Low-key facelift aims to keep fashionable electric family SUV near the top of the pile
Until not long ago, trailblazing electric cars from Kia and Hyundai weren’t very exciting. They’ve looked like their conventional counterparts (which was entirely the point), they left keen drivers a little cold and, other than in the broadest sense, they didn’t pioneer any new technology. But the Kia EV6 represented the marque shifting gears with its EV line-up and leaving behind the compromises of platforms that need to also accommodate an engine.Since launching just three years ago, it has sold more than 210,000 units worldwide – and while cheaper alternatives from the likes of Volkswagen, Skoda and Tesla have a bigger share of the UK market, the sheer number of them you see on the road is testament to its popularity. It seems like only recently that we were first getting aquainted with this futuristic saloon-coupé-SUV-fastback, but such is the unrelenting pace of progress in this industry that Kia has already seen fit to treat it to a round of updates.The aim is mostly to bring it into line, technically and visually, with the newer Kia EV9 flagship SUV – and EVs 3, 4 and 5 that will follow over the coming months. But surely bosses will have been nervously mopping their brow as a tidal wave of rivals launched over the past couple of years with comparable charging speeds, ranges and material quality – so there will be an element of attempting to recapture a competitive edge here, too.Plus, like all distinctively styled ‘mass-market’ cars, the EV6 has become something of a victim of its own popularity, and has arguably lost a smidge of the visual drama that got us all talking when it was revealed, so what harm can zhuzhing up the design do?Not that this is one of the more dramatic facelifts. The Kia EV6’s face has indeed been lifted (full-width light bar, redesigned headlights, tweaked splitter), but that’s your best bet for immediately distinguishing the latest version of this big-selling family EV from the original, aside from the new wheel designs, colour options and even less obviously fettled rear end.The headline of this update, though, is an increase in usable battery capacity from 77.4kWh to 84kWh, giving the most efficient EV6 a commendable official range of 361 miles and making it comfortably one of the longest-range electric crossovers on sale. Charging speed is up a touch, too, from a 239kW maximum to 258kW, theoretically allowing a 10-80% top-up in just 18 minutes.Throw in some subtle but noticeable changes to the cabin and a few technical enhancements, too, and there’s reason to suspect that the ever-changing electric SUV market is once again destined for a bit of a shake-up.
