2024 Kia EV9 | The New Standard for Electric SUVs

Kia has the perfect trifecta of EVs in its lineup: the Niro, starting in the $30ks, the EV6 starting in the $40ks and this, the EV9 starting in the $50ks. From practical to sporty to full-on family mobile, Kia’s got it covered. But this one here is the most complete. From its concept car design, to its breadth of cutting-edge technology to its 3-row spaciousness, the EV9 is the electric SUV that no one else is building.

MSRP as-tested: $78,430

About TestDriveNow:

2024 Kia EV9 GT-Line AWD

TestDriveNow

[CIRCLEDARK]

In 12k miles of driving I’ve needed to charge on the road a grand total of one time. I looked up a location, pulled up, plugged in, and in 15 min I had plenty of juice to be on my way. The other 99.9% of the time, I get to skip the gas station. No checking prices, no freezing or sweating or getting rained on while fueling up. Plus I save nearly $200 per month in cost for electricity vs gas. You know your use case, so if it doesn’t work, it doesn’t work. However it seems to me that almost everyone that I see complaining about charging infrastructure not only doesn’t own an EV, they appear aggressively trying to convince people that they suck for some reason. For our family, we just decided to trade our other ICE vehicle in on a second EV. Most people don’t often drive more than 250-300 miles without access to a charger and if I need that, I can rent a car two or three times a year and still be way ahead. I don’t have an agenda here. I wonder if the folks vehemently ranting about how much EVs suck can honestly say the same? I mean, you literally clicked on a video about an EV knowing you have no interest in EVs just to tell everyone how terrible EVs are in the comments? There are lots of ICE cars for sale. You probably should just buy one and avoid videos about stuff that doesn’t interest you. I don’t seek out minivan videos just to complain about minivans.

[gregkramer]

The lower models seem to be the best deals with the EV9 IMO. Still a lot of features!

[BryceLovesTech]

Great review and I drove it and it’s a great vehicle

[wtfosxs]

Like that they went with the solid roof. Glass roofs are a deal breaker. Was in a roll over many years ago, solid roof. No one hurt. Probably never happen again but likely would have been a different outcome with glass roof.

[movem]

yup, still one of the best auto journalists in the business. I'm really impressed with Kia Hyundai Genesis. Hope to scoop up a low mileage G90 someday based on your old review.

[thismanagain]

Saw one of em in Riyadh last year, I'm impressed by the looks and space.

[dygardion]

This thing is is much nicer looking in person, still would never buy it but it’s eye catching

[itsjustlife]

Great and accurate review Steve! The ride over rough roads is our only major complaint, which could have been exacerbated by the dealer over inflating the tires at 52 when they should have been at 39! Didn’t realize this until last night at over 1000miles in. Hoping that was the more “jumpy” aspects to the ride but still a lot of room for improvement. Totally agree on the massage feature for the passenger seat.
Maybe a little more bass from the stereo and the doors auto locking when walking away.

The only other complaints I’ve read about are the expense (7k?!) of the front plexiglass panel if it cracks.

Range is great / competitive and knowing its future proof with the fastest potential charging available is reassuring.

Love the car and highly recommend for anyone looking. The difference between the performance in the 2wd and 4wd is significant. Note the extra power from the Land and GT Line can be enabled through a paid upgrade via the app so you can get a pretty solid deal on a Land. Also they are switching to a different standard for charging soon that will enable charging at Tesla superchargers and some already have adapters that will work with the current ones.

🎉

[rhuynh]

I own one and love it despite dealing with year one issues still. There are 2 things I would complain about: 1) software could be better, some things don't make sense but the reason given is safety or US rules but somehow Tesla has those same missing features. 2) the stereo is not up to snufff for a vehicle this price, esp in the bass department.

[Molishious]

I test drove an AWD Wind trim. For me that’s the sweet spot as it has great horsepower and almost all of the bells and whistles that I want. It has a bench seat instead of captains chairs which I prefer and also no gloss black trim on the outside. The drawer in the center console should really be standard as that huge space in the bottom is fairly useless without it. I’d make my own drawer if I owned the car, but there’s a net you’d have to cut out if you wanted to do that, so not a good idea for leasing.

[dant-rex]

Impressed with the features you can get, it’ll be interesting to see how they sell. I would hope it gets some market attention but with the slow fall of EVs right now it’s tough to say what’s going on with these things.

[uncles]

Based on my ownership, real world, the EV9 gets 3.2-3.4 kW per mile city (320-340 miles range) and 2.2-2.4 kW per mile highway (220-240 miles range). This will be less with a heavy foot, increased drag and temperature. A 20% to 80% charge, on a level 2 charger, @ 40 amp (9.3 kW), will take around 6.15 hours to charge. At 15.6 cents per kW that is roughly $8.50 +/- per charge. The same charge on a DC fast charger @ 58 cents per charge will be in the $28 dollar range with tax. DC fast chargers are all over the board on costs, so that cost is very fluid. A 20% to 80%, DC fast charge takes somewhere in the 12-15 minute range. This is a great EV SUV. But like all EVs, they ARE NOT for everyone. Do not purchase one unless you understand what you’re getting into. There are HUGE pros and HUGE cons, to a persons lifestyle, that need to be understood. I can promise you that the lifestyle change cons cannot be overcome, only accepted. Obviously if you have other vehicles in the household the lifestyle changing cons disappear. At the current US lease deals (10/24) these are an incredible value for what you’re getting. YMMV

[Anusiri-rs]

While the Kia EV9 is impressive, the Toyota bZ4X offers exceptional value with advanced technology and a focus on reliability. Its sleek design and efficient performance make it one of the best electric SUVs to consider.

[Tinrs]

Omg my cousin had a Kia Sophia in HS. It had zero options 😂.. roll down windows, manual locks, 2 front speakers and a radio. locked steering column. 5sp, no rear defrost, speedo & Fuel level. rest was lights that stayed on😂Dark green with steelie wheels. It was always broke down or falling apart.

[Andrew]

Another thorough and concise review. Thanks, Steve. My wife will never tolerate a car this big, so it’s a Sorento PHEV for us, and I’m not sure I’ll ever pay $70k for a car, but this sucker is a huge temptation for a Kiaphile like me!

[losequis]

Needs more range and bench seat in highest trim.

[davids]

As a Tesla owner who's done a couple road trips, I know that range gets zapped if you have a heavy foot. Did you notice that to be worse than most EVs with a car that has this much frontal area? That would be my main concern for this vs. say... a Model X (crazy that they are close in price already!). Enjoy the reviews :).

[MyweathernetreportsBlogspot]

Distance to dealership and how this vehicle handles potholes, railroad crossings, and rough construction zones are a deal breaker for $80k for me.

[SSS-mpth]

They already sell them for $15k off and have plenty in dealer lots. Yet you still pay MSRP for a Telluride. Tells you everything you need to know.

[AyoBrownKid]

Beautiful, but… these automakers are losing their minds with the price of these vehicles. Since when can middle class Americans NOT afford a midsize Kia SUV. Crazy.