The EV6 fought off competition from a series of contenders to take the top honour, with the innovative crossover beating a diverse set of rivals that included the Hyundai Ioniq 5, Volkswagen ID.4, Audi Q4 e-tron, Skoda Enyaq and Mercedes-Benz C-Class, among others. A jury consisting of 20 automotive journalists evaluated new models with a base price of between €25,000 and €50,000 to determine the overall category winner.
In addition to the three main categories that included "Compact", for vehicles priced under €25,000, "Premium", for vehicles priced between €25,000 and €50,000, and "Luxury", for vehicles priced over €50,000, the competition also included an additional category called "New Energies", which represented electric vehicles powered solely by batteries or hydrogen. The Kia EV6 was also ranked second in this category.
The EV6 is Kia’s first dedicated battery electric vehicle (BEV) based on its all-new Electric-Global Modular Platform (E-GMP). The high-tech architecture enables the vehicle to achieve up to 528 km of driving range from a single charge on the WLTP combined cycle, while advanced 800V charging technology means drivers can charge the EV6 from 10 to 80 percent in just 18 minutes. The EV6 also benefits from class-leading interior space and a wide range of driver assistance and infotainment technologies.
Available in both rear-wheel and all-wheel drive configurations, customers can choose between long-range (77.4 kWh) and standard-range (58.0 kWh) high-voltage battery packs. The 77.4 kWh battery pack is paired with a 168 kW (229 PS) electric motor powering the rear wheels, while AWD models featuring two electric motors can produce a total of 239 kW (325 PS). A performance oriented all-wheel drive EV6 GT featuring 430 kW (585 PS) and the ability to accelerate to 100 km/h in just 3.5 seconds will go on sale at the end of 2022. The 58 kWh battery pack is paired with a 125 kW electric motor powering the rear wheels, while AWD models featuring two electric motors can produce a combined 173 kW (235 PS).
