The Kia EV9's cabin is more pared back and minimalist than you might expect. All models feature haptic controls embedded into the dash panel and, thankfully, physical buttons for the air-con and stereo. The standard office chair-style front seats are super comfy, while the range-topping GT grade gets sportier, more supportive seats.

The Kia EV9 is a true seven-seat vehicle, and its middle row is especially spacious, helped by a rail system that allows you to slide it forwards or backwards, depending on where you need the space. Things get a little tighter once you move to the third row, where leg room disappears and it feels a little tighter for full-grown adults. That said, accessing the third row is easy.

The one exception to this, is the flagship GT model, which is only available with a six-seat layout. There are two 'Captains Chairs' in the second row, which come with heating, ventilation and a massage function to keep your passengers pampered.

The entry-level Air's standard features list includes a single rear-motor, along with 19-inch alloy wheels projection headlights with LED DRLs and LED tail-lights, flush-closing door handles and vehicle to load functionality.

Inside you'll find synthetic leather seats that are powered, heated and ventilated up front, twin 12.3-inch interior screens with a 5.0-inch climate panel in the middle, an eight-speaker stereo, wireless device charging and a powered tailgate. You also get 'Kia Connect' and over the air updates.

Next, the Earth adds better seats, gloss black exterior detailing, ambient interior mood lighting, a light-up logo in the steering wheel, and some extra safety kit. Crucially, you also get a twin-motor powertrain that makes more power, and a bigger battery.

Moving up, the GT-Line builds on the Earth’s inclusions with 21-inch alloys, LED headlights, roof racks, privacy glass, digital side mirrors, a dual tilt-and-slide sunroof and remote park assist.

Finally, the new-for-2026 flagship is the GT, which gets unique 21-inch alloys, a standard six-seat layout, a 14-speaker Meridian Premium sound system, Kia Connect Telematics, in-built satellite navigation with 10-years of live traffic information and map updates, wireless phone charging and ambient mood lighting.

The Kia EV9 rear-wheel-drive model records a sprint to 100km/h of 8.2 seconds and a 190km/h top speed.

Because the AWD GT-Line is equipped with an 'Acceleration Boost' function, it's faster to 100km/h than the AWD Earth – 5.3 seconds versus 6.0 seconds.

The GT, naturally, takes top honours though, with its more powerful motors allow a very speedy 4.5 second 0-100km/h time. And it also has a top speed of 220km/h.

The Kia EV9 rear-wheel-drive model gets a single rear-mounted motor good for 160kW and 350Nm. The AWD models add a second motor at the front axle, and the outputs jump to 283kW and 700Nm.

The GT then elevates that even further, boosting performance to 374kW and 740Nm from its dual motors.

There are two battery sizes on offer. The RWD models get a 76.1kWh lithium-ion battery which delivers a WLTP driving range of 443km.

The AWD Earth, GT-Line and GT get a bigger 99.8kWh battery, upping the driving range to 512km, 505km and 510km, respectively.

All models are equipped with 800V architecture, which the brand says – when plugged into an ultra-fast charger – will help the EV9 go from 10 to 80 percent charged in approximately 20 minutes.