KGM Torres 2026 review: EVX

So, you’re looking for an affordable electric mid-size SUV, but you don’t want to buy a Chinese car?

This might be the alternative you’re looking for. The KGM Torres EVX is a mid-sized fully electric SUV from the Korean automaker formerly known as SsangYong. 

A good value but niche player in the Australian market, does KGM's first EV have what it takes to keep it on your list of considerations in a rapidly changing market?

Read More About Kgm Torres

• New Korean electric ute approved for Aussie attack: 2026 KGM Musso EV ready to tackle BYD Shark 6, LDV eT60 and MG U9
• Re-booted brand's new affordable ute and hybrid SUV plans laid bare: KGM details full range of upcoming products as it sheds SsangYong name and looks to replace the Rexton and Musso to better rival Geely, MG, and BYD
• KGM SsangYong Torres 2025 review: Ultimate long-term | Part 1

Let’s take a look.

The Torres EVX isn’t bad value, but it’s not as cheap as it needs to be

Wearing a sticker price of $58,000 drive-away, the Torres EVX would have been a great value EV even just a year or two ago, but it’s now in one of the most hotly contested market segments.

The trouble for the Torres EVX is it’s far from the most affordable option in the space. For that, you should be looking at the Geely EX5 (from $40,990), Leapmotor C10 (from $45,888), BYD Atto 3 (from $39,990), and now the GAC Aion V (from $42,590), all from China.

If those options don’t float your boat, there are other options, like the frequently underestimated Skoda Enyaq (from $54,990 drive-away) and the more mainstream Kia EV5 (from $56,770), while the ever-present Tesla Model Y is only a few thousand more once you add on-roads (from $58,900).

There's plenty of options, and the reality is the KGM Torres EVX isn’t the best value amongst them.

Regardless, you get all the equipment available on the Torres in the single electric grade, including 18-inch alloys, some pretty cool Tron-style LED lights in the front, full synthetic leather interior trim, dual 12.3-inch screens for the digital dash and multimedia screen, a sunroof, 360-degree camera and front seats with heating and ventilation.

It might not be the fanciest option in the class, but…

While many of this car’s Chinese rivals will blow you away with comparatively giant screens, over-the-top software, gimmicky features (do frameless doors really need to make a comeback?), and crazy design flourishes, the Torres EVX, even with its funky exterior look, seems to just work.

Yes, in some ways it feels a bit old fashioned compared to some rivals, but almost everything in this car is refreshingly simple to use.

There’s a multimedia suite with mercifully straightforward menus, cabled Apple CarPlay, a digital dash with the right information displayed, and even traditional buttons to adjust your mirrors and seats.

The sunroof has a manual shade, the door handles are where they should be and things are labelled consistently (this shouldn’t be a selling point in 2026, but here we are).

The active safety equipment is good, too. This car doesn’t constantly chime, you don’t have to spend two minutes turning frustrating systems off, and even the lane keep assist feature, which is pretty heavy handed, can be switched off just by holding a button on the steering wheel.

The Torres even gets a few things that exceed expectations, like the excellent 360-degree camera, sun blinds built into the rear windows, and vehicle-to-load to power external devices from its battery.

It’s not without its flaws though. The designers at KGM have seen fit to remove physical hardware for climate controls, so you have to make do with a slide-out tray for the touchscreen. This is usually right near the driver’s left hand, so is easily within reach, but not if you have Apple CarPlay going. It takes up the whole screen and you have to navigate out of CarPlay to a climate menu to adjust anything. Annoying, but not bad enough to be a dealbreaker.

I like the way it looks

When the Torres was revealed with its strange array of accoutrements glued to its exterior, like the fake bonnet latches, aesthetic-only blocky bumper pieces, and the tailgate with a fake spare wheel housing and a latch that implies it opens sideways (when it actually opens upward), I’m not sure anyone in the office was taken with it.

To me it’s a playful take on the early days of SUVs. At least it dares to do something different, and the electric variant gets a unique take on the blocky Torres formula.

The interior is a little derivative, but still a big step up. A sea of black brittle grey plastics in this car’s predecessors have been replaced by a more modern look and feel.

It still doesn’t feel as cutting edge as some Chinese rivals which are even more adventurous in the interior, and it also feels a step behind its Korean contemporaries.

On the whole though, I appreciate KGM trying to stand out from the pack.

How does the Torres EVX drive?

It’s not a bad thing to drive, but it also feels a little behind the pace in some ways.

Again, this car is straightforward. With 150kW/339Nm on offer, it’s not insanely rapid like a Tesla Model Y, but still plenty quick enough.

However, the EVX feels like a previous-generation EV in some ways. The motor torque can easily overwhelm the front tyres, suggesting better traction software wouldn’t go astray, and its regenerative braking modes feel a bit wonky, leading me to drive it with the regen turned down or off most of the time.

This car’s Hyundai Group rivals do a much better job of blending the electric driving characteristics a bit more seamlessly, while Teslas and some Chinese cars do a better job of dealing with overwhelming electric motor torque.

While the ride is generally decent, it can be a tad crashy or floaty at the limits, due to the weight of its relatively large 80.6kWh battery. For most daily commuting it’s a balanced and comfy place to be though, not too soft like a lot of Chinese cars, or as brutally stiff as Teslas used to be.

The steering tune is great. It’s on the lighter side, but full of feel and not overly electrically assisted like many of its rivals. Sound levels are okay. It’s quiet at commuter speeds, but tyre and wind noise noticeably picks up around 100km/h.

Who does the EVX suit? A buyer who wants their EV to feel similar to an internal combustion engine SUV.

Does the Torres EVX have enough range?

On paper, yes. The official driving range is 462km and my general rule is when you’re getting around the 450km mark, you’re not going to have range anxiety in most scenarios.

However, At 80.6kWh the battery should offer more range, and the reason it doesn’t is because the Torres isn’t very energy efficient. Our car consumed 18.2kWh/100km in my week of mixed driving conditions and that’s simply not good enough.

Many larger and more powerful EVs perform better. Our car indicated a range closer to 417km based on my driving time.

Charging is decent at 130kW on DC, allowing a fast charging time as low as 37 minutes, while 11kW on AC means a full charge in around eight hours.