2024 Kia EV6

Scored on the dual-motor Long Range e-AWD (Light LR / Wind / GT-Line AWD), the volume configuration. 2024 is the last pre-facelift year on the 77.4-kWh pack; combined output is strong for a compact SUV but mid-band against the 150–550 hp SUV range.

Dual-motor torque available from standstill gives the AWD EV6 far more low-speed punch than gas compact SUVs; identical hardware to the Ioniq 5 Long Range AWD.

Kia's own 5.1 s figure for the AWD is conservative — magazine instrumented runs of the pre-facelift dual-motor EV6 land around 4.5–4.6 s — but the manufacturer figure is used per the sourcing rule. Either way it outruns nearly every gas compact SUV.

Single-speed EV delivery with instant, seamless response and no combustion coarseness; the 800V architecture sustains output well. Held just under the top because the GT's delivery is abrupt and hard launches bring some axle shuffle.

Single-speed reduction gear with nothing to hunt or shift harshly; paddle-selectable regen levels and i-Pedal one-pedal mode add fine driver control. The regen/friction brake blend is the one commonly noted calibration weakness.

A light-duty rating good for a small utility trailer or personal watercraft, well below what mid-size gas SUVs tow — the biggest drag on this category.

Dual-motor e-AWD with a disconnecting front motor is optional on Light Long Range, Wind and GT-Line and standard on the GT, with snow mode — broadly available. Below 80 because the entry 58-kWh Light is RWD-only and there is no low range or locking hardware.

About 6.1 inches of ground clearance, road tires, no skid plates and no off-road trim — the EV6 is a low-slung pavement crossover. Below the Ioniq 5, which later gained an XRT variant Kia has no equivalent to.

Battery-electric only — no gas, hybrid or PHEV — which places it in the bottom band. Top of that band because buyers choose between two battery sizes, RWD or AWD, and the 576-hp GT, a wide output spread.

The volume dual-motor configuration on 19-inch wheels rates 109 MPGe — solid for an AWD compact EV SUV, a step behind the single-motor cars on the same platform. 2024 is the final pre-facelift year on the 77.4-kWh pack.

City is the EV6's strongest figure as with any EV, helped by paddle-adjustable regen and i-Pedal recovering stop-and-go energy.

Highway efficiency falls about 18% from city, the normal EV pattern; the low shooting-brake roofline helps relative to boxier EV crossovers.

282 EPA miles is respectable for a dual-motor compact EV SUV but only mid-band; the 84-kWh pack that lifted AWD range to 295 mi arrived with the 2025 facelift, not in 2024.

The 800-volt E-GMP architecture accepts 240 kW on the long-range trims — near the top of the mainstream EV field and well above typical 400-volt compact EV SUVs.

Kia quotes 18 minutes 10–80% on a 350 kW charger for every 2024 trim — among the quickest replenishment times in the EV market and right at the band floor.

EPA puts the volume AWD at $700 a year at 15,000 mi — a fraction of a comparably quick gas crossover's fuel bill.

No gasoline of any grade, 800V charging at up to 240 kW for an 18-minute 10–80% stop, a 10.9 kW onboard charger that refills overnight on Level 2, and vehicle-to-load capability. Slightly below the 2026 car because 2024 US cars use CCS1 only (no native NACS port) and launched before Kia's Supercharger access, so public charging leaned on less reliable CCS networks.

The 2024 EV6 is a carry-over year of the first (CV) generation that went on sale in January 2022, and it carries NHTSA's 5-star overall rating, with 5-star frontal, side and rollover results.

The 2024 EV6 earned no IIHS award, unlike the 2023 car's Top Safety Pick+, because the tougher 2024 criteria weigh the updated moderate-overlap test with a rear-seat dummy, where this body structure scored poorly (rear belt geometry let the shoulder belt ride up and the lap belt slide onto the abdomen). Small overlap driver and passenger and the original moderate overlap are all Good, which keeps it mid-band rather than low.

Kia Drive Wise on the 2024 EV6 makes Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist (with pedestrian/cyclist/junction-turning), Lane Keeping and Lane Following Assist, Smart Cruise Control with Stop & Go, Blind-Spot and Rear Cross-Traffic Collision-Avoidance Assist and Safe Exit Assist standard from the Light trim up. All five core features are standard; the 360-camera, Blind-Spot View Monitor and HDA2 remain on upper trims.

Standard Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist earns IIHS Superior for daytime pedestrian protection and covers vehicle, pedestrian, cyclist and junction-turning scenarios. Held at the bottom of the top band because nighttime pedestrian performance is the weaker result for this E-GMP hardware.

Blind-Spot and Rear Cross-Traffic Collision-Avoidance Assist are standard and actively brake/steer rather than only warn, and Safe Exit Assist is standard — valuable given the EV6's poor rear-quarter sightlines. The Blind-Spot View Monitor camera is limited to GT-Line and GT.

Lane Following Assist gives true centering on every trim, and HDA2 on GT-Line/GT adds assisted lane changes, but reviewers describe the Hyundai/Kia calibration as somewhat busy with small corrections in curves rather than fully settled.

Full-speed-range Smart Cruise Control with Stop & Go is standard and works smoothly, and Highway Driving Assist 2 integrates it with centering on GT-Line/GT. Just below the top band because the best-integrated HDA2 is not on the volume Wind trim and gap-keeping is conservative.

No hands-free driving system is offered on any 2024 EV6 trim; HDA2 is a hands-on system that requires steering-wheel torque, behind Mach-E BlueCruise and Super Cruise rivals.

IIHS rates the 2024 EV6's headlights Good on all trims, with standard High Beam Assist; no curve-adaptive lighting is offered.

Forward visibility over the low cowl is good, but the fastback roof, thick rear pillars and small spoiler-split rear window make rearward and over-the-shoulder sightlines poor. Surround View Monitor is trim-locked to GT-Line/GT, so the volume trim relies on the standard rear camera and blind-spot systems.

The flat E-GMP floor, 114.2 in wheelbase and ~39 in rear legroom give room for car seats, with two outboard LATCH positions and three top tethers. Held mid-band because the sloping roof and low rear cushion make loading children and rear-facing installs more awkward than in taller compact SUVs.

Two-row, five-seat layout on every 2024 EV6 trim; no third-row option.

Wind (volume trim) has no sunroof and the full 39.0 in; the sunroof-equipped GT-Line/GT lose over 2 in.

Mid-pack front legroom for a compact SUV.

Adequate rear headroom despite the sloping roof; the sunroof does not reduce it.

The 114.2-in E-GMP wheelbase and flat floor give generous rear legroom for the class.

Two-row crossover with no third row offered on any trim.

The low, sloping tail leaves cargo space below most compact SUVs; the front trunk is only bag-sized.

Maximum cargo trails conventional compact SUVs (CR-V/RAV4 ~70 cu ft) because of the shooting-brake roofline.

Floating center console with a big open bin beneath, hidden cargo-floor tray, small frunk, and standard V2L (exterior adapter plus under-seat 2nd-row outlet on Wind and up) give it more clever touches than most rivals, though cubby space in the console itself is modest.

Supportive front seats with power adjustment and lumbar on Wind, plus reclining rear seats; rear cushion is low-mounted because of the battery floor, which leaves taller adults with thighs unsupported.

Generally smooth and controlled, but the firm tuning (passive dampers on all non-GT trims) lets sharp bumps and rough pavement jostle the cabin.

Silent EV powertrain and acoustic windshield/front-door glass keep it relaxed on the highway, though reviewers note more tire and wind noise than in an Ioniq 5.

Heated front seats, dual-zone climate with rear vents and remote climate via Kia Connect are standard; Wind adds ventilated front seats, while heated rear seats and heated wheel are optional below the GT and the heat pump is an option.

The 2024 lineup still opened with the Standard Range (58 kWh) Light RWD, a pre-facelift entry trim that was dropped when the 84 kWh pack arrived for MY2025. Priced well above mainstream compact SUVs, as expected for a dedicated-platform EV.

Wind RWD (77.4 kWh Long Range) is the volume configuration, adding the equipment most buyers want over the Light trims while staying below GT-Line ($52,900 RWD / $57,600 AWD) and the GT. Mid-band for an SUV.

As a BEV the EV6 needs no oil, plugs, belts or exhaust work; scheduled service is filters, rotations, coolant/brake fluid and inspections, and regen braking extends pad life. Kia includes no complimentary scheduled maintenance, so the owner pays for every visit, so this is set above CarEdge's out-of-pocket figure.

The EV6's weakest cost item. Heavy 2023–2024 lease subvention, fast-moving EV technology and the MY2025 facelift (84 kWh battery, NACS port, new interior) all pressure residuals on a pre-facelift 2024 car.

Kia's 5-year/60,000-mile new-vehicle limited warranty tops the band, two years beyond the 3/36 industry norm.

Maxes the band; coverage extends to the high-voltage battery and drive motors, the costliest EV failure modes.

No complimentary scheduled maintenance (unlike Hyundai's 3 yr/36k on the Ioniq 5), but the 2024 EV6 includes 1,000 kWh of Electrify America DC fast charging over three years (~3,500 miles), 5 yr/60k roadside assistance and a Kia Connect trial — real perks, but no included servicing.

$50,095 volume-trim price minus its estimated resale value after 5 years (40% retained, or about $20,038) leaves about $30,057 in depreciation. Add the projected $3,600 in 5-year maintenance and repairs, and owning this vehicle for 5 years costs about $33,657 in total.

2024 is the low point of the EV6's reliability record. Consumer Reports cut the EV6's reliability from 'excellent' to 'average' between its April 2023 and April 2024 issues, and owner surveys for the 2024 model year flag battery, charging and electrical faults — chiefly ICCU failures and the 12V-battery drain they cause. Average-to-mixed signals, pulled toward the bottom of the 50-79 band by a defect that strands cars.

Kia is an upper-mid-pack dependability brand: a repeat top-five mass-market finisher in J.D. Power's Initial Quality Study and at or above industry average in the Vehicle Dependability Study, but mid-table in Consumer Reports brand rankings, short of the Toyota/Lexus/Honda tier.

The 2024 EV6 sits squarely inside a repeated, safety-critical powertrain-adjacent recall. The ICCU can be damaged by transient high voltage and thermal cycling, stop charging the 12V battery, and cause loss of drive power; an earlier software-only remedy was followed by a second campaign requiring inspection and hardware replacement — the 'major or repeated recalls' band by definition.

The E-GMP motors and 77.4 kWh 800V pack themselves have held up — low-wear permanent-magnet drive units, unremarkable degradation reports and no thermal-event recall. But the ICCU sits in the high-voltage charging path and failed often enough on 2022-2024 cars to warrant a hardware recall, so the powertrain system as a whole is mixed rather than proven for this model year.

The pre-facelift 2024 cabin is modern and well-designed, with a floating twin 12.3-in display panel, soft upper surfaces and recycled-material trims, but reviewers note hard plastics on lower doors and console and criticized the dual-function haptic climate/media bar. Competitive for the Premium price class rather than class-leading; the 2025 refresh is what upgraded it.

Assembly quality is a strength: the Korean-built third model year off a mature line, with no systemic panel-gap, rattle or squeak complaints in reviews, backed by Kia's strong initial-quality standing.

Kia's ~750-800 US dealers give dense nationwide coverage, but EV-certified service depth is uneven and the ICCU campaigns produced widely reported multi-week downtime for 2022-2024 owners awaiting diagnosis and parts.

High-voltage parts are dealer-only with negligible aftermarket support, ICCU units were backordered during the recall, and Korean sourcing adds lead time; collision repair on the 800V platform is costly. Cheap routine maintenance and the 10-year/100,000-mile warranty keep it mid-band.

Standard 12.3-in navigation touchscreen joined to the digital cluster in a single panoramic curved display.

Clean, responsive AVN 5.0 interface, but the touch-sensitive bar that toggles between climate and media controls confuses many users; the 2025 facelift's ccNC system replaced it.

Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard but wired-only on the 2024 navigation unit; wireless projection arrived with the 2025 facelift.

Standard native navigation with EV-route charger planning and nav-linked cruise; voice recognition is functional but not conversational.

Wind (volume trim) and up get the Meridian system with subwoofer, center speaker and amplifier; Light trims make do with a basic 6-speaker setup.

A 12.3-in full-digital cluster is standard on every trim, crisp and configurable by drive mode.

The 2024 car receives over-the-air map and infotainment updates, but broader vehicle-controller OTA arrived with the facelifted ccNC platform; some fixes (e.g., the ICCU recall) still need a dealer visit.

Kia Connect gives remote climate/start, lock, locate and charge scheduling, with a complimentary trial before subscription; no phone-as-key on the 2024 car.

USB-C in both rows, standard wireless charging, a cargo outlet and Vehicle-to-Load (exterior adapter plus under-seat 2nd-row outlet on Wind and up) make it a rolling power bank.

Smart key with push-button start is standard, smart power liftgate from Wind up and remote start via app; no phone-as-key on 2024 models.

Wind gets front/rear parking sensors with surround-view, blind-spot view and remote parking as options; GT-Line/GT make them standard, but Light trims have only the rear camera.

An augmented-reality HUD is available, but only on the GT-Line and GT; the volume Wind trim goes without.

Long wheelbase and flat floor make the rear roomy for car seats, but the 24.4 cu ft cargo hold and low roofline limit stroller-plus-groceries duty versus boxier compact SUVs.

5-star NHTSA overall and strong IIHS results with FCA, BCA, RCCA, LFA and stop-and-go SCC standard on every trim; the 2024 car missed a Top Safety Pick and surround view is optional on Wind.

Reclining rear seats, rear vents and USB-C keep passengers happy, but cargo space with four aboard is tight and AWD range of ~282 miles means frequent stops.

Smooth, quiet electric torque, i-Pedal one-pedal driving and standard stop-and-go cruise make it relaxing in traffic.

At 109 MPGe on the volume AWD configuration, home-charged commuting costs a fraction of a gas compact SUV's.

Moderate footprint and front/rear sensors on Wind help, but a 38.2-ft turning circle and poor rear visibility through thick pillars and a small back window make tight parking harder.

A 2,300-lb tow rating and a modest 50.2 cu ft max cargo hold make it a light-duty hauler only; towing also slashes EV range.

Unproven in hard use, and the 2024 E-GMP cars carried the ICCU charging-unit recall that can leave the car without 12-volt power.

Standard Vehicle-to-Load (exterior adapter, plus an interior outlet from Wind) is genuinely useful onsite, but there are few tie-downs and little upfit ecosystem.

800-volt charging (10–80% in 18 min at 350 kW) and good highway manners offset middling AWD range (282 mi); HDA2 is limited to GT-Line/GT.

AWD and V2L camping power are pluses, but 6.1 in of ground clearance and a 15.4° approach angle keep it on graded roads.

Split-fold rear seats, a small frunk and an underfloor tray help, but the sloping roof caps cargo at 50.2 cu ft and no roof rails are fitted.

Low battery mass and a five-link rear give a well-balanced, composed chassis that is more agile than most compact electric crossovers, though it feels heavy at the limit.

Well-weighted and precise with a quick 2.67-turn rack, but feedback is muted.

12.8-in discs at all four corners stop well, and i-Pedal one-pedal driving is smooth, but reviewers note inconsistent pedal feel in the regen-to-friction handoff.

Dual-motor e-AWD delivers smooth, immediate torque with seamless front-motor engagement; tip-in is well calibrated in Normal mode.

Near-silent under load with only faint motor whine; optional e-sound is easy to switch off.

Kia publishes a 19.1-ft curb-to-curb radius for all non-GT trims, i.e. a 38.2-ft diameter — average for the segment.

Plenty of seat and wheel adjustment with memory on Wind, but the touch-sensitive climate/media bar and poor rear sightlines through thick pillars detract.

Quick AWD acceleration and a balanced chassis make it more entertaining than most compact EV crossovers, though not a true enthusiast car outside the GT.

Every 2024 EV6 gets dual 12.3-inch panoramic displays, the Kia Drive Wise ADAS suite (forward collision avoidance, lane following assist, blind-spot avoidance, safe exit assist), heat pump on Long Range trims and vehicle-to-load. Wireless CarPlay/Android Auto were not standard on the pre-facelift car and the Light trim is sparse for a $44k vehicle.

800-volt E-GMP hardware (~18-minute 10–80% DC charging, up to 310 mi EPA in Wind RWD, 576 hp GT at $61,600) is strong content for the money, but the Korea-built 2024 car was ineligible for the $7,500 federal purchase credit and lists above the trim-equivalent Ioniq 5.

Eight configurations across Light, Light Long Range, Wind, GT-Line and GT, two battery sizes (58 / 77.4 kWh), RWD or AWD on most trims, spanning roughly $44k–$63k delivered — a wide, well-spaced ladder topped by a performance halo.

A steady, mid-pack EV seller — roughly 20,000 US units a year, in the non-Tesla EV top ten but well behind the Model Y, Mustang Mach-E and Ioniq 5, and small next to gas compact SUVs.

Kia's design-led rebrand has lifted it well above its budget-brand past and the EV6/EV9 are its halo products, but it remains a mainstream badge without luxury pull, and weak EV residuals blunt the halo.

Through 2024 the EV6 was among the most heavily incentivized EVs: Kia passed the $7,500 commercial clean-vehicle credit through as lease cash, stacked bonus cash and low-APR financing, and bundled 1,000 kWh of free Electrify America charging — big buyer benefits, priced in by the weak residuals.

MY2024 is the third and final year of the pre-facelift car; the facelift (84 kWh pack, NACS port, revised interior and screens) was revealed in May 2024 and arrived for MY2025, so a 2024 buyer was getting the outgoing version on a still-current E-GMP platform.

One of the most decorated EVs of its era: European Car of the Year 2022, North American Utility Vehicle of the Year 2023, Car and Driver 10Best and EV of the Year recognition, and consistently praised as the sharper-driving E-GMP crossover in comparison tests.