Kia EV9 - Range, charging and running costs

While some regions see the Kia EV9 offered with a smaller 76.1kWh battery, the UK just gets the larger 99.8kWh pack, There’s a usable capacity of 96kWh as standard, which is one of the bigger packs available on the market - the Volvo EX90 has a 111kWh battery, but it costs at least £30k more.

Even better, the EV9 features a heat pump as standard, so battery capacity isn’t wasted in cold weather keeping the cabin warm. Although owners will be able to sync their cars to their smartphones via Kia’s dedicated app, so the car can start heating or defrosting the windows while it’s plugged into the mains. This means you won’t be wasting battery power heating the car up and preserving the driving range.

Electric range, battery life and charge time

The Kia’s 99.8kWh battery offers a claimed range of up to 349 miles in the Air model. We averaged 3.2 miles/kWh on test and 2.7mi/kWh in colder conditions, which translates to 270-320 miles of real-world range. While that’s slightly less than the WLTP figures, it means that even in winter it’ll be more than good enough for longer journeys. 

If you do need to top up on the go, finding a rapid charger that’ll keep up with the Kia’s potential will be the hardest part. Once it’s plugged into a rapid-charging point that can reach at least 210kW, then it will take just 24 minutes to replenish the battery from 10-80 per cent. Using a 7.4kW wallbox charger at home will take over 15 hours, so plan your charging accordingly.

Tax

Given that the Kia is an EV, it means that Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) is free from the second year onwards. A Benefit-in-Kind (BiK) rate of just two per cent (for the 2024/25 tax year) also means that, as long as it falls into your pay grade, the EV9 is a cheap option for company-car users. 

For a higher-rate income tax payer, the electric powertrain will subject drivers to annual deductions of £520 in the first year. That’s a huge contrast to similarly sized petrol SUVs such as the Volvo XC90, which cost the end user almost nine times as much.

Insurance groups

Group ratings are high for the EV9. Despite its modest performance, even the base Air model is in Group 45, while the twin-motor models are all in Group 50.

Depreciation

Holding on to 56.5 per cent of its value after three years means that the EV9 Air depreciates less than many other seven-seat SUVs at this price. The residuals are a little weaker for editions equipped with an extra motor, but estimated values of between 52.9 and 53.3 per cent still beat many alternatives, including the Volvo XC90.

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