We’ve driven quite a few Korean EVs over the past two years, and they’ve all been excellent. Their shared Hyundai-Kia Electric Global Modular Platform (E-GMP) gives them great refinement, agile handling, and surprisingly good interior space for their size. But when that size is ‘XL,’ as in the new Kia EV9 SUV, does E-GMP still deliver the goods?
Well, the press seems to think so. Since its launch, the EV9 has won the 2024 World Car of the Year, 2024 EV of the Year, North American SUV of the Year, and several other plaudits from various publications—including Top Gear, which gave it Family Car of the Year. That’s a lot of hype for the big blue brick.
And it deserves it all.
Styling
The EV9 does a great job of being ultra-futuristic while still harmonizing with Kia’s regular lineup. A vestigial slit underneath the hoodline is all that remains of Peter Schreyer’s signature tiger-nose grille, framed by stacked light cubes and aggressive detailing echoing the new Sorento and the Carnival. The lower grille is mostly blanked off, with variable shutters that open up only when needed, to maintain clean aerodynamics—the only permanently open bits being the side vents that feed air around the front tires to improve aerodynamics even further.
Down the side, strong character lines and a subtly swept roofline manage to convey sportiness without impinging on headroom or glass area. Hexagonal fender flares mirroring the front intakes frame the square-patterned black alloy 21-inch wheels that look strikingly similar to the ones on the Carnival. Not quite sure the glossy black plastic on the flares and bumpers will stand up well to off-roading, but taking a car this nice off-road would be criminal.
The greenhouse and the side sills pull up sharply at the rear to reduce visual heft, with big panels of glossy black plastic shrinking the rear end nicely. Intriguing triskelion-shaped taillights break up the space even further, perfectly framing a hatch that opens extra wide for extra cargo flexibility.
Lastly, hidden pop-up door handles and ultra-slim side camera stalks, which replace the side mirrors, offer yet another incremental improvement in drag coefficient and a massive improvement in coolness coefficient. And with a 0.28Cd, this is one slick shape indeed. Maybe the electric Ocean Blue paint isn’t to everyone’s tastes, but seeing jaws drop as you drive by makes it well worth the money.
Interior
The EV9’s interior is postmodern minimalism rendered mostly in shades of gray. There’s a good mix of materials and surfaces here, with matte-textured recycled plastics mixed with bioplastics, recycled PET-fabrics, and plant-based leather used on the doors and seats.
Fit and finish is generally very good, but the eco-friendly material choices feel more Volkswagen business class than top-of-the-line Audi, if you know what we mean. And while it might not compare unfavorably to the Sorento, at this price, it’s playing in the big leagues.
The dashboard is clean, with center switches for major HVAC functions and haptic infotainment controls molded into the panel under the double-wide screen. The screen doesn’t stick too high off the dash, and the part between the sub-screens is filled by yet another HVAC control panel.
The big paddle-equipped four-spoke steering wheel mirrors the EV9’s front air intakes. Kia uses the extra space to position drive mode buttons below the center boss. A shifter stalk behind the wheel integrates your usual PRND controls and the ignition button, helping further reduce dashboard and console clutter.
Dashboard storage is sparse, the sole glovebox tucked under the dash to give way to LED moodlighting, but the center console is impressive, with a lidded box featuring ventilated cupholders with pop-out inserts that can be tucked away for more space. There’s a slide-out shelf under the rear console cupholders with a tiny food tray built into the top of it that doubles as a shelf for charging via the USB-C port built into the side of the driver’s seat.
The front seats themselves are big and comfortable, featuring net-type headrests that are better for your hair than hot, sticky leather. Wide, molded slats in the perforated leather seats help provide better circulation there, too, maximizing the effects of the seat ventilation system. The seats are generously bolstered, and the driver’s seat and second row captain’s chairs feature basic massage functions to relieve fatigue on long trips. Plastic armor plating on the backs of those seats ensures that kicking children in the second row won’t make you spill your coffee.
The second row is the highlight of the cabin. Sitting under the huge panoramic glass roof are two captain’s chairs with a full range of power adjustments, movable legrests, center armrests, and ceiling-mounted rear AC and HVAC controls. Though they don’t slide side to side as on the Carnival, there’s just enough walk-through space between them to access the third row.
Though hemmed in by the encroaching wheel wells, the two-person third row has more legroom than in some bigger SUVs. Headroom is also pretty good, and the seat recline allows for comfort on long trips.
Trunk space is generous, with the extra width carved into the fenders behind the third row giving you 311 liters of cargo space. That jumps to over 800 liters with the third row folded, via controls found under the 220V utility socket, and up to 2,393 liters with the second row down. The load lip is set a bit high to clear the electric hardware underneath, but that’s still an impressive amount of space. And if that’s not enough, there’s a 52-liter frunk up in the engine bay, though some of that space is already taken up by the emergency Level 1 charger that comes bundled with the car.
ALSO READ:
Still in search of a gift for dad this Father’s Day? Here are some ideas
Libreng sakay: LRT-1, LRT-2, MRT-3 to offer free rides on June 12
Performance
Underneath that frunk sits a 189.5hp front traction motor, mated to an identical one under the third row seats. Combined, this 379hp, 700Nm dual-motor all-wheel-drive system rockets you from 0-100kph in a tested 5.2sec, or as quick as 4.8sec in Sport Mode with all the nannies disabled—about as quick as the slightly smaller 500hp+ BYD Tang. Big boy sports car territory, only without the big boy sports car soundtrack. Kia does give you piped-in artificial motor sounds to compensate, but not in the same variety or volume as in the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N.
And with no ‘virtual gears’ as in the Ioniq 5 N, the paddle shifters instead adjust regenerative braking strength, allowing you to go from none to one-pedal mode with ease. Energy efficiency isn’t quite as good as other E-GMP cars, at 3.5km/kWh in traffic, 6-7km/kWh on the highway, and 4-5km/kWh in mixed use. Not great numbers, but we were expecting worse, given the size. The giant 99.8kW battery pack promises a tick over 500km of range and takes most of a day to charge at your typical 5kW mall charger or several hours less with a more powerful Level 2 home charger. There’s support for 350kW Level 3 charging where available, allowing fill-ups in just over 20min. Or around 40min at Shell’s 180kW fast charges. That said, those fast charges can get expensive, so home charging is still your best bet.
Driving impressions
Though the huge battery pack and high-content interior saddle the EV9 with a massive 2,612kg curb weight, ‘Big Blue’ drives more like a five-seat crossover than a three-row luxury barge. With all its weight centered and down low, the EV9 pivots nicely, without the nose-heavy feeling of a big-motor gasoline SUV. The steering is well-weighted and sharp, if not overly communicative.
Given the huge 285/45R21 Continental Premium Contact C tires, though, you don’t expect the same delicate touch as a Miata. The tires provide a good mixture of performance and refinement, and while they rumble and stutter a bit over sharp ruts and bumps, the truck’s massive weight easily smothers any and all roads, making it a quiet, comfortable, and sure-footed long-distance cruiser.
On twistier paths, good suspension damping and anti-roll bars keep the truck relatively level through quick esses, and there’s never a feeling of that weight overwhelming it. Push hard enough, and you can eventually elicit some suspension oscillation and body roll, but it’s a pretty impressive performance for the size and weight.
Obviously, this set-up isn’t ideal for off-roading. Aggressive anti-roll bars mean less wheel articulation than more rugged SUVs, and the modest 198mm ground clearance and the big plastic bumpers discourage any serious trail crawling. Switchable Mud, Snow, and Sand modes help tailor traction to various off-road conditions, but as with many all-wheel-drive EVs, the lack of low-range gearing limits how far off-road you can take the EV9, even with knobbier tires.
Instead, the urban jungle is the EV9’s natural habitat. It’s surprisingly easy to pilot despite its size, certainly easier than the Carnival, as the EV9 boasts decent sightlines for such a large SUV. It does get a bit tricky in tight spots, thanks to its blistered fenders and tall hood, but a full 360-degree camera system and perimeter parking sensors help greatly, and can even be turned on at speed to help navigate past construction zones, bus lane dividers, and bangketas.
And you’ll be using them often because they have much better vertical coverage than the standard ‘side mirror’ cameras. Sure, the futuristic side camera stalks and integrated monitors look great, but in practice, the monitors sit at an odd angle and have a limited field of view, which makes them disorienting to use for backing up or sighting lane markings to position the car precisely.
On the bright side, they boast incredibly crisp, high-definition low-latency video, with anti-glare algorithms dimming headlights at night so well you can almost read the plate numbers behind the dazzle. They’re great for watching your blind spots and scanning following traffic, but I do hope the next generation system gets a wider field of view.
Extra features
Aside from the impressive video hardware, the EV9 also comes with Level 2 driving aids, meaning adaptive cruise control and lane-keeping assist systems that help it virtually drive itself on sections of road where lane markings are clearly defined. There’s also automatic braking, blind spot warnings, door open warnings, and attention minders for the driver, including a massage function that, irritatingly, automatically turns on every 30 minutes, whether you’re fatigued or not. Like that uncle in the back seat who gives you unsolicited shoulder massages. You can turn it off, but it would be nice if you could simply use it on demand.
Aside from the pilot, second-row occupants also get massage functions, HVAC controls, and charging ports. Third-row occupants get extra cupholders and power controls to shove the second row out of the way for easier egress. There are multiple charging points around the cabin, including multiple USB-C and 12V sockets, a wireless pad up front, and a 200V AC outlet in the trunk to supplement the 3.6kW V2L cable plugged into the charging port outside. This could just be the ultimate camping car!
There’s also Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, as usual, and a fancy 14-speaker Meridian sound system with adaptive sound stage logic. While the clarity of the sound is exceptional, it lacks bass and mid-range reproduction. Maybe the current draw of a good subwoofer would hurt driving range, but hell, I’d give up a dozen kilometers of driving range for a little extra oomph. Still, it’s a minor ding on what is otherwise an impressive spec package.
Verdict
After dipping their toes in the electric currents with the EV6, Kia has come out swinging with the EV9, which serves as the halo model for the brand, and perhaps even for ACMobility’s entire EV strategy. This big boy overshadows the BYD Tang as the biggest, poshest EV in distributor’s arsenal, giving similar performance and range despite the lower on-paper power ratings and bigger footprint.
The EV9 might be the best EV SUV to come here yet, but as ever, quality comes at a price—P5,938,000 is not cheap. Maybe trading those side cameras down to actual mirrors would knock an extra hundred thousand off the price. Maybe not. But either way, it’s a huge jump over an EV6.
And yet, you could spend much more on European EVs for much less capability or capacity. Unlike some electric ‘SUVs,’ the EV9 is the full—as in full-sized—package. For the right buyers, the extra tech and utility will seem worth the price tag, whatever the badge on the hood. Because this is an SUV that definitely deserves all the hype.
SPECS: 2025 Kia EV9
Price: P5,938,000
Motor: Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motor
Power: 379hp
Torque: 700Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Layout: AWD
Seating: 6
Score: 9/10
More photos of the 2025 Kia EV9:
