KIA EV6 2022 electric car owner review

Carl drives a KIA EV6 77.4kWh 2022.

This is Carl’s first electric car, he’s owned the KIA EV6 1-2 years and drives 5,000-10,000 miles annually. The current mileage of the car is between 10,000-20,000 miles and he achieves 290 miles from a full charge.

Why did you choose the KIA EV6?

Driven Jaguars for many years but my son bought a Tesla Model 3 and I liked it a lot to the point of looking for an EV replacement for my latest XF 3.0 V6. Looked at the I-PACE, far too expensive for what it was. Didn’t like any VW/BMW/Audi and there weren’t many others in contention. Didn’t want to be a ‘twin’ with a Tesla and the IONIQ 5 was too bulky. Took one look at the EV6 and paid a deposit. Apart from persistent ‘phantom’ 12v battery drain problems (dealer had it for 3 months) I have loved my time with it. That time will be over all too soon.

Positives

Looks
performance
technology.

Negatives

Don’t really dislike ANYTHING, just a poor customer service experience
Two tiny 1st world problems though – no wireless CarPlay/Android Auto despite wireless charging pad (the phone gets too hot on it as there’s no cooling).

Have you experienced any faults with the car? If so, what have they been?

Several…ICCU, PRA and 40A fuse failure following 12v battery drain. All replaced under warranty. But still the drain remained. Two further instances of a dead 12v battery and a different dealer ‘solved’ the problem with a full reset. They insist it was/is due to third party apps frequently polling the car, waking it up for charging purposes. However, they have been unable to explain why the computer ‘allows’ the drain without topping up.

What are the standout technological features of the car?

800v architecture – superfast charging
remote heating/cooling including seats, windows, mirrors and steering wheel
leaves lots of sports cars behind because of instant torque.

Tell us something people wouldn’t readily know about this electric car

Split boot floor with ample storage even if the parcel shelf is stored away and with a froot (NOT A FRUNK) there’s additional storage.

What electric car(s) are you interested in next and why?

Maybe an I-PACE & a deposit has been placed on a BYD Seal.

Home charging unit

Project EV EVA-07S-SE-RFID Smart charger – compatible with solar/smart tariffs & has an app for remote monitoring and charging. Added a 10m cable allowing charging no matter where the charge port is on the car.

Electricity supplier & tariff

Been on Intelligent Octopus for 12 months (was on ‘Go’ before that as KIA was not supported at the time) and British Gas before that.

What public charging networks would you recommend to others and why?

Have a Tesla account and use those where possible
GRIDSERVE, Pod Point, IONITY and Chargepoint/InstaVolt and Vend Electric otherwise.

Haven’t ‘suffered’ from range anxiety ever but I have found too many charge points unavailable for one reason or another. The infrastructure is not there (yet).

Insurer

LV= 1st year very reasonable and less than my Jaguar 3.0 V6; 2nd year almost doubled.

Please itemise where you’re saving money (or not) owning & running a KIA EV6

Being a brand new car at purchase (my first) it’s difficult to be exact. However, I have a 300+ mile range on a full charge with 0-100% for less than £8.00 overnight. I would suggest I’m saving in excess of £140.00 per month in just running costs as there’s also no expensive servicing.