2023 Kia EV6 vs 2024 Kia EV9

What's the difference?

Kia’s EV6, launched in 2021, was an early signal from Kia that its talk of rearranging car-buyers’ perceptions was more than an idle boast.

Sure, the South Korean brand had gone from budget also-ran a couple of decades ago to a brand that represents reliability and quality in a very short space of time.

But a brand that was technically innovative and EV-savvy? Or capable of family cars with supercar performance? Let’s wait and see, we all said.

And now the latest member of the all-electric EV6 family has arrived, and with it Kia’s big chance to prove its point, as well as convince us that its flagship products are worthy of a six-figure price-tag.

With shattering straight-line performance and all the hallmarks of a thoroughly modern take on the electric vehicle concept (including all-wheel-drive and electronic control of everything from the suspension to the rear differential) the EV6 GT makes the technical statement it needs to.

But does it have the quality, the specification and the overall appeal to justify a price-tag that was unimaginable in a South Korean car until very, very recently?

The fact is that technical merit is not enough – never has been – when it comes to making a macro price-point shift in the minds of consumers.

Any model seeking to reset the value proposition of an entire brand needs to be more than the sum of its parts. But does the EV6 GT achieve that rare distinction? That’s what we’re here to find out.

The Kia EV9 has landed and it’s a big bruiser-looking thing; all squared edges with a healthy dose of swagger thrown in.

It’s an upper-large SUV that can comfortably host a family of seven and features trimmings to rival a Christmas tree but it’s also the most expensive Kia to ever launch in Australia.

Did I mention it’s also only one of two cars in its class? That’s right, the nearest competitor is the all-electric Mercedes-Benz EQS450 SUV.

Yep, the Kia EV9 is fully electric but built like a tank. Yet is it breaking new ground or is it just the Carnival dolled up and sitting on electric underpinnings?

I’ve been driving it for the a week with my family of three to find out.