With bold, futuristic styling, Kia’s EV6 SUV is instantly recognisable. The brand’s distinctive tiger face grille has been given a modern makeover, and with a flat floor for boost efficiency, Kia has created a car that both looks the part and delivers what the visuals promise. It accelerates nearly as quickly as it charges – few cars can accept 60 miles of range in under 5 minutes. It’s a brilliant choice for anyone looking to lease an electric vehicle that’s as practical as it is fun.

Key highlights of the Kia EV6

Moving beyond the instant kerb appeal, the Kia EV6 has some excellent interior features too. For a start, it can feature sustainable ‘vegan’ trim. Then there’s the futuristic design combined with practical touches: a high-tech digital dashboard and a floating centre console with ample storage. The two-spoke steering wheel adds a sporty touch, and the overall design is well thought-out.

Passenger space is generous, with plenty of cargo space behind the back seats, and even some storage space for your charging cables under the bonnet, too. The 12-inch touchscreen infotainment system operates with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and there’s wireless smartphone charging and a Wi-Fi hotspot. 

There are endless safety features, too. Blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alerts come as standard, as do adaptive cruise control and lane-keeping assist. There’s a remote parking assistant, automated emergency braking and, further up the range, items like a 360-degree camera and clever blind spot camera systems. Optional assists mean that a safe driving experience can be made even safer. 

Perhaps the most exciting feature of the EV6 is its fast charging capability. With this car, there’ll be no drawn-out cups of coffee while waiting to be able to move on. The battery will go from 10 to 80% charge in under 18 minutes, and you can add 70 miles to the range in less than five minutes. It’s an excellent electric car to lease for long-distance driving, that’s for sure.

Kia EV6 performance and range

No EV6 variant is exactly slow, but Kia gives you different levels of performance from ‘ample’ to ‘extremely rapid’. 

Base rear-wheel drive versions manage 0-62mph in a perfectly respectable 7.3 seconds, and benefit from the highest efficiency and range of the lineup at up to 328 miles on a charge.

But if you need more performance than that there’s the all-wheel drive models which sacrifice a bit of range (down to an official 314 miles) for a much more potent 0-62mph time of 5.2 seconds. 

Looking to beat Teslas away from the lights? You’ll be wanting the GT performance version, which is a real firecracker. You lose a chunk of range (down to 263 miles officially) but gain sportier handling, 0-62mph in just 3.5 seconds and a 162mph top speed.

That’s not the only super quick stat on the EV6’s spec sheet. Thanks to a clever 800V charging system - like that used in the much pricier Porsche Taycan - you get rapid charging speeds allowing for a 10-80% charge in as little as 16 minutes. That’s the same for all versions, and really impressive at this price. 

Tech specs

Kia EV6 RWD Air 

• 0-62mph: 7.3 seconds
• Top speed: 114mph
• Battery: 77kWh
• Range:  328 miles
• Max charging speed: 233kW
• Boot space: 490 litres

Similar models to the Kia EV6

The Kia EV6 might look totally different to the Hyundai IONIQ 5 underneath, but the two cars share very similar technical bits underneath. The retro Hyundai is the comfort choice, while the EV6 is sportier.Other similar electric cars include the Tesla Model Y, the Volkswagen ID.4 and the Nissan Ariya.