Kia EV6 review

You’d be forgiven for thinking the Kia EV6 was a VW Golf-sized electric hatchback, but appearances can be deceptive – it’s quite a bit bigger than that, and not far of a Mustang Mach-e in terms of exterior size.

That pays off inside, where you’ll find a pretty roomy cabin all-round. The front is a very comfortable place to sit; the driver has loads of adjustment in the wheel and seat, while the footwells feel very spacious because there’s a big space in front of the centre console. A neat touch is a one button recline function for both front seats (on GT-Line models and above) so you can rest while waiting for the Kia to charge.

Things in the back are a little less airy, but still respectable. There’s loads of room for your knees, and with a completely flat floor the middle seat passenger won’t be fighting for leg space either. The Kia largely avoids the feeling of the floor being too close to you that some EVs get because of the batteries mounted underneath it. What’s more, the backrest reclines so you can stretch out.

However, you can’t really slide your feet under the seat in front to get truly comfortable, while the sloping roofline means six-footers and above might just find their heads brushing the roofline. A Ford Mustang Mach-e has more head space, but the Kia is far from cramped. A neat touch is that the rear windows slide all the way down, too – that’s not as common as it should be.

Fitting a bulky baby seat isn’t as easy as in taller SUVs due to the relatively low roofline, but the doors open nice and wide. It’s just a shame that the ISOFIX points are a bit tricky to access.

There’s a seriously impressive amount of storage in the front of the EV6. Not only do you have big door bins for large water bottles and a deep glovebox, but there’s a big space below the dashboard and in front of the centre console where larger items can sit.

Not only that, but the centre console between the seats has another storage compartment underneath the armrest.  You also get three cupholders of different depths in it, so you can secure shallow or deeper drinks, while there’s also a place to hold (and wirelessly charge) your mobile phone.

In the back there’s a pair of posh feeling seat pockets that are elasticated to hold larger items. There’s also some door bins that, although smaller than those in the front, are a decent size, while the centre armrest storage compartment has a neat sliding cupholder lid.

There’s also plenty of USB sockets dotted about the cabin (including the odd new-spec USB-C), including some neatly positioned ones on the side of the front seats.

The EV6 doesn’t let the side down when it comes to the boot. Not only is it a good size, it’s also thoughtfully designed.

Sure, 520-litres is quite a bit down on the 585-litre capacity of a Skoda Enyaq due to it being rather shallow, but it’s hardly small. There’s also no load lip, which makes lifting things in and out of the boot much easier. Better still, when you don’t need the parcel shelf it stows neatly in its own compartment below the boot floor.

There’s also nets to stop smaller items rolling about and breaking while on the move, plus the usual 12v power socket. Another handy touch is that you can release and fold the rear seats via levers positioned right by the rear edge of the boot.

Once those seats are down, there’s a pretty substantial load area, while you have a continuous flat floor which makes sliding large items all the way to the front seats a breeze.

But that’s not all: pop the bonnet and there’s a ‘froot’ (front boot). Well, sort of. Unlike the deep, sculpted compartment in the front of a Tesla Model 3, it’s a shallow box perched on top of the car’s motor gubbins. It’s 52 litres on the single-motor model, but drops to a measly 20 litres on the dual motor version. Really, It’s only there to store the charging cable.