There has been a lot of buzz around the Kia EV6 recently, and for good reason - people have started driving it and most are really impressed, praising Kia for its creation. Now the EV6 is gaining official recognition for its qualities as it was just declared the Car of the Year 2022, closely followed by two other EVs in second and third spots.
The Kia EV6 gained a total of 279 points, next came the Renault Megane E-Tech Electric (which only just had its international press launch) with 265 points, followed by Hyundai Ioniq 5 with 261 points.
Now if you’re wondering what made the judges prefer the EV6 over its Ioniq 5 stablemate, well, it looks like they preferred its sportier approach. Yes, the Hyundai uses the same basic ingredients, but it uses them differently and the result is a more polarizing vehicle, and its unique design may not have been to everybody’s taste.
Some excerpts from the judges help explain why it was chosen:
Sportier driving, firmer suspension, high range and excellent quick charging, because of 800-volt system, huge space, good package (frunk), nice details in the interior like the double-mode switches for navigation and climate control, no leather trim anymore, V2X-charging possible.
The best electric car of all the finalists. It has the same virtues as the Ioniq 5, but it is an even more balanced car, more refined in the set-up, more attractive in design, with higher quality finishes... And knocking on our emotions we have the 585 hp of the GT developed with Rimac.
Excellent EV because of its fast charging and good range for the price. In comparison with the Hyundai the EV6 offers less body roll, more playful handling and tighter steering. A bit sportier overall.
Further down the rankings, starting with fourth place, came the new Peugeot 308, the Skoda Enyaq, the Ford Mustang Mach-E and the Cupra Born. It’s interesting that in these top spots, there’s just one internal combustion-engined vehicle, the Peugeot.
The Kia EV6 is the third electric car to win the COTY competition, after the Jaguar I-Pace in 2019 and the Volkswagen ID.4 in 2021.
Here's what we thought of the Kia EV6
Source: Car of the Year