2024 Kia EV9: The Good and the Bad

The 2024 Kia EV9 is one of the only mainstream three-row EVs you can get, and it gets the basics right. This SUV is efficient, charges quickly thanks to a high-voltage architecture, and is extremely comfortable even full of people. Just on that basis, it’s a good buy.

There are a lot of little things that could be polished, however. The ride could use work, the charging is fast but not without hiccups (unrelated to charging infrastructure), and the interior—while packed full of amenities—lacks a premium touch in terms of look and feel. 

Ultimately, it’s not enough to dissuade a respective buyer from going all-in, but if it were my $78,430 to spend, I might wait for the facelift in a few years.

The Bad

Let’s get the bad stuff out of the way first, because the foibles were enough to dampen what was otherwise a very pleasant experience.

I drove nearly 1,000 miles in the EV9, and three out of the four times I charged it, the car didn’t want to shift into drive or reverse afterward, which was frustrating. At first, I thought it was because the battery had overheated, although talking with Kia, I realized that was not the case. More likely, it was a user error on my part, which, in my opinion, seems more like a design failure than my own incompetence (although don’t put that past me.)

If I sat in the car while it was charging with the AC on, a red battery icon showed up on the dash after I unplugged the vehicle. It looked exactly the same as if the 12-volt battery in a normal car had a fault. There was no message in the infotainment telling me what to do—I just couldn’t shift into drive or reverse. After cycling the car’s power several times (thankfully, the EV9 still has a physical on/off switch, unlike many other EVs), eventually it came back to life. Each time I was stuck in the charging stall for around five minutes, unsure of what to do.

Speaking to a Kia representative, it seemed like using the vehicle’s systems (AC, infotainment, etc.), while the car is charging puts it into “accessory mode,” which makes it unable to shift into drive or reverse. An extra tap on the brake pedal would’ve allegedly taken me out of this mode, but that was definitely something I tried. Maybe I didn’t have the process going in the right order, but needless to say, if you’re charging your EV9 it might just be best to turn the car off and get out to avoid any frustration.

Peter Holderith / Motor1

Peter Holderith / Motor1

The other foibles were pretty minor by comparison. The main functions of the center display are accessible via a series of capacitive buttons on the dash that require a hard press to activate, compressing the hard plastic they’re embedded in. It feels and sounds bad. The menus also have a small but nevertheless annoying amount of lag, and they’re not organized well. 

At high speeds, the ride is poor. Despite having fully independent suspension, the EV9 judders over broken pavement on the highway like a pickup truck. Smaller wheels and tires, at least smaller than the 20-inch alloys on this tester, would do it favors. To be clear, though, this ride characteristic is a feature of many electric vehicles, especially crossovers and SUVs. It’s not unique to the EV9.

The Good

The good things were momentous in comparison, especially if you frequently carry a lot of people around. 

The seats in the EV9 are a step above almost anything I’ve driven, including the six-figure Mercedes-Benz EQS, the Cadillac Escalade, and even the Kia Carnival—a very plush minivan with similar features but not nearly the same level of comfort. Either of the two highest EV9 trims can be specced with eight-way adjustable second-row captain chairs, which are heated and ventilated (a second-row bench is standard). The driver and passenger get the same treatment, with the addition of a massage feature for the driver.

Using the seats’ heating/cooling function instead of the regular HVAC will save you a fair amount of range, as the car’s energy consumption menu clearly shows. Range fluctuations of 5 to 10 miles are possible on hot days if you use the car’s heat pump. That said, the EV9 is efficient even if you’re not micromanaging it. 

Peter Holderith / Motor1

Peter Holderith / Motor1

I averaged over three miles per kWh over the hundreds of miles I drove, which puts its realistic range easily above its EPA estimate of 280 miles. Indeed, it’s even better than the smaller two-row Cadillac Lyriq I drove earlier this year, though that car was driven during an especially chilly and rainy New England winter.

In other words, the EV9 can go the distance, at least with the larger battery. According to the EPA, the standard battery on the EV9 will take you just 230 miles. Opting for rear-wheel drive versus all-wheel drive will likewise net you more range, although that’s a luxury some buyers will doubtlessly think twice about giving up.

AWD also unlocks the EV9’s full performance. The base RWD car gets just 215 horsepower, which is not a lot for an SUV that weighs in at just over 5,000 pounds. AWD EV9s are heavier at around 5,700 lbs, but they get a dual motor setup good for 379 hp, which is more than enough for a family SUV.

The competition, especially from America, will pick up in short order, though. On the higher end, Lucid will soon start production of its three-row Gravity SUV. It will be more expensive than the EV9, but it will charge faster and go much further. Likely over 400 miles. The Cadillac Vistiq will also arrive next year as a 2026 model-year vehicle. Its range will be very similar to the Kia’s, and using the Lyriq’s and Optiq’s excellent interior as a reference, it could be even more pleasant inside.

Even with some imminent competition on the horizon, though, the EV9 is a solid option for people who want to go electric but need room for seven or more people. Sure, there are a lot of little things that could use some work, but the overall package is impressive. Despite being the first electric three-row out there, it will doubtlessly be a strong competitor in the growing segment.