Kia’s New EV6 Is The Model Y Competitor to Watch: But Is The Price Right?

Kase takes a closer look at Kia's brand new EV — including the price walk for its Model Y rival

2022 Kia EV6
Kia brought Kase out to sunny California to test the 2022 Kia EV6 GT-Line. (Image: TFLcar)

The Kia EV6 brings more choice into the growing electric car segment.

First impressions are critical, and the stakes are rising as virtually every automaker is jumping into the EV scene. Kia’s been in that game longer than some, but this EV6 is a milestone nonetheless — in that it’s the brand’s first dedicated, from-the-ground-up electric model. No gas engine, no hybrid powertrain, the 2022 Kia EV6 is all-electric, all the time. Riding on Hyundai Motor Group’s e-GMP platform, shared with the Hyundai Ioniq 5. As a small crossover, it’s naturally no secret which cars Kia targets here: namely the Tesla Model Y and Ford Mustang Mach-E, among others joining the fray. The automaker invited Kase out to test its efforts, and he takes the opportunity to get some up-close impressions on whether this may be the one Tesla needs to watch, and perhaps worry about.

Is it less expensive than its main rivals?

It’s worth noting, even before delving into the video below, that the new Kia EV6 is more expensive than its Hyundai counterpart. Pricing kicks off at $40,900 ($42,115, including Kia’s $1,215 destination fee) for the base “Light” model. From there, you can step up to the mid-range $48,215 “Wind” model, followed by the sporty GT-Line at $52,415. Both the Wind and GT-line come in single-motor, rear-wheel drive configuration by default, though you can spec them with a dual-motor AWD setup, as is the top-spec car Kase is testing.

The base EV6 Light is RWD only, and the least powerful of the bunch. This model comes equipped with a 167 horsepower electric motor at the rear, tied to a 58.0-kWh battery pack. That offers a 232-mile range, according to EPA figures — a spec that more or less matches the rear-wheel drive Volkswagen ID.4 Pro.

As for the mid-range EV6 Wind RWD, you get a more powerful 225 horsepower motor. Not only that, but Kia couples a larger battery pack to it, so you get 77.4-kWh of energy and a more road trip friendly 310 miles to a charge. The GT-Line RWD also comes in this configuration, while bundling more features in what is, for now, the top-end trim.

Getting an AWD EV6

All-wheel drive versions of both the Wind and GT-Line pack a 320 horsepower dual-motor setup, and only come with that larger battery.

The 2022 Kia EV6 Wind AWD starts off at $52,115 (again, including destination). If you want the GT-Line AWD, that will set you back $57,115. Both these models cut down the range a bit for the added performance, to 274 miles. You get a bit more range here than with the EV6’s Hyundai sibling for the money — not to mention all models are still eligible for a $7,500 federal tax credit, on top of what your state offers.

Kia will sell its latest EV in all 50 states, with the first examples hitting dealers in the next few weeks. Check out the car in more detail below: