2024 Kia EV9 Review

Kia’s 2024 EV9 is an all-new model marking the first release of a mainstream mid-size all-electric three-row SUV. The EV9 starts at $54,900, an accessible entry price for its segment. Its size is similar to a Kia Telluride, and its rivals include Volvo’s electric, three-row XC90.

MotoPickers Rating: 9.5/10

The 2024 EV9 can travel over 300 miles on a charge, and its fast-charging capability helps eliminate range anxiety. This mid-size SUV contains a spacious cabin, including its third row, a traditionally cramped area in many models within this segment. During our review, we’ll dive into this electric vehicle’s (EV’s) array of features and highlight any potential drawbacks in areas such as shortcomings within the base trim, interior ergonomics, and performance capabilities.

In a separate review, we covered what makes Kia’s 2024 compact EV6 SUV deserve a 9.7/10 rating. The 2024 EV6 boasts new wheels, a redesigned front bumper, and different headlamps. Interior changes include a new panoramic infotainment display, steering wheel, wireless smartphone charging pad, and fingerprint authentication system.

Read below for more information about how the 2024 EV9 represents itself within Kia’s electric lineup, which includes the Niro EV and EV3, to determine whether it suits your lifestyle.

Exterior spotlight

Kia’s EV9 has a purposeful EV platform made of ultra-high-strength steel, which balances durability with lightweight finesse. Its wheelbase measures 122”, a testament to its interior spaciousness, and standard features like a smart power rear liftgate with auto close enhance the base model’s value.

Available roof rails come in low profile silver on Wind and Land trim, while the peak GT-Line variant sports raised gloss black roof rails. Wheel options include 19” machined finish black alloys for Light, Light Long Range, and Wind trims, 20” machined finish black alloys for the Land grade, or 21” black and dark silver finish alloys on the GT-Line. LED headlights, taillights, and daytime running lights are standard, but moving into a Land or GT-Line EV9 variant yields LED cube projection headlights with a sleek digital pattern lighting grille.

Front grille design choices consist of a body-colored front grille or a body color digital pattern lightning grille. Active aero flaps and available matte black/gloss black active aero flaps foster an impressive drag coefficient of 0.28 by opening and closing based on driving conditions, and lower window surrounds contain satin chrome or gloss black trim.

This mid-size SUV features a body-color rear spoiler in addition to exterior colors such as:

• Pebble gray
• Snow white pearl
• Aurora Black Pearl
• Ivory Silver Gloss
• Panthera metal
• Ice green
• Ocean blue gloss
• Ivory silver matte
• Ocean blue matte

Separate available exterior features worth considering include automatic flush door handles that only extend when you need them and LED tail lights with a starlight pattern. Kia’s EV6 shares the EV9’s platform but is compact and doesn’t contain the EV9’s high-strength steel. The popular EV6 also doesn’t offer the EV9’s raised roof rails, but has more vibrant exterior color choices.

Interior analysis

Kia’s 2024 EV9 seats up to seven passengers across its three rows. Upholstery options include SynTex synthetic leather, embossed dot SynTex, quilted stripes SynTex, and GT-Line SynTex. Color selections for these upholstery choices include:

• Black and dark gray
• Black and dark gray embossed dot
• Dark gray and light gray embossed dot
• Black and dark gray quilted stripes
• Dark gray and light gray quilted stripes
• Black and brown quilted stripes
• Light gray and black
• Black and brown
• Dark gray and navy

GT-Line drivers receive a premium cloth headliner, while metal paint interior accents help dress up the Light, Light Long Rang, and Wind trims’ interiors. Land and GT-line grades benefit from satin chrome interior accents with cloth trim inserts. LED cabin mood lighting comes standard within all trims, but you’ll need to upgrade to a GT-Line to receive multicolor ambient mood lighting.

Driver’s seats within Light, Light Long Range, and Wind trims come with a standard 8-way power/two-way power lumbar adjustment design, but moving into a Land or GT-Line means you’ll receive a 10-way power driver’s seat with four-way power lumbar adjustment and additional features like a relaxation comfort setting.

The passenger seat contains an 8-way power adjustable design with lumbar support, but the Land trim receives features including but not limited to a comfort setting and 2-way power leg extension.

Additional cabin comfort

Heated and ventilated front seats are standard across all 2024 EV9 trims, while heated and ventilated second-row seats are standard within Land and GT-line grades. Land and GT-line trims additionally offer optional second-row lounge seats with a relaxation mode, comfort headrests, and leg extension. Second-row seats can be 60/40 split-folding or 50/50 split-folding. Third-row seats are reclining and 50/50 split-folding.

Wind, Land, and GT-Line drivers will benefit from these trims’ heated steering wheel, which contains SynTex and an illuminated Kia logo within the Land and GT-Line. Solar control glass, a sound-absorbing windshield, and sound-absorbing front door window glass help keep the EV9’s cabin comfortable, but you’ll need a Land or GT-Line trim to receive sound-absorbing rear door window glass.

Interior drawback

While loaded with many quality features, some controls within this SUV’s interior are distracting and tricky to configure, like a smaller 5” bracket within the 12.3” infotainment display for climate settings.

Power and performance

Kia’s 2024 EV9 can deliver 230-304 miles of range. The Light rear-wheel drive (RWD) trim offers 240 miles of range, but the Light Long Range RWD provides 304 miles. Wind and Land all-wheel drive (AWD) grades register a 280-mile range, while the GT-Line AWD drops slightly to 270 miles. If a sub-300-mile range worries you, it helps to know that the EV9 will charge from 10-80% via a 350kW DC fast charger in 24 minutes, and a heat pump helps retain range during cold weather.

Horsepower range for this mid-size electric SUV starts at 201 and goes up to 379, while torque spans 258-516 lb.-ft. The GT-Line has achieved a 0-60 MPH time of 4.5 seconds, but the EV9’s towing capacity across all of its trims is below-average at 2,000-5,000 lbs. Its 7.8” ground clearance is also modest.

However, Kia’s EV9 provides shorter dry braking from 70-0 MPH and better cornering than Mercedes-Benz’s 2023 EQS and the 2024 Land Rover Range Rover P400. Available drive modes include Sport, Eco, Normal, My Mode, and Snow. Like most EVs, the EV9 contains regenerative braking, and drivers can feel closer to the model’s performance with its steering wheel-mounted paddle shifters. We recommend opting for a trim above the base due to the entry-level grade’s poky acceleration and limited range.

Tech overview

The 2024 EV9 contains a digital cockpit with a 12.3 central touchscreen display featuring navigation and a 12.3” instrument display for an impressive presentation. Those looking to streamline their ability to read driving data can select a GT-Line for a 12” head-up display projecting information like navigation directions onto the windshield within a driver’s road line of sight.

Comparatively, Ford’s Mustang Mach-E SUV contains a larger 15.5” central touchscreen but a smaller 10.2” driver display. Volvo’s EX90 offers drivers a 14.9” central touchscreen and a 9” digital driver display.

A sound upgrade delivers the 14-speaker Meridian premium audio system with a subwoofer and external amplifier. The standard audio system contains eight speakers. Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are both standard, along with wireless smartphone charging.

Kia advertises its smart touch haptic controls as providing a refined look with automatic illumination. Still, today’s drivers increasingly demand more physical buttons, and haptic feedback touch buttons are more likely to malfunction. When working correctly, the EV9’s touch haptic controls provide a sound and pulsing feeling to notify a driver of a successful input.

Neither the surround-view monitor showing 360-degree views around the EV9 nor the full display mirror, which provides a more comprehensive rear view via a rear digital camera, are standard. Taillight pattern configurations are also optional. You can choose these custom taillight patterns through Kia’s Digital Features and Services, which are available through the Kia Connect store. Wireless over-the-air software updates help keep EV9 tech up to date.

Drivers can use Kia Connect to remotely control EV9 features like climate settings or engine starts and view data like battery status. Kia Connect offers Amazon Alexa compatibility for voice commands, and a 1,920-watt onboard power generator allows the EV9 to double as a power source.

Safety capabilities

The IIHS (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety) awarded the 2024 Kia EV9 its second-highest crash protection score of Top Safety Pick. NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) officials have not yet rated this mid-size electric SUV. Let’s take a look at some of the systems that helped the 2024 EV9 achieve a high IIHS score, including some of its 25 standard collision-avoidance and driver-assist features.

Standard safety features

Kia’s 2024 EV9 contains 10 airbags and a blind-spot collision warning feature with audible and visual alerts. Blind-spot collision avoidance assist is a separate but related system that helps guide EV9 drivers back into their lane via self-driving technology to prevent unsafe lane changes. Forward collision warning provides similar alerts but expands its semi-autonomous driving inputs to provide automatic braking and steering inputs to help avoid or mitigate crashes with other cars, pedestrians, and cyclists.

These self-driving capabilities, grouped under the forward collision-avoidance assist 2 system, function in situations where there’s a junction crossing, direct oncoming traffic, and oncoming traffic during a lane change. Rear cross-traffic collision avoidance assist is another valuable safety feature with automatic braking that can be optional within other vehicles. The EV9 contains front/rear parking distance warning sensors. If you drift from your lane, you’ll receive automatic steering assistance in addition to audio and visual alerts.

Smart cruise control with stop-and-go and machine learning adapts to your driving style over time and keeps you at a safe distance from a car you’re following with automatic braking and acceleration. The speed limit information feature helps you dodge tickets, and the rear occupant alert reminds you to check the back seats to ensure nothing’s left behind.

Kia’s EV9 contains a driver attention warning system and safe exit assist, which are often available upgrades within other vehicles.

Available safety features

The EV9’s safety capabilities are exceptional with standard features alone, but its available systems can provide additional peace of mind. Our favorite optional safety feature within this Kia is Remote Smart Parking Assist 2, which supplies remote forward/reverse parking, automatic smart parking, remote smart parking, and smart exit proficiency.

The optional blind-spot view monitor reflects a live view of your blind spot onto your dashboard gauge to increase environmental awareness alongside other upgrades like the surround view monitor with 3D view.

Available parking collision-avoidance assist covers front, side, and rear angles with automatic braking. Highway travel is easier with highway driving assist 2 technology, which provides automated steering wheel control for lane changes and automatic cruise control functionality.

Trim price guide and owner considerations

Below is a full list of the 2024 Kia EV9’s five trims, ordered from least-to-most expensive:

• Light (RWD) – $54,900
• Light Long Range (RWD) – $59,200
• Wind (AWD) – $63,900
• Land (AWD) – $69,900
• GT-Line (AWD) – $73,900

Kia offers quality warranty coverage for their EV9. This protection includes five years or 60,000 miles of basic coverage, whichever comes first, and 10 years or 100,000 miles for the powertrain. Drivers can streamline their ability to receive reminders for scheduling maintenance with the Kia Access App.

Final verdict

Kia continues to establish itself as one of the leading automakers producing electric vehicles with its debut 2024 EV9 model. The EV9 is an example of an SUV that checks many boxes drivers prioritize, like a spacious cabin, stylish exterior, and a plethora of driver-assist features. While the EV9 could use fewer touch buttons and more physical controls, it excels in just about every category, with the exception of the base model’s performance. We’re rating Kia’s EV9 at 9.5/10.