Trim Levels and Performance
The 2024 EV6 is available in five impressive trims, which Kia calls Light, Light Long Range, Wind, GT-Line, and GT. The RWD Light comes with a single electric motor that produces 167 horsepower and 258 lb.-ft. of torque, while the RWD Light Long Range, Wind, and GT-Line get a more powerful motor making 225 hp and 258 lb.-ft. of torque. With AWD, the Light Long Range, Wind, and GT-Line get an additional motor that boosts output to 320 hp and 446 lb.-ft. of torque. The high-performance GT (made only with AWD) is the most powerful of the bunch, adding an even stronger motor that hammers out 576 hp and 545 lb.-ft. of torque. Aside from the Light, every EV6 trim is rated to tow up to 2,300 pounds.
Range and Charging
According to the EPA’s official estimations, the Light can travel up to 232 miles per full charge (136 MPGe city and 100 MPGe highway) with its 58-kWh battery. The RWD Light Long Range, Wind, and GT-Line are good for 310 miles of range (134 MPGe city/101 MPGe highway) thanks to their stronger 77.4-kWh battery. With AWD, that drops to 282 miles (120 MPGe city/98 MPGe highway), except for the AWD GT-Line, which supplies 252 miles (106 MPGe city/86 MPGe highway). The GT uses the same battery, but its more vigorous motor decreases range to 218 miles (88 MPGe city/77 MPGe highway).
With a 240-volt Level 2 charger, it will take most trims around 7 hours to fully charge (the Light charges the fastest at around 6 hours). An 800-volt DC fast charger will supply any trim with a 10 to 80 percent charge in just 18 minutes, or a little over an hour with a 400-volt DC fast charger. Regenerative braking is also a standard attribute of the EV6. This process captures the kinetic energy produced from braking and converts it to electricity for the battery.
Amenities by Trim
The Light trim is entry-level yet it’s stocked nicely with dual-zone automatic climate control, heated front seats, a power-adjustable driver’s seat with position memory, push-button start, an auto-dimming rearview mirror, upholstery in a mix of recycled fabric and SynTex vegan-leather upholstery, a SynTex-wrapped steering wheel , a 60/40-split rear seatback with a folding center armrest, wireless phone charging, a 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster, and various USB ports for data and charging. This base trim’s exterior attributes include proximity keyless entry, rain-sensing windshield wipers, heated power-folding side mirrors with position memory and turn-signal indicators, automatic LED headlights, and LED daytime running lights and taillights. The Light Long Range has the same amenities, but it adds the stronger motor and larger battery.
The Wind is enhanced with ventilated front seats, a power passenger’s seat, full SynTex upholstery, a power liftgate, a vehicle-to-lead (V2L) onboard charger for external devices, and an illuminated charge port. The sportier GT-Line is bolstered by a sport-design steering wheel, a sunroof, alloy pedals, metal doorsill scuff trim, a black cloth headliner, ambient interior lighting, an augmented reality head-up display, a HomeLink universal garage door opener, and auto-extending flush door handles. The high-performance GT takes the cake for driving excitement with an electronically controlled suspension, race-inspired front bucket seats, heated outboard rear seats, a flat-bottomed steering wheel, a blend of black SynTex and suede upholstery with bright neon accents, a GT-exclusive drive mode, and Goodyear Eagle F1 summer performance tires. All AWD EV6s also come with a heated steering wheel and a range-preserving heat pump; the GT-Line with AWD also gets heated outboard rear seats.
Active Safety Features
The Kia Drive Wise technology bundle is standard in all five trims. In the Light and Light Long Range, it consists of blind-spot collision-avoidance assist, rear cross-traffic collision-avoidance assist, forward collision-avoidance assist (with car, cyclist, pedestrian, and junction turning detection), rear parking sensors, lane keeping assist, lane following assist, navigation-based adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go and curve control, highway driving assist, speed limit assist, driver attention monitoring, rear occupant alert, and safe exit warning.
The Wind receives front parking sensors and is eligible for a blind-spot view monitor, Remote Smart Parking Assist, reverse parking collision-avoidance assist, and a surround-view camera. All of those are standard in the GT-Line and GT, along with an enhanced forward collision system (it adds side and oncoming lane change assist, junction crossing assist, and evasive steering assist), machine-learning adaptive cruise control, and an improved highway driving assist system.
Infotainment and Connectivity
Every EV6 has a large panoramic digital display that contains the gauge cluster and infotainment touchscreen. Both the gauge cluster and the touchscreen measure 12.3 inches. The standard infotainment components are navigation, Android Auto, Apple CarPlay, SiriusXM satellite radio, a Wi-Fi hotspot, and Bluetooth hands-free phone and audio streaming. The Wind and above get a 14-speaker Meridian sound system (the Light and Light Long Range have a more basic audio setup with six speakers).
