Price jump for Kia EV6! You'll now pay almost $5k more across the board for EV flagship as material costs soar

Pricing for the Kia EV6 in Australia has been increased by $4600 across all models with the brand blaming the soaring costs of materials.

While the Kia EV6 range launched locally in three trim levels, the Air ($67,990) the GT-Line RWD ($74,990) and the GT-Line AWD ($82,990), Australian shoppers will now need to find almost an extra $5k to secure an example of Kia's flagship EV.

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According to Kia's website, the new local pricing for the EV6 range, before on-roads, is as follows:

Kia EV6 Air - $72,590 (+$4600)

Kia EV6 GT-Line RWD - $79,590 (+$4600)

Kia EV GT-Line AWD - $87,590 (+$4600)

Interestingly, the new pricing tree effectively rules the EV6 range out of many of the incentive rebate programs offered in Australia. In NSW, for example, the price cut-off for a $3000 government rebate is $68,750, meaning the EV6 Air no longer qualifies.

"The (cost of) raw materials that make up batteries have increased," Kia's General Manager of Product Planning, Roland Rivero, told CarsGuide.

"The EV6 is as exposed as any other EV to the price of cobalt and lithium. It's hard, and not something we want to be doing.

"We launched at the beginning of the year, and we managed to hold that price for six months. But the pressures with battery and material costs rising have been on us for a while."

Supply of the EV6 has been extraordinarily tight for Australia, but the brand is hopeful of unlocking more vehicles this year.

Originally expected to deliver 500 examples this year, but that number is expected to increase by "a few hundred".

Kia isn't alone in increasing EV prices. Tesla recently rolled out significant price increases across its Model 3 and Model Y, with costs jumping by as much as $4k.

The base Model 3 is now $65,600 (+$1600), while the Long Range and Performance are $80,000 (+$3800) and $91,600 (+$2700) respectively. Prices for the base Model Y went from $68,900 to $72,300 (+$3400), while the Model Y Performance jumped $2800 to $96,700.