Kia EV6 2025 Review: A Stronger, Smarter EV Ready for Mainstream Buyers

The Kia EV6 has long been one of the most capable electric crossovers on the market, yet it often lives in the shadow of its Hyundai and Tesla rivals. With the 2025 refresh, Kia aims to change that. The newest EV6 brings more range, better technology, improved build quality, and a long list of usability upgrades—all while keeping the performance and charging advantages that set it apart from many competitors.

After a week behind the wheel of the updated model, it’s clear that Kia has transformed a good EV into a genuinely compelling one. The 2025 EV6 is more refined, more efficient, and more competitive than ever.

2025 Kia EV6: Key Specifications

Below is a clear table of core specs based on the tested GT-Line AWD model.

Built in America, Upgraded for 2025

The EV6 still rides on Hyundai Motor Group’s 800-volt E-GMP platform, known for its efficiency and ultra-fast charging capability. For 2025, production has moved to West Point, Georgia, expanding Kia’s U.S. manufacturing footprint.

More Range and Larger Batteries

Kia gives every trim more battery capacity:

• Base Light trim: 63 kWh (up from 58 kWh)

• Most trims: 84 kWh (up from 77.4 kWh)

These upgrades deliver meaningful range gains:

• Up to 319 miles on RWD versions

• Up to 295 miles on AWD Wind trim

• 270 miles on the GT-Line AWD tested

For many buyers, the sweet spot is the Wind AWD, offering excellent range, strong performance, and a more approachable price.

Exterior Updates and the Move to NACS

A More Refined Front End

Kia revises the EV6’s face with a sharper “Tiger Nose” grille and redesigned LED headlamps that significantly improve nighttime visibility. Owners of previous models will notice the difference immediately, especially on high beams.

Tesla Plug Standard

One of the biggest upgrades is the shift from CCS to the North American Charging Standard (NACS), giving EV6 drivers seamless access to more than 20,000 Tesla Superchargers.
This makes the EV6 one of the few non-Tesla EVs that can fast-charge almost anywhere in the country.

Charging Performance: Still a Segment Leader

The EV6 remains one of the fastest-charging EVs you can buy under $80,000.

• Peak rate: ~240 kW

• 10% to 80%: under 18 minutes on a 350 kW DC charger

• Supercharger performance: about 30 minutes to 80% via NACS

Even as competitors adopt 800-volt systems, few maintain the consistent and predictable fast-charging performance that Kia and Hyundai deliver. On long road trips, this is a difference you feel every time you stop.

Driving Dynamics: Sharper, Quieter, and More Confident

The 2025 EV6 benefits from a series of small—but important—engineering refinements.

Better Road Feel and Improved Ride

The new model feels:

• More composed in corners

• More stable at highway speeds

• Quieter, thanks to improved insulation and Continental tires replacing the previous Kumho set

The dual-motor AWD model offers 320 horsepower and 446 lb-ft of torque, good for quick and confident acceleration. While the EV6 is not a performance EV, it strikes an excellent balance between efficiency and sporty driving.

Design and Practicality: A Unique Take on the Electric Crossover

Not everyone loves the EV6’s sleek, low-slung design, especially when compared with the more upright Hyundai Ioniq 5. But for many drivers, the EV6’s wagon-like profile is refreshing and dynamic.

Interior space is slightly tighter than the Ioniq 5, but materials and fit are notably improved in the 2025 model. Kia also adds one of the most meaningful convenience upgrades yet:

Automatic Door Handles (Now Standard)

All trims now feature auto-extending door handles—a major improvement over the previous press-to-release design that felt cheap and was often awkward to use.

Interior Tech and Comfort

Improved Software With EV-Focused Tools

The EV6 adopts the new-generation software found in the EV9, offering:

• More accurate range estimation

• Clear energy-use charts

• Battery health tools

• Easy preconditioning settings

• Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto

The user interface still lags behind Tesla for speed, and the smartphone app could be faster, but day-to-day usability is significantly better.

Physical Buttons Where They Matter

Kia continues to embrace physical controls, something many EV buyers appreciate. The interior remains intuitive, well-built, and comfortable for daily driving or long-distance travel.

Pricing, Value, and Verdict

The EV6 lineup spans a wide price range:

• Light RWD: $42,900

• Light Long Range RWD: $46,200

• Light Long Range AWD: $50,300

• Wind AWD: $54,300

• GT-Line AWD: $58,000+

With incentives and dealer discounts, many buyers will pay less than sticker price.

Final Verdict

The 2025 EV6 takes everything owners loved—fast charging, strong performance, distinctive design—and addresses most of the complaints:

• Better headlights

• Better build quality

• Better handles

• Better range

• Better software

• Better charging access

It is now one of the most well-rounded non-luxury EVs on the U.S. market.

If the Ioniq 5 and Tesla Model Y are the obvious choices, the EV6 is the smart, overlooked one that may actually serve many drivers better. With the 2025 refresh, the EV6 finally earns the attention it has long deserved.

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