2023 MotorWeek Drivers' Choice Best of the Year | Kia EV6

The Kia EV6; an EV game changer for so many reasons. And our 2023 MotorWeek Drivers' Choice, Best of the Year!

When it comes to transitioning to our all-electric future, meeting people where they are is the key. That means less 6-figure show pieces, and more tidy crossovers like this spectacular battery electric EV6.

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[tj]

My 4th Kia & the best car I’ve ever owned. 320 hp, 446 lb/ft torque, plenty of smiles everywhere I go. Bought it in June of 2022, already have 12K+ miles of carefree driving on it. Pretty sure Motor Week doesn’t take payouts, so this is a well-deserved win. Those who haven’t driven the EV6, or GV60/Ioniq 5 cousins, are missing out on a fine vehicle.

[smturner]

this makes me smile that other people like this car. I have a black GT. I dont really worry about range. just plug it in when I get home from work. But it is really fun. it makes me feel like a kid.

[robertharris]

My wife and I did our own research on our decision to purchase the EV6. We knew that the purchase would not give us the tax rebates, but most won't get one on other brands either. I see a lot of EV's in my work and get to drive them, work on them and push all of the buttons as a specialist in diagnostics, repair and calibration of ADAS and other safety systems in all types of new or newer vehicles. In driving the EV6 I found it to be nimble, fairly fast with one of the best lane assist, cruise control systems available from a mainstream retailer. The acceleration is impressive even though ours is not a GT and the range of 300 plus miles with high-speed recharging possible at newer recharge stations of 80% charge in under 20 minutes with a full charge in about an hour. Our 50-amp service wall charger from Autel gives the car a full charge from 20 or 30% in about 10 hours. One of many apps available for your phone will list the newer recharge stations that work to charge super fast as well as the older ones all mapped out to help you get home if you are a poor power planner. We did purchase a 110 volt charging cable in case we get someplace (like a motel) we cant get a rapid fill (13 or more hours to charge it up but that's plenty if you're not in a hurry).

The regenerative braking can be assisted with the paddles on the steering wheel. An unusual but within a short time welcome feature is the blind spot cameras for merging into traffic are shown on the instrument panel in full color and are not the same as what the mirrors show but the actual blind spot view. I don't advocate not turning your head to look but this is a nice feature.

As this is the car my wife drives every day, I can say she has taken to this car more than any other vehicle we have purchased in 40 years. In the process of hunting down her first EV that didn't have an emblem embodying a wealthy lifestyle left a few brands out of our test drives. We test drove the Hyundai equivalent (interior was clunky and seemed cheap) The Subaru (test and order) Toyota (we will have gas and electric on lot soon), Mazda (why electric?) and more. The Ford (my wife refused to drive an electric called a Mustang Mach e as she used to have a Mustang GT)is a purchase I would have found acceptable. Others we passed on were GM's Volt, Tesla and others as they don't seem to ever change the styling.

This past week a round trip from Lodi to San Mateo (105 miles one way) plus a few errands over there(24 miles) equaled 234 miles and the charge meter said we had 103 miles of charge left in system. After charging overnight with our home charger the phone app said we had 314 miles of potential mileage available.

[benhauber]

Would love to have the power of the GT or AWD, but very happy with the slightly better range of my EV6 Wind RWD. And while it's not as quick as the others, it's definitely not sluggish.

[the_jarmel]

HAVE A BEAUTIFUL DAY EVERYONE ✌️ HAPPY MONDAY

[EliteSiopao]

GT spec is bonkers. Makes me excited for the upcoming N versions of ioniq 5 and 6. I've always liked the styling a bit more than the Kia.

[GTownSinger]

Love my Ev6 GT Line. Incredible vehicle.

[eddieg]

Traded in a CONSTANTLY BREAKING Range Rover Velar for a Genesis GV60. ……..Couldn’t be happier!!

[grantmccoy]

I'm a little surprised that this got the pick, but I do think it's a really cool car. Great style, nice interior, powerful performance, etc. It's a solid car. It's affordable too, probably. It's always nice to have a common person's car be the best of the year, instead of some exclusive/expensive car.

[brokeboy]

In the non-luxury Ev class, it's a solid choice, with some minor cons.

[farcinue]

I feel stable financially, but I still can’t afford an EV! Where are the sub $30k commuter options?

[advilshenk]

570ish hp is nice but not a fan of kia or electric

[mah]

Much more expensive than a regular gas powered Sedan model from the same Kia franchise. Plus the battery replacement is more expensive. Though I understand this car model is rated higher on safety than even the gas powered models.

[stevemcgowen]

I just can't get past how cheap the feel and fit and finish Kia has- especially not at this price point...

[theurbancamper]

Is it just me, or does it look like this car handles like crap?

[WestSide]

This thing is hideous. I wonder how much money Kia paid them to make this the "car of the year, " lmao

[infernoking]

Who's giving out these rewards because Kia does not deserve any of them or Hyandai I can tell you that for certain and I pretty sure everyone would agree

[allentoyokawa]

Why would you choose absolute rubbish like this?? How a pay off that is right!