The Kia EV9 is marketed by the South Korean automaker as being its top-of-the-line model, regardless of propulsion type. Even though it’s similar in size to the gas-powered Telluride, the EV9 is more expensive and somewhat posher inside.
The all-electric three-row SUV went on sale in the United States late last year with a starting price of $54,900 and now people who ordered it are starting to get delivery of their shiny new EVs. Some even managed to put around 1,000 miles on the odometer in just a couple of weeks after delivery, like SammyGeek on YouTube, who posted a video about his experience with the zero-emissions family hauler so far.
Get Fully Charged
Kia EV9 owner spills the beans after almost 1,000 miles
More and more Kia EV9 owners are posting their experiences with the South Korean all-electric three-row SUV on YouTube. One of them, who goes by the handle SammyGeek on the video platform, drove almost 1,000 miles in his new EV and shot a video explaining what it's been like.
We drove the EV9 during the press launch earlier this year and concluded that it’s a great choice for families, but it’s hard to get a feel for how a car will behave in the long run from just a couple of hours of driving during a press launch. This is why we sometimes feature owner reviews here on InsideEVs, so that you can get a better understanding of what an EV is like to live with from the perspective of actual owners.
In the case of the EV9, the short answer is, “It’s solid.” That’s how SammyGeek describes the electric SUV in his 1,000-mile update in the video embedded below, referring to the complete lack of rattles, squeaks, or any other noises that would be very easy to pick up in an otherwise silent vehicle.
It’s worth mentioning that before getting an EV9, he drove a Tesla Model 3, a Tesla Model X, a Tesla Model Y, and a Rivian R1T, so he knows what other brands can do in the EV space. For example, both the Rivian and the Model Y were a bit noisier compared to the EV9, in the sense that they had some creaks and squeaks. The EV9 has none of those, according to SammyGeek.
Efficiency-wise, the South Korean electric SUV returns about 2.5 miles/kilowatt-hour on average on cold days, while warmer days can up the figure to 3 mi/kWh in the real world. As for charging, the EV9 can accept up to 235 kW from a compatible DC fast charger, and owners get 1,000 kWh for free from Electrify America, which can be used in the first three years of ownership. With the large, 99.8-kWh battery on board, which enables an EPA-estimated range of up to 304 miles, the freebie amounts to roughly 10 full charges.
This particular EV9 is of the dual-motor variety, and its owner did some tweaks to make it his own, like getting tinted windows and blacking out the Kia logos on the exterior, which made the car inconspicuous on the road, even though the owner hasn’t seen another EV9 on the road since he got his delivered.
The adaptive cruise control and lane keep assist systems are working as advertised and are up there with Tesla’s Enhanced Autopilot which costs $6,000 extra, the YouTuber says.
Go ahead and watch the owner review and let us know what you think in the comments below.
