motor variants sending 168kW/350Nm to the rear wheels for a 0-100km/h acceleration time of 7.3sec. Maximum range for the Air is a claimed 528km, while the GT-Line reduce this to 504km.

The dual-motor EV6 has a lower range again at 484km, but compensates with 239kW/605Nm outputs for a claimed 0-100km/h sprint time of 5.2sec.

Our testing reveals this claim is on the conservative side as we managed repeated 5.0sec runs. Driven in an everyday manner, up to 450km of real-world range is easily achieved.

Straight-line performance isn’t the EV6’s trump card, however. Kia’s local engineering team got its hands dirty on the EV6 and it shows. Compared to the IONIQ 5, the Kia’s steering, ride comfort and handling prowess are much improved and this is a key area of differentiation.

Anyone sceptical that electric cars can deliver an engaging driving experience needs to drive an EV6 as its brilliant body control, accurate steering, great balance and, in the case of dual-motor models, excellent calibration between the front and rear motors, all add up to a very capable and quick performance car.

One area the EV6 does cede some ground is in practicality. The boot is a reasonable 480L, with a further small compartment under the bonnet, but its sleeker roofline means it offers less interior space than the IONIQ 5.

Indeed, it’s the Tesla Model Y – another new electric SUV among our 12 finalists at COTY 2022 – that really shows how practical an EV can be if you make the most of its unique layout.

Taller passengers may struggle for headroom in the rear (due to the EV6’s battery pack being located under the floor), but otherwise there is plenty of space for most families.

One reason for this is the EV6’s bespoke EV architecture – the Hyundai Group’s E-GMP platform – which means it doesn’t suffer from some of the legacy issues of some of its competitors that still use combustion vehicle platforms (eg. the Polestar 2).

Electric cars no longer score well for innovation simply by dint of being an EV, but the EV6 scores well on this criterion too, as it makes the most of being an electric car. In addition to the bespoke platform it has internal and external V2L plugs, allowing it to run a range of electric appliances, from laptops to campsites.

Adjustable regenerative braking also allows the car to glide freely on the highway or operate with just one pedal. The braking effect from the electric motors is so strong that the car will bring itself to a halt simply by lifting off the accelerator – a useful feature in heavy traffic.

The EV6’s 800-volt electrical architecture also means it can take advantage of the very fastest chargers. Kia claims charge times of just 18 minutes with a 350kW DC charger (10-80%). In more normal charging cycles, expect seven hours and 20 minutes via an 11kW AC charger (10-100%) or 73 minutes using a 50kW DC fast-charger (10-80%).

These figures are best-case scenarios but also among the best in the business. Find a fast-charger and you’ll soon be on your way with plenty of juice.

Like our 2021 COTY winner, the Hyundai IONIQ 5, the Kia EV6 is a clever and practical electric crossover with a relatively high price tag but plenty of equipment, excellent safety credentials and very low running costs.

The cherry on the top here is fantastic driving dynamics and scorching performance.

Congratulations to the Kia EV6 for winning carsales’ coveted Car of the Year award for 2022, proudly presented by Bingle.