Big, boxy—and unexpectedly frugal
Pulling the Kia EV9 into motorway traffic, you can feel its two-and-a-half-ton mass, but you also notice something rarer: the watt-hour gauge falls more slowly than your eyes expect. On our mixed 120-kilometre loop near Munich, the dual-motor Land AWD test car averaged 22.0 kWh/100 km, or roughly 2.8 mi/kWh—a figure some compact crossovers struggle to match. Owners on the EV9 Reddit forum report 3.2 mi/kWh on mountain trips with careful throttle use, confirming that the efficiency we saw is no fluke.
So does size kill efficiency? Not here, and the reasons are largely aerodynamic and electrical. Kia’s designers carved a surprisingly low 0.28 drag coefficient into the bluff body, and the 800-V E-GMP platform lets the big battery flow current with less heat loss than 400-V rivals.
Range figures that live up to the sticker
Official EPA data rate the long-range Light RWD at 304 miles on its 99.8 kWh pack, while dual-motor trims land at 280 miles (270 miles for GT-Line). In cool spring weather—11 °C ambient—our Land AWD maintained a projected 310 miles at 110 km/h cruise. That real-world parity is rare for electric SUVs and underscores how important aero tuning and heat-pump management have become for the segment.
Performance that shrinks the car around you
Stab the throttle in GT-Line guise and the EV9 hustles to 60 mph in 4.5 seconds, courtesy of a temporary 516 lb-ft Boost download. Even the milder Land version hits the mark in 4.4 seconds on magazine test tracks, meaning family road trips will never feel sluggish when merging or overtaking. The ride stays calm thanks to air springs and a long 3,100 mm wheelbase, while body roll is better controlled than the EV9’s blocky silhouette implies.
Charging: big battery, short stops
With its 800-V architecture, the EV9 peaks at 230 kW on compatible DC fast-chargers, gulping 10–80 % in about 24 minutes. That’s quick enough to sync bathroom breaks with range recovery. Kia says 2025-build EV9s ship with NACS hardware in North America, opening seamless access to Tesla Superchargers by year-end—a welcome upgrade mentioned by early owners.
Cabin comfort and tech
Inside, the EV9 feels closer to a premium lounge than its pricing suggests. Two 12.3-inch screens anchor the dash, now with wireless Android Auto and CarPlay for 2025. Storage nooks abound, third-row space matches a Mazda CX-9, and with all seats up you still get 333 litres of boot room. Kia’s Highway Drive Assist 2 kept the SUV centred and smooth at 130 km/h, although its manual lane-change prompt remains fussier than GM’s Super Cruise.
Verdict: size tempered by smarts
After two days and 420 kilometres behind the wheel, our verdict is clear: Kia EV9 First-Drive Impressions: Does Size Kill Efficiency? Not when clever aerodynamics, an 800-V backbone, and diligent energy management answer the question. For families who want genuine three-row space without hemorrhaging electrons—or cash—the EV9 lands squarely in the efficiency sweet spot, proving that large can be lean in the 2025 EV landscape.
