Enlarge / The 2024 Kia EV9 takes many of the things people love about the Telluride but does them on one of the best purpose-built EV platforms in the industry. (credit: Kia)

American car buyers love purchasing way more car than they need. Have a kid and a dog? You'd better get a Suburban. Need to tow a Hobie Cat to the lake once or twice a year? Get a full-size diesel four-wheel drive pickup. Looking at an EV for your family? Well, it had better do 400 miles at a time and charge in 15 minutes, despite you having a six-mile commute. This mentality would make a cynic say that Kia's EV9 is a pointless exercise, but that cynic would be wrong.

The 2024 Kia EV9 is ostensibly a three-row, midsize electric SUV that in its most efficient form—the Wind RWD Long-Range trim—will do a claimed 304 miles (489 km) of range, but it's also Kia's flagship model and the vehicle that seems to give us the best look at the formerly cheap-and-cheerful brand's more upscale future.

The EV9 is the latest vehicle based on the E-GMP platform that underpins the Ioniq 5 , EV6 , and Genesis GV60 . Like those vehicles, it features a skateboard-style chassis and is available in rear- or all-wheel drive. Power ranges from 201 hp (150 kW) in the entry-level Wind RWD model to 379 hp (283 kW) in the Land AWD and GT-Line models. There are two available battery packs, with the smaller coming in at 76.1 kWh and the long-range pack rated at 99.8 kWh.

Enlarge / Around the world people are asking for smaller electric vehicles. Someone at Kia has been listening and designed this car, the EV3. (credit: Kia)

Kia provided flights from Los Angeles to Seoul and three nights in a hotel so we could see the EV3, EV4, and EV5. Ars does not accept paid editorial content.

Kia is staring down an ambitious goal. The company wants to increase its global electric vehicle sales to 1 million units annually by 2026, further ramping up to 1.6 million by 2030. New products like the EV5 crossover and EV9 SUV will certainly help with this push, but smaller, more affordable EVs will be crucial to Kia's success, as well. That's why, despite being called concept cars, the new EV3 and EV4 are thinly veiled glimpses into Kia's next round of production EVs.

Unveiled at Kia's EV Day event in South Korea this week, the EV3 and EV4 will arrive in the next few years. The company also spoke about an even smaller EV2 that will be designed for Europe and emerging markets, with the goal for that car being a super-low starting price—something around the equivalent of $30,000.

The EV3 and EV4 ride on the same E-GMP electric vehicle architecture that underpins the Kia EV6 and EV9, as well as sister vehicles like the Hyundai Ioniq 5 , Ioniq 6 , and Genesis GV60 . However, while the current crop of E-GMP vehicles are built with 800 V electrical architecture giving them fast charging speeds, the EV3 and EV4 will use a slightly more cost-effective version of this platform with a 400 V system. That's a bummer; one of the big highlights of cars like the Kia EV6 is its ability to charge at a max rate of 233 kW. With the EV3 and EV4, we could be looking at a maximum rate of 150 kW—or less.

Enlarge (credit: Hyundai)

On Thursday morning, Hyundai announced that it's the latest automaker to adopt the North American Charging Standard for its battery electric vehicles. Developed by Tesla, NACS was opened up late last year and, since this May, has seen a flurry of automakers pledge to drop the existing Combined Charging Standard plug for the smaller, lighter NACS alternative, together with deals negotiating access to Tesla's robust Supercharger network in the process.

Ford went first , and all the subsequent announcements followed the same pattern: native NACS ports built into new EVs from 2025, with a CCS-NACS adapter made available in 2024 to allow those other brands' EVs to charge at Supercharger stations.

Today's timeline is slightly different, just to make sure we're paying attention. Hyundai says that it's going to start building NACS ports (instead of CCS1) into "all-new or refreshed Hyundai EVs" for the US market in Q4 2024, with Canadian EVs following suit in the first half of 2025.

Enlarge / This is a prototype of the new Kia EV9 electric SUV, which goes on sale in the last quarter of 2023. (credit: Kia)

Kia has announced pricing for its next electric vehicle as it gets closer to release toward the end of this year. It's the EV9 , a three-row SUV that uses the company's E-GMP architecture, also used to good effect in smaller EVs like the Kia EV6 and Hyundai Ioniq 5 . When the EV9 arrives in showrooms, the range will start at $54,900 (plus destination charge).

"We knew we had to get the EV9 pricing right, and we believe today's announcement will be a wake-up call to the industry," said Kia America's COO, Steve Center.

"A well-equipped three-row SUV EV doesn’t have to be prohibitively expensive. It should offer the perfect balance of standard features, the ability to fast charge, and be equipped with the technology savvy EV buyers are looking for. The EV9 provides all of this, and we can’t wait for it to go on sale later this year," he said.

Enlarge / This is a prototype of the new Kia EV9 electric SUV, which goes on sale in the latter half of 2023. (credit: Kia)

Kia provided flights from DC to Seoul and back, plus two nights in a hotel, so we could meet the prototype EV9. Ars does not accept paid editorial content.

SEOUL, KOREA—In 2021, Kia used that year's Los Angeles Auto Show to debut a new electric concept called the EV9. Today, Kia took the wraps off the production version, which goes on sale in the second half of this year. The production EV9 is definitely an evolution of the show car but with some of the concept's more outrageous design details toned down a bit.

It's a large three-row SUV that uses Kia and Hyundai's advanced new electric vehicle platform called E-GMP , which has already impressed us and many others in new EVs like the Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Kia's EV6 . Those two are smaller crossovers, but the EV9 is bringing that 800 V technology to a larger vehicle, one that should be well-suited to North American tastes.

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  The production EV9 has much less scalloped doors than the concept we saw in 2021. It's a little shorter than the Kia Telluride but with a much longer wheelbase. [credit: Kia ]

"The journey over the last couple of years to get to where we are now in terms of design could only happen when designers and brands work together, and this design philosophy— opposites united —is very much based on that idea of movement and richness through movement," explained Karim Habib, head of Kia Global Design. "It's about the juxtaposition of [a] man-made structure in nature and how that contrast actually can be very beautiful or even within nature itself."

Enlarge / Can a 400-mile road trip up the California coast tell us whether the EV6 GT adds enough smiles to justify its added expense over the regular—and already excellent—EV6?

We are emotionally connected to our cars. Even when we buy something that's purely utilitarian, we can't be expected to spend that much time with an object without feeling… something. Even hatred of a car, truck, or SUV shows that we're attached in a tangible way to a vehicle. But when we talk about driving, we generally gravitate toward fun and the joy of the open road.

This brings us to the 2023 Kia EV6 GT . The sportier, quicker EV6 burst onto the scene with a video of the EV besting supercars in the quarter-mile. It kept up with those it couldn't beat, thanks to a zero-to-60 time of 3.4 seconds. It's 576 hp (430 kW) and 545 lb-ft (738 Nm) of torque fast. It's "I bet you didn't think a station wagon that's masquerading as an SUV could blow the doors off a Lambo" fast. Kia is selling one thing with this car: fun.

What is fun worth? Sure, you're dropping more cash on the quickest EV6. Paying more for a performance variant is expected. That's not the real cost of the EV6 GT, though. What you're paying in is range, and that translates to more time on a trip. This might be the faster Kia, but you'll be hitting more charging stations.

Enlarge / The Ioniq 6 will be the next EV to debut using Hyundai's clever new E-GMP architecture. It goes on sale in the US later this year. (credit: Jonathan Gitlin)

This morning, Hyundai revealed that the US Environmental Protection Agency has finalized an official range estimate for the brand's next electric vehicle, the Ioniq 6 sedan . At 361 miles (581 km), it's certainly impressive, even beating the longest-ranged Tesla Model 3 sedan.

As those familiar with EVs already know, not every version of the Ioniq 6 has quite so much range. You'll need the single-motor, rear-wheel drive version, riding on 18-inch wheels for maximum efficiency. Helpfully, this will be the cheapest version on sale in the US. The company has not announced pricing yet, but expect it to cost similar to that of the Hyundai Ioniq 5 crossover .

Adding larger wheels helpfully illustrates the deleterious effect they have on an EV's range efficiency. With 20-inch wheels, the single-motor Ioniq 6's range is 305 miles (491 km).

Enlarge (credit: Aurich Lawson | Getty Images)

Ah, the annual end-of-year roundup, when it's time to sit down and think about all the vehicles we tested in 2022. Comparing this year to years past, it's notable how many electric vehicles make the list. Partly that's because the industry released some pretty compelling new EVs this year, but it's also a reflection of our coverage priorities—in the past, you've told us loud and clear you aren't that interested in reading about new gasoline or diesel models. Read on to find out what impressed us most in 2022.

1. Kia EV6

Our winner is actually one of the first cars we tested this year, and it's the Kia EV6 . It uses a new 800 V EV architecture called E-GMP, shared with last year's winner, the Hyundai Ioniq 5 , that delivers impressive levels of efficiency for larger, heavier EVs while also boasting some of the best fast-charging in the industry—just 18 minutes from 10-80 percent on a 350 kW charger. Despite the shared roots, the Kia drives very differently compared to the angular Ioniq 5, with a sportier nature. And unlike the Hyundai, the EV6 is sold in all 50 states.

Sadly, Kia dropped the cheapest configuration from the roster this year—the $40,900 EV6 Light used a smaller battery and motor but only accounted for about 3 percent of customer orders, according to the company. Earlier this month, we got a chance to test the other end of the spectrum—the $61,400 EV6 GT, which is very fast but might just be overkill.

Enlarge / You need a keen eye to spot that this is a Kia EV6 GT—the larger wheels and neon green brake calipers are the main clue. (credit: Jonathan Gitlin)

Kia provided flights from DC to Las Vegas and back, plus two nights in a hotel so we could drive the EV6 GT on the street and at the track. Ars does not accept paid editorial content.

LAS VEGAS—In January, we got our first chance to drive Kia's new EV6 electric vehicle . Built using Hyundai Motor Group's excellent new E-GMP platform, the EV6 instantly impressed us, offering a less polarizing design and more playful handling than the also impressive Hyundai Ioniq 5 . Designed as a dedicated EV platform, E-GMP features an 800 V battery pack that allows for rapid fast charging, and the rear- and all-wheel drive can achieve excellent levels of efficiency.

In that first drive, and then again on local roads over the summer, my seat time in the EV6 confirmed Hyundai Motor Group's wisdom in hiring Albert Biermann away from BMW to build up the Korean automakers' research and development programs. But now Kia's turned the dial well past 11 with the new $61,400 EV6 GT, a limited-production variant that can outdrag some Ferraris and Lamborghinis, and ride the rumble strips at a racetrack with the best of them.

Between the axles of the EV6 GT you'll find the same 77.4 kWh (gross capacity) battery pack as in other EV6s—the company has discontinued the smaller-battery variant (the EV6 Light) due to very little demand. But in the EV6 GT, that battery will now feed much more power to the pair of electric motors that drive the front and rear wheels. There's a total of 576 hp (430 kW), in fact, plus a combined 545 lb-ft (738 Nm) of torque, split between a 215-hp (160 kW) front motor and a 362-hp (270 kW) rear motor with an electronic limited-slip differential.