2024 Kia EV9

The volume configuration in the EV9's launch year is the dual-motor Wind/Land AWD on the 99.8 kWh pack at 379 hp, which is also the 2024 range maximum — there is no GT model until later.

Dual-motor Wind and Land make 443 lb-ft, rising to 516 lb-ft with the paid Boost feature; the GT-Line has the 516 lb-ft tune always on.

Car and Driver's instrumented test of a 2024 Land AWD ran 5.1 s, inside Kia's 5.0–5.7 s claim for the AWD trims; the RWD Light models are much slower at 7.7–8.8 s.

Dual-motor delivery on the 800V E-GMP platform is instant and silent, with no combustion or hybrid hand-offs, and launch reviews said it feels unstrained even when loaded.

With a single-speed reduction gear there are no shifts to get wrong. Paddle-selectable regen levels and i-Pedal one-pedal driving are well calibrated and predictable.

The dual-motor AWD trims are rated to tow 5,000 lbs, near the top for three-row EVs of 2024, though well short of body-on-frame gas SUVs.

Dual-motor e-AWD is standard on Wind, Land and GT-Line, three of the five 2024 trims, and comes with Snow/Mud/Sand terrain modes and a front-motor disconnect. There is no low range and no locking differential.

AWD trims have 7.8 in of ground clearance and terrain modes, enough for gravel or snow, but there is no off-road trim, no skid plates and no low range.

The EV9 is battery-electric only. For 2024 it spans three outputs (201/215 hp RWD and 379 hp AWD) and two pack sizes, with no GT halo model yet.

The volume dual-motor AWD is rated 83 MPGe combined. That is reasonable for a 5,700-lb three-row SUV but sits in the lower part of the EV range.

Regenerative braking helps in stop-and-go traffic, but the vehicle's mass keeps the AWD EV9 at 91 MPGe city, in the lower third for EVs.

The boxy three-row shape costs it at highway speed: 75 MPGe is a weak result among EVs, and it is the figure that matters on road trips.

On the 99.8 kWh pack the dual-motor AWD covers 280 miles, mid-pack for EV SUVs. The 304-mile figure requires giving up AWD.

The 800V E-GMP architecture accepts about 210 kW at peak and holds a high, flat charging curve. That is quick, though not the class leader. In 2024 it used a CCS1 port.

Kia quotes about 24 minutes from 10–80% for the large pack on 350 kW hardware. That is quick for a 100 kWh battery.

The EPA estimates $900 a year at 15,000 miles for the AWD trim, well under a gas three-row SUV. That figure assumes home charging.

It burns no gasoline, and overnight Level 2 charging through the 10.9 kW onboard charger is easy. The 2024 model uses a CCS1 port, so Tesla Supercharger access depends on an adapter that arrived later, and Plug & Charge was not yet working. That puts it a few points below the 2026 NACS-port car.

NHTSA rated the 2024 EV9 the maximum 5 stars overall — the top of the 3–5 star SUV band — though the frontal and rollover components are 4 stars each.

A 2024 IIHS Top Safety Pick (vehicles built after January 2024) with Good ratings in small overlap front, moderate overlap front and the updated side test. It misses the + tier for this model year, and the award only covers later-build vehicles because early Land/GT-Line headlights rated Poor.

Every 2024 trim from the base Light up gets the full Drive Wise suite: FCA with car/pedestrian/cyclist, junction-crossing and junction-turning and lane-change modes, Blind-Spot Collision-Avoidance, Rear Cross-Traffic Collision-Avoidance, Safe Exit Assist, Smart Cruise and Highway Driving Assist 2. The camera aids (surround view, blind-spot view) and parking collision-avoidance are reserved for Land and GT-Line.

IIHS rates both the tougher vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention 2.0 test (higher speeds and a motorcycle target) and the pedestrian test Good with standard equipment. That is a stronger result than many three-row rivals.

Blind-Spot Collision-Avoidance Assist (brakes and steers, not just warns), Rear Cross-Traffic Collision-Avoidance and Safe Exit Assist are standard on every trim. The camera-based Blind-Spot View Monitor is limited to Land and GT-Line in 2024, and there is no trailer-aware coverage.

HDA 2 is standard on every trim and layers map-aware lane centering and signal-initiated assisted lane changes over lane keeping. Owners find it confident over long highway stints, with occasional reports that it drifts within the lane instead of tracking dead-center.

Full-speed-range stop-and-go Smart Cruise with navigation-based speed adjustment is standard on every trim and integrated with HDA 2 highway assist. It stays below the top band because owners report it accelerating hard back to the set speed in curves once the lead vehicle leaves the sensor's view.

No hands-free driving is offered on any 2024 US trim. HDA 2 is a hands-on Level 2 system that escalates warnings after a few seconds without hands on the wheel, so it does not match rivals offering BlueCruise or Super Cruise.

Light, Light Long Range and Wind headlights rate Good, as do Land/GT-Line units built after January 2024, and High Beam Assist is standard. The score is held down because the Land and GT-Line projector headlights built before February 2024 rated Poor, so a meaningful share of early 2024 production carries a Poor lamp.

The upright, boxy greenhouse gives good natural sightlines for a three-row SUV, with thick rear pillars and chunky A-pillars as the main obstructions. In 2024 the 360° Surround View Monitor and Blind-Spot View Monitor are limited to Land and GT-Line, so Light and Wind buyers get only the rear camera.

IIHS rates the EV9's LATCH hardware Good, with exposed, easy-to-find anchors in the second and third rows, wide door openings and ample second-row legroom. It loses points because the third row's fixed head restraints push forward-facing seats off the seatback and legroom there is tight.

The volume Wind AWD seats seven on a 60/40 second-row bench. Light Long Range, Land and GT-Line seat six on captain's chairs.

The Wind's standard dual sunroof cuts front headroom to 39.6 in. The roofless Light trim has a generous 41.2 in.

Front legroom is 41.4 in on every trim, which is average for a mid-size three-row SUV.

Second-row headroom is 38.8 in under the dual sunroof on the volume Wind, and 39.8 in on the Light trims.

The 123.2-in wheelbase on the flat E-GMP floor gives a class-leading 42.8 in of second-row legroom, more than the 41.4 in up front.

With 39.5 in of headroom and 30.8–32.0 in of legroom, the third row fits adults better than most mid-size three-row SUVs, helped by the flat floor and one-touch second-row tilt/slide. The floor is still high, so knees ride up on long trips.

With the third row folded there is 43.5 cu ft behind the second row, and 20.2 cu ft behind the third row is usable. That trails boxier rivals such as the Telluride, though the small frunk helps.

With both rear rows folded there is 81.7 cu ft, competitive for the mid-size three-row class but short of the largest body-on-frame SUVs.

The flat floor, a sliding front console, frunk, underfloor cargo bin and second-row console make storage practical. V2L onboard power is limited to Land and GT-Line, and the frunk shrinks to 1.8 cu ft on AWD models.

Reviewers praise supportive, comfortable front and second-row seats. Heated and ventilated front seats are standard, and Relaxation recline is offered on upper trims, although the volume Wind has simpler 8-way seats without power leg support.

Frequency-sensitive dampers and the long wheelbase give a smooth ride that isn't floaty, though the heavy body can thump over sharp impacts on 21-in wheels.

There is no engine noise and acoustic front glass is standard, so the cabin is very quiet at speed. Acoustic rear-door glass is fitted only to Land and GT-Line.

Heated and ventilated front seats are standard on all trims, a heated wheel comes from Wind up, and Land/GT-Line add heated and ventilated second-row seats and rear window curtains. EV pre-conditioning is available through the app.

The launch-year EV9 opens at $54,900 plus $1,495 destination for the 76.1 kWh Light RWD. That puts it well up the SUV price band, as you'd expect for a three-row EV aimed at near-premium buyers rather than a mainstream gas mid-size.

Wind e-AWD is the trim reviewers recommend and the one most dealers stocked. It costs $63,900 plus $1,495 destination. Kia doesn't publish its trim mix, so the volume-trim call is an inference.

There's no oil, spark plugs or belts to service, and the scheduled items are light, so it's cheap to keep up by three-row standards. A 5,000+ lb SUV on 19–21-inch wheels does wear through tires and brakes, though, so this sits below the high-end dealer estimate rather than at the low end.

Depreciation is the 2024 EV9's weakest ownership number. KBB already shows a 45% loss in the first two years, and subsidized leases followed by the credit's expiry in September 2025 pushed used three-row EV prices down further.

Kia's 5-year/60,000-mile basic warranty is at the top of the framework band and among the longest from a mainstream brand.

The 10-year/100,000-mile coverage includes the drive motor, the high-voltage battery and the on-board charger, and it guarantees 70% battery capacity. That's maximum-band coverage on the most expensive component.

There is no standard complimentary scheduled maintenance, which keeps this out of the 80+ band. The perks around it are meaningful for an EV: 1,000 kWh of free Electrify America charging over 3 years, 5 yr / 60,000 mi roadside assistance, and a Kia Connect trial. Early reservation holders also got a 3-year maintenance plan and a portable charger.

$65,395 volume-trim price minus its estimated resale value after 5 years (37% retained, or about $24,196) leaves about $41,199 in depreciation. Add the projected $4,000 in 5-year maintenance and repairs, and owning this vehicle for 5 years costs about $45,199 in total.

The launch-year 2024 EV9 is the weakest year of the nameplate on owner data: Consumer Reports' survey gives it a reliability score of just 5/100 with the powertrain and EV battery each rated 1/5, while J.D. Power's quality & reliability score is a merely average 70/100. The sources disagree in degree but both sit at or below average, and CR's owner-reported data is the harder evidence.

Kia was a top mass-market brand in dependability through 2023 and remained slightly better than average in 2024, ranking 8th in J.D. Power's VDS and 9th of 22 in Consumer Reports' brand predicted reliability. Upper mid-pack, short of the consistently top-5 brands.

The 2024 model year accumulated an unusually heavy and serious recall load for a first-year vehicle: a high-voltage battery cell recall with fire risk, an improperly torqued gear-drive differential that can cause loss of drive or lockup, missing second/third-row seat bolts, a headliner that fails head-impact protection, plus software recalls for the instrument cluster and Remote Smart Parking Assist braking. Several touch powertrain, fire and occupant-protection systems.

The E-GMP motors and 99.8 kWh pack are a shared Hyundai Group family with no broad catastrophic-failure pattern, but the 2024 EV9 specifically drew a battery-cell fire recall, a GDU assembly defect, and the platform's known ICCU 12V-drain/loss-of-power weakness, and CR owners rated both powertrain and EV battery 1/5. Mixed-to-poor for this first-year build.

Reviewers praise the textured, tightly assembled plastics, standard SynTex synthetic leather and genuine recycled/bio-sourced materials, which put the cabin above mainstream three-row norms. Lower trims (Light/Wind) lean on plain black plastic without metal accents, so it stops short of class-leading at a premium price.

Launch-year builds from Kia Georgia/Korea are generally solid in long-term tests, but the 2024 model carries assembly-quality recalls (missing seat mounting bolts, non-compliant headliner) and owner complaints of console rattles, loose driver seats and misaligned trim — and CR flags body hardware as a trouble spot.

Kia's roughly 800-plus US franchised dealers give nationwide physical coverage that direct-sales EV rivals lack, but Kia's service satisfaction sits below the industry average in J.D. Power's CSI and EV-capable high-voltage technicians are concentrated in a subset of stores.

Routine maintenance is light for an EV and Kia's 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain and EV battery warranties cover the costly failure modes for most of the ownership window. High-voltage parts like the ICCU are dealer-only with elevated EV labor rates and almost no aftermarket, and early recall-driven parts demand caused wait times.

Every 2024 trim has the 12.3-in navigation touchscreen in Kia's ccNC panoramic display.

The first-year ccNC software is quick and attractive, and physical shortcut keys survive. However, the 5-in climate screen sits partly hidden behind the steering wheel, and some menus are deep.

Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard but wired-only on 2024 US models with ccNC navigation. The wireless update reached other markets first.

Standard connected navigation has EV route planning, and Navigation-based Smart Cruise is included. Voice recognition is capable but not a natural-language assistant.

Land and GT-Line get a 14-speaker Meridian system with a subwoofer. The volume Wind has only an 8-speaker system, which is adequate.

A crisp 12.3-in digital cluster is standard on every trim, merged with the center screen in one panoramic display.

OTA updates are standard and cover vehicle controllers as well as infotainment, and Kia sells Features-on-Demand (Boost, lighting patterns). Feature-adding updates have been infrequent in the US.

Kia Connect offers remote climate, charging control, lock and locate. Digital Key 2.0 (phone/NFC and UWB) and a fingerprint reader are standard on every trim.

Six fast-charging USB-C ports (two per row) and a wireless charger are standard on every trim. V2L household power is limited to Land and GT-Line.

Proximity entry, push-button start, a smart power liftgate and phone-as-key are all standard, plus fingerprint authentication.

Front and rear parking sensors are standard. Surround view, blind-spot cameras, reverse auto-braking and Remote Smart Parking Assist 2 are limited to Land and GT-Line, not the volume Wind.

A head-up display is fitted only to the top GT-Line trim.

A flat floor, 42.8 in of second-row legroom, one-touch tilt-and-slide third-row access and Good-rated LATCH make daily family logistics easy. The third-row anchors are more awkward.

NHTSA rates it 5 stars overall, and IIHS made later-build 2024s a Top Safety Pick. HDA 2, blind-spot avoidance and Rear Occupant Alert are standard on every trim, though the 360-degree camera is reserved for Land and GT-Line.

There are quiet, roomy seats in all three rows, six USB-C ports and 20.2 cu ft of luggage space behind the third row. Second-row heated/ventilated seats and window shades are limited to Land and GT-Line.

Smooth instant torque, i-Pedal one-pedal driving and standard HDA 2 make it relaxing in traffic. Its 5,000+ lb mass and 197-in length make it feel big in town.

Home charging keeps per-mile costs well below gas three-row SUVs at about $900/yr, but 83 MPGe (AWD) is mediocre for an EV, and its heavy-EV tires wear quickly.

A 40.6-ft turning circle, 197-in length and 77.9-in width make it a large SUV to place. On the volume Wind, parking help is front/rear sensors only.

AWD trims tow 5,000 lbs and there is 81.7 cu ft of cargo space, but towing cuts range sharply and it is a family hauler, not a work tool.

This is a first-year model with a premium SynTex interior, and E-GMP has had ICCU recall issues. It has no fleet or hard-use track record.

V2L can power tools off the battery on Land and GT-Line, and there are a frunk, cargo-area 12V outlet and roof rails on AWD trims. There are few dedicated work provisions.

It is quiet, comfortable and well supported by HDA 2 on the highway. The 280-mile AWD range is modest, offset by 800V charging that takes roughly 24 minutes for 10–80%.

Dual-motor AWD with terrain modes, 7.8 in of clearance, a 5,000-lb tow rating and V2L for camping on upper trims cover gravel roads and toy hauling, but range drops quickly off-grid and with a trailer.

There are 81.7 cu ft of flat-folding space behind the front row, 50/50 third-row seats, a frunk, an underfloor bin, roof rails on AWD and a 5,000-lb hitch rating. The third-row-up space is mid-pack.

A low battery mass gives it little body lean and secure grip, but its 5,000+ lb weight is felt in quick direction changes. It is composed rather than agile.

Steering is accurately and properly weighted in Normal mode, with a quick 2.93 turns lock-to-lock, but reviewers say it gives little feedback about grip.

Big ventilated discs (14.2/13.6 in) gave short panic stops in testing, and regen blending is smooth, with adjustable regen and i-Pedal.

Dual-motor response is instant and seamless with no shifts or engine transitions, and regen levels are well calibrated.

The electric motors are near-silent and vibration-free under load, and the cabin is described as library-quiet.

Kia publishes a 20.3-ft curb-to-curb turning radius for every 2024 trim, which is a 40.6-ft diameter and wide for the segment.

The high, commanding seat, flat floor and good adjustment range help, but the climate screen is blocked by the wheel rim and thick A-pillars hurt corner visibility. Memory seats are reserved for Land and GT-Line.

Strong 5-second acceleration on AWD trims is satisfying, but it is a calm, family-focused cruiser rather than an engaging drive.

Every 2024 EV9 comes with the triple-panorama CCNC displays and the full Kia Drive Wise driver-assistance suite. The $54,900 Light RWD is lean, though, with the smaller 76.1 kWh pack and about 230 miles of range, so the strong equipment-for-money case starts at the Light Long Range and Wind trims.

A 379-hp dual-motor, three-row EV with 5,000-lb towing at $63,900 undercuts luxury-badged rivals such as the Rivian R1S, Mercedes EQS SUV and Volvo EX90 by a wide margin. Leases with the $7,500 credit passed through, and full credit eligibility once Georgia production began, improved the deal further. Steep depreciation and a 2024 price list higher than 2026's are what hold this back.

Five trims cover a $19,000 spread, with two battery sizes (76.1 and 99.8 kWh), RWD or AWD, and 6- or 7-seat layouts including swiveling second-row captain's chairs. That's unusually broad for a three-row EV. The only gap is that the high-performance GT was never sold in the US.

In its first full year it sold about 22,000 US units, which made it the best-selling three-row EV in a small niche and a fast riser for Kia. It remains a modest seller next to gas three-row SUVs, and volume fell in 2025.

Kia's image has improved sharply on design and awards, and the EV9 itself is a halo model, but Kia is still a mainstream badge with no luxury pull at a $55K–$74K price.

Measured by what buyers actually got, deals were good. Leases carried the $7,500 commercial credit as a pass-through, Georgia-built cars qualified for the full purchase credit, and Kia added cash and 1,000 kWh of free charging. Launch-period stock initially sold close to MSRP.

2024 is the launch model year of an all-new first generation on the current 800V E-GMP platform, so no redesign was anywhere near.

The launch-year EV9 took most of the major awards available to it, including World Car of the Year, North American Utility Vehicle of the Year, and Car and Driver 10Best. It was regularly the pick among three-row EVs before the Ioniq 9 arrived.