Kia EV5 vs Kia EV6

What's the difference?

The size is right, the price is right and the drive is right – three things that make the Kia EV5 a pretty formidable foe, and the kind of vehicle that might finally be able to break through the wall of the temple of Tesla in Australia.

Note: CarsGuide attended this event as a guest of the manufacturer, with accommodation and meals provided.

It’s fair to say the Kia EV6 is not the most affordable mid-to-large electric SUV money can buy. Especially in the era of cheaper Chinese models.

It also lacks some of the practicalities of a few rivals. If that’s your focus and you’re dead set on buying a Kia, then the EV5 is the clear choice.

But that’s not the sole purpose of this car.

It doubles as family transport and a car for driving enthusiasts. It’s the sort of EV that can convert EV non-believers.

After a week with the EV6, it’s not a car I’ll forget easily. And I urge buyers looking in the EV space not to overlook this pioneering model. It’s a brilliant car to drive and the GT-Line RWD is the value pick of the whole line-up.

If you’re familiar with any of Kia’s EV designs, and specifically the EV9, you’ll already know the Kia EV5, which looks a lot like a shrunken version of the company’s biggest electric 4WD.

But this one looks a bit smaller, a bit more familiar looking, and maybe a bit more accessible than the hyper-modern EV9.

Honestly, it looks like a contemporary, mid-size SUV that could be powered by anything.

There are a couple of EV5 design elements I really like. The first is the combination of hard edges and subtle curves, which combine really well. I also love the lighting treatment up front, which gives the EV5 a bold and unique light signature, especially at night.

Inside, it’s another story of familiarity, with a clean, high-tech cabin and Kia’s common twin-screen set-up. Actually, it’s more a triple screen, with two 12.3-inch screens, and a 5.0-inch climate monitor between them.

The materials are all nice, and they look great, but they don’t exactly melt under the touch, and that gives the EV5’s cabin a hard edge I don’t love.

I do, however, love the inclusion of some physical buttons, so you’re not pawing through the screen to access every in-car function.

And one final design quirk. I know it looks like it has an old-school bench front seat, but you can’t use it as a third seat in front. Kia says it’s just a design flourish. But it is also somewhere safe to pop your phone or other small valuables to stop them sliding about when you're on the road.

When I first saw the Kia EV6, I have to admit I wasn’t a massive fan of the design. I was, and still am, a massive fan of the mechanically related Hyundai Ioniq 5. Perhaps one of the many reasons that model won Best Medium SUV Under $130,000 at the 2026 CarsGuide Car of the Year Awards!

But the 2026 facelift has given me a renewed appreciation of the Kia’s design.

The overall shape is the same but the front, which was arguably its least appealing angle, has been redesigned.

It’s 15mm longer thanks to the new front bumper design, and it has adopted a completely new headlight signature that's in keeping with the EV3, EV4, EV5 and EV9. The front looks meaner, more aggressive, but in a really hot way.

There’s also a new bumper at the rear but the tail-lights are pretty much the same.

Overall it’s a much sharper look, helping to breathe new life into the EV6.

The visual changes are more subtle inside, but it was already a nice cabin to begin with. The big changes include the new version of Kia’s dual-screen set-up which is more modern and centred than the previous version, and there’s more visually appealing graphics.

The other key change is the steering wheel. For GT-Line and GT grades, Kia’s dropped the polarising two-spoke wheel in favour of a sportier and more premium three-spoke, dual-tone wheel found in other models, including the EV3. The base Air retains the two-spoke wheel.

At 4615mm in length, 1875mm in width, 1715mm in height, and with a wheelbase of 2750mm, the Kia EV5 is roughly the same size as a Tesla Model Y, so if you’re ever sat in the back of the Tesla, you’ll have a fair idea of what to expect here.

Sitting behind my own 175cm driving position, I found I had a heap of knee room, more than enough headroom, and I reckon you could fit three adults across the back seat pretty easily, too.

There are a couple of design flourishes I really like, too. The pull-down divider that separates the backseat is home to two cupholders, which isn’t unusual, but what is new to me is the unique positioning of the USB charge ports, which are in the middle-back of the front seats, right above the storage pocket, so you have somewhere to pop your phone and cable when you're charging.

There is also a deep storage draw between the two front seats. It’s just for extra storage in the Air and Earth, but in the GT-Line it’s heated and cooled, which means hot pies or cold drinks when you’re on the move.

The EV5 might be an all-electric vehicle, but it’s still a mid-size SUV, which means there are certain standards it has to hit to be taken seriously, and one of those is boot space.

Up front there’s 67 litres of space in the fruit, or frunk, while the boot holds 513L with the rear seats in place – that number obviously growing as you begin folding them flat.

It is also a hugely customisable space. There’s heaps of under-floor storage below the removable panels. There’s also vehicle-to-load capability, which takes the form of a standard power point in the boot that can use the vehicle’s battery to power pretty much whatever you want.

Finally, there are adjustable luggage hooks, so you can carry bigger or smaller bags as you wish.

Under Australia’s vehicle categorisation, the Kia EV6 is classed as a large SUV. Which is not correct. Yes, it’s long and wide but it isn’t large. It’s medium. Also, is it an SUV? Or is it a low-slung coupe-style fastback? Perhaps a bit of both.

The EV6 has a decent amount of space in the cabin, but family-friendly practically might not be its strongest suit.

In the front row, headroom is limited. The sunroof is partly to blame for this, but the EV6’s front seats have always felt a little cramped for taller folks. Finding my perfect driving position took a bit longer as a result. Popping your sunglasses on your head is a no-no for a six footer like me. There is, however, plenty of space across the front of the cabin.

The front seats offer excellent upper body bolstering but could do with a little more for the thighs. But they are delightfully comfortable and look gorgeous.

The elevated centre console provides a high-set armrest and under that is a massive central bin, then there is a huge amount of open space underneath.

It houses two shallow and narrow cupholders with a phone charger, gear shifter, vehicle on/off and seat/steering wheel heating buttons. Yay buttons!

Climate control is managed via a digital panel separate to the main screen. It features smart dials that switch between air con and audio and sat-nav controls. Speaking of which, the air con flow is excellent.

Kia’s updated multimedia system brings it into line with other newer models. It’s a pleasure to use this system. Large tiles drill down into logical sub-menus, you can swipe every which way and the resolution is excellent. It’s also easy to navigate.

There are three USB-C charge ports under the centre stack.

Taller passengers might need to duck their head when getting in the second row, due to the lower sloping roofline. Once seated, the EV6 features that quirk of some older EVs where the rear seats are heavily bucketed and your knees sit up high because of the positioning of the under-floor battery. A lot of newer EVs keep the rear footwell free of battery packs to ensure more foot room and a more comfortable rear-seat experience.

There’s heaps of leg room behind my seating position, and headroom isn’t bad back there. It’s certainly better than the front. I had about 2.0cm between my head and the roof liner.

It feels a little dark back there due to the high window line, privacy glass and small rear window.

The rear seats are comfy but on the firmer side. There’s a fold-down arm rest with two shallow cupholders, and a small bottle will fit in the door.

You get two map pockets, USB-C ports on the back of both front seats, and chest-level side air vents.

You can lower the 60/40 split rear seats via a lower lever on the seat base. They fold almost flat, too. You can also lower the seats via a lever in the boot which is a handy feature.

The EV6 Air RWD’s boot can swallow 490 litres of cargo, and that drops to 480L for all other grades.

The boot area allows for a decent amount of usable space but the sloping tailgate means you won’t fit tall items.

Under-floor storage is limited but could easily fit flatter items like a charging cable. It also houses the tyre repair kit which is sadly what you get instead of any form of spare wheel. The boot also has a number of bag hooks, speakers and a light.

A front storage compartment under the bonnet can take 52 litres in the RWD grades, dropping to 20L in AWD versions.

One of the challenges for Kia and the EV6 is price and positioning. In the four years since its launch, the price of EVs of a comparable size has come down considerably.

You can get a medium-to-large electric SUV in the low-$40K range these days from one of a number of new Chinese players.

But not many of those cars have the same focus on driveability as the EV6.

Wisely, Kia has kept prices essentially as they were as part of the 2026 facelift. Each grade has only gone up by $70 apiece.

The EV6 kicks off with the Air RWD (rear-wheel drive, single motor) from $72,660, before on-road costs. The GT-Line RWD (the grade I will focus on for this review) costs $79,660 and the GT-Line AWD (all-wheel drive, dual motor) is $87,660 - an $8000 jump from the RWD.

It tops out at $99,660 for the performance-honed GT.

This pricing puts the EV6 somewhere between the new crop of affordable EVs like the BYD Sealion 7, Zeekr 7X and more premium offerings like the BMW iX3 or Audi Q4 etron.

It’s closer in price to another sporty EV, the Cupra Tavascan ($60,990-$82,490), as well as the Kia’s mechanical cousin, the Hyundai Ioniq 5 ($76,200-$115,000).

The facelift ushers in new standard gear including fresh 19 to 21-inch alloy wheel designs, vehicle-to-load (V2L) functionality, new twin 12.3-inch driver and multimedia screens, updated software with enhanced graphics, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto (it was previously wired) and over-the-air updates.

Other standard gear in the base Air includes reclining rear seatbacks, synthetic leather seats, manual front seat adjustment, five USB-C ports, a wireless phone charger, a retractable cargo cover, six-speaker audio, digital radio and dual-zone climate control.

The GT-Line RWD I am testing adds a 14-speaker Meridian audio system, heated and ventilated front seats, a heated steering wheel, ambient lighting, alloy sports pedals, a sunroof, hands-free power tailgate, eight-way power driver and front passenger seats, synthetic black suede/white leather seats and remote park assist.

The flagship GT gains special sports bucket seats, two more USB-C ports in the rear, heated rear seats and a bigger dollop of performance.

When you look at the base pricing compared to the fully-loaded standard kit of the more affordable EVs, it doesn’t look like great value. But the GT-Line RWD is the pick of the EV6 grades as it isn’t missing much. You could also argue the overall build quality, gripping performance (more on that in the Driving section), reliability and Kia’s extensive dealer network is worth the extra spend.

The entry-level EV5 Air is available in Standard Range or Long Range guises, both powered by a single front-mounted electric motor, producing 160kW and 310Nm. 

The Standard Range will clip 0-100km/h in 8.5 seconds, while the extra weight of the bigger battery slows down the sprint in the Long Range, taking around 8.9 seconds. 

The Earth is a twin-motor AWD offering, with a motor at each axle, lifting outputs to 230kW and 480Nm, dropping the sprint to a brisk-feeling 6.1 seconds. The incoming GT-Line gets the same powertrain.

The EV6 has a range of powertrains depending on the grade. The Air and GT-Line RWD have a single motor set-up offering 168kW of power and 350Nm of torque, and the GT-Line AWD dual-motor pumps out 239kW and 605Nm.

Kia has boosted power in the high-performance GT by 18 kilowatts to a bonkers 448kW.

These figures are higher than some cheaper rivals and on par with other similarly priced EVs.

The 0-100km/h sprint time for the rear-drive grades is 7.7 seconds, dropping to 5.3 seconds for the GT-Line AWD, while the GT can do it in a blistering 3.5 seconds when engaging Launch Control.

The Air Standard Range gets a 64.2 kWh lithium iron phosphate battery, weighing in at a hefty 428kg, which delivers a claimed driving range of 400km. The Air Long Range, the Earth and the incoming GT-Line all share the same 88.1kWh battery, upping the range to 555km, 500km and 470km, respectively.

So, if driving range is at the very top of your must-have list, the Air Long Range is the car for you.

All cars can take 7.0kW home AC charging, while the dual-motor versions are set up for 11kW AC charging. Fast charging. When it comes to fast charging, all models can plug into a 350kW charger, taking them from 10 percent to 80 per cent in less than 40minutes.

All EV6 grades get a bigger under-floor lithium-ion battery, up from the 77.4 kilowatt hour unit in the previous model to 84kWh.

Driving range is up more than 50km in rear-wheel drive variants to 582km in the Air and 560km in the GT-Line, according to the WLTP testing cycle.

The GT-Line AWD’s range is now 522km (up from 484km), and the range-topping dual-motor GT offers 450km of range - a 26km increase.

All EV6 grades have vehicle-to-load charging via a port under the rear seating row or by using an extender for the external CCS Type 2 charging port.

Maximum DC charging is 10.5kW but the EV6 supports AC charging infrastructure up to 400 and 800 volts.

Using a 50kW fast charger should take 80 minutes to get from 10 to 80 per cent full, while a 350kW charger takes 18 minutes. Slow AC charging at home with three-phase power should take about seven-and-a-half hours.

Official energy consumption varies between grades. The Air RWD is 15.9kWh/100km, GT-Line RWD is 16.9kWh, GT-Line AWD is 17.7kWh and GT is 20.9kWh.

The car’s trip computer recorded an efficiency figure of 19.1kW/h when I handed it back, but I engaged in some enthusiastic driving. Factoring in the usable battery capacity (80kWh), the EV6 GT-Line RWD’s theoretical range is 473km.

It has multi-mode regenerative braking that is exceptionally smooth, including one-pedal driving, various EV sounds to choose from and a utility mode function to save battery life.

There’s even a soft close function for the charge flap that’s integrated nicely in the driver’s side rear tail-light.

First things first – I spend most of my time behind the wheel of the EV5 Earth, which though it shares its dual-motor powertrain with the GT-Line, is actually the fastest of the lot owing to the extra weight of Kia's flagship.

That means zero to 100km/h in just over six seconds, and trust me when I say this, that is more than fast enough. I know you read about EVs knocking off the sprint to 100km/h in supercar-besting times, but you don't need that sort of crazy acceleration in a family-focused mid-size SUV.

Actually, forget needing, you don't want it. The EV5 feels more than punchy enough, without shaving years off your life every time you plant your foot.

Fit for purpose, then, which is exactly how I'd describe the rest of the EV5's very good drive experience. Kia's Australian ride and handling wizards have once again had their way with the EV5, and the result is an EV that handles most everything Australian road surfaces can throw it at it with ease.

Surprisingly, it's maybe not quite as dynamically sharp as the bigger EV9, but it's always comfortable, without feeling floaty or disconnected, and it will happily grip its way around tighter corners without tipping from side to side, either.

There are a couple of small quirks, though. The first is the steering, which is definitely responsive and confidence inspiring, but it also has a kind of artificial weight or heaviness at times that feels a bit disconnected from what's happening beneath the tyres. And the cabin can be a little noisy through wind, too.

But these are small beans, really. The EV5 is comfortable and capable, and without the harsh ride or too-sharp steering that can be found in some of its rivals.

We drove it for hours across all sorts of road surfaces, and in all sorts of conditions, and found very, very little to complain about.

This is where the EV6 excels. There’s a lot more competition out there now, but the good news is the EV6 still impresses on the road.

I am purely focusing on the GT-Line RWD for this section as it’s the grade I had for a week.

It’s not brutally quick from a standing start, but it offers a nice, linear build up of speed. It adds speed quite quickly when at pace and this is more than enough poke for most people.

If you are intent on more power and speed, but without stretching to the GT flagship, the GT-Line AWD might be your cup of Jarrah. Although that is an $8000 premium over the RWD.

If you want to save the cash the RWD has drive modes ('Eco', 'Normal', 'Sport', 'Snow', 'MyDrive'), so you can add some spice with Sport mode.

The EV6’s precise steering has a little weight to it and good feedback.

On dynamically engaging roads the EV6 doesn’t feel its two-tonne weight. It has loads of grip when you lean into a corner and remains flat through the twisty stuff. There’s the tiniest hint of lateral movement in the car but there’s a lack of top-heavy body roll.

Thanks to the rear-wheel drive configuration, it’s also playful. The rear flicked out briefly when turning in wet conditions, but otherwise the stability control keeps everything in check.

This car has clearly been engineerd by driving enthusiasts for driving enthusiasts.

The ride quality is a little jittery on uneven roads. It’s not cushy like the EV5. You will feel tram/train tracks, potholes and random bumps. I detected a little vibration through the steering wheel on crumby roads. The Continental Premium Contact 6 (255/45 R20) tyres have a decent sidewall but they can’t soak up everything.

As well as being dynamically excellent, it’s also a lovely cruiser on smooth freeways and roads.

Other related points - it has a large turning circle (11.6m) and visibility is impeded by enormous B- and C-pillars, small rear windows and a middle-seat headrest.

The EV6 doesn’t gain anything too new from a safety perspective with this update but it comes standard with the usual driver aids like auto emergency braking with car, pedestrian, cyclist and junction turning, lane keep assist, ‘Lane Following Assist’, blind-spot collision warning and assist with rear cross-traffic alert and assist, safe exit warning, multi-collision braking, adaptive cruise control, a speed limiter, reversing camera and front and rear parking sensors.

The lane keeping aid tugs a little at the wheel and it subtly moves the car to the left line marking on motorways, but it’s not too intrusive.

There are seven airbags including a side centre airbag, three top tether anchors and two ISOFIX points.

The EV6 was awarded a maximum five-star rating from ANCAP back in 2022 and that rating should carry over until it expires at the end of 2028.

As with any modern Kia - or Hyundai and Genesis for that matter - I turn off a bunch of the driver aids as soon as I get behind the wheel to ensure I remain sane. Thankfully, there is a configurable favourite button (a star) on the steering wheel that takes you straight to the driver safety menu, otherwise you have to dig through multiple menus.

I turn off the infuriating overspeed warning and the driver attention alert every single time I drive this car because they are so deeply annoying.

If safety features are too distracting to leave on, are they really safe?

The EV5 is covered by Kia’s seven-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty, and you can prepay your servicing costs, too.

Three years will set you back $980, five years is $1535 and the full seven years will set you back $2431 ($347 per workshop visit), which is category competitive.

The EV6 is covered by Kia’s solid seven year/unlimited kilometre warranty and it has a battery warranty of seven years or 150,000 kilometres, whichever occurs first.

The service schedule is every 12 months or 15,000km.

Kia offers service plans of three, five and seven years with pricing for Air and GT-Line of $728 for three years, $1391 for five years and $2055 for seven years.

The GT is a little pricer at $842, $1570 and $2319, respectively.

This pricing isn’t astronomical, but it is more expensive than the Cupra Tavascan and MG IM6.

Kia has 147 dealerships across the country covering metro, urban and rural areas and all of them service EVs.