Well, it’s….. different. After our Gen1 Rivian R1S, we decided to switch gears and check out the next latest and greatest 3-row EV to enter the market, the Kia EV9. Our initial test helped confirm our interest and we went about deal hunting. That in itself was interesting, as we had one of the early pre-order deposits made in 2023, but decided against it and got a refund when the EV9 launched. That worked out in the long run as the lease deals for Kia came fast and furious, with both big discounts and rebates as well as ultra low lease interest rates (aka money factor). As a bonus, when we reached back out to our dealer, they told us that we could still get the pre-order perks (believe they threw in an additional mobile charger and extended Kia smartphone app access and the first few service visits).
While tempted to go with the Ocean Blue color, since we loved our Rivian Blue R1S, we settled on a Snow White Pearl GT-Line. We didn’t initially want the VIP package with the power 2nd row seats, as the added functionality is largely lost on us with 2 kids in car seats/boosters. However our dealer made us a great deal on a unit that had it. Even today, there are still heavily discount lease programs available on the Kia EV9, so don’t let the sticker price shock you! It may not end up being much more than that Telluride you were considering.
Alright now that’s out of the way, what was it like to live with the EV9 as a dad-daily driver for 6 months and nearly 8,000 miles? It was pretty uneventful in the best of ways. Luckily Kia has pretty good phone as a key integration, which I find very convenient these days vs having to carry a key fob around. The EV9 also supports wireless phone mirroring, so it was back to CarPlay for us vs. the native apps in the Rivian and Polestar infotainment systems that we had gotten somewhat used to.
The EV9 goes about its drive in a smooth, quiet finesse. Where our Gen1 Rivian’s Quad Motor set up was a bit loud in terms of electric motor noise, the EV9 motors were surprisingly quiet. Ride quality was also softer in EV9 despite lack of a full air suspension that many EVs have. There was a bit more noticeable body roll in the Kia though, lacking the trick kinetic dampers of the Rivian. Steering response is also a tad slower. For 90% of dad-daily driving needs, I’d say the EV9 held its own, really leaving little to complain about. It was a bit annoying that if you wanted to use full one-pedal driving, you needed to re-engage the system via the paddle shifters each time you drove though. But for many people still transitioning to EVs, it’s nice to have choice and selection between regenerative braking modes. The drive itself isn’t super engaging or lively, but maybe the upcoming EV9 GT will address some of that. The core EV9 lineup seems tuned for livability and minimizing dissatisfaction.
Over those 8,000 miles we averaged just over 3 miles per kWh for overall efficiency, which is pretty superb for something of this size. This includes a few extended highway roadtrips with the car loaded up and speeds closer to 70-80 miles per hour. We didn’t really try to hyper mile this at any point. This equates to roughly 300 miles for a full “charge” which is some 30 miles better than its EPA state range of 270 miles. Some of that efficiency has to be helped by its overall lower stance than the Rivian. That lower step in height is also super helpful for kids jumping in and out multiple times a day.
Back inside, features we liked in the EV9. Sunshades! The two separate sunroofs (only the front one opens) each have a physical shade, rear one being powered. The rear doors also had built in sunshades, always nice to help block light from the kids. 2nd row had captains chairs. Yes we didn’t care for the VIP power functionality, but having the captains chairs and center passthrough meant the 3rd row was still readily accessible without having to move car seats around. The rear view camera mirror was also nice to have in any long/tall vehicle. Also appreciated that the front air vents were simple and manual, same for the quick toggles for other ventilation controls. A lot of reviewers lament the fact that the EV9’s ventilation control panel is partially blocked by the steering wheel but it was honestly never a concern during our ownership period.
Similar to the VIP 2nd row seats, while the front seats also offer leg rests, we used them exactly 0 times. Super gimmicky. Not gimmicky was the massage front seat which is sadly driver only for the U.S. No it wasn’t the most powerful massage seat in a car, but it was nice to have, especially on the longer treks. Up front the wireless charging pad was just as fickle/temperamental as our Gen1 Rivian’s charging pad. Had to place the phone exactly so, and then any bump or movement would render it inactive. There was also a ton of storage up front, including a massive glovebox. Rivian? No glovebox, at least the upcoming R2 addresses that by offering not just one but two gloveboxes.
There’s good storage behind the 3rd row, and it’s super easy to manually raise and lower the two 50-50 seatbacks as needed. The EV9 doesn’t have a substantive front trunk/frunk like the Rivian, but it does well in overall space and packaging for its size footprint.
Tech-wise the EV9 is more traditional as it offers a decent embedded features and experience, while supporting wireless phone mirroring via Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Ours even had a nice head up display. Our phone as a key worked pretty flawlessly. Overall reliability and stability were notable, evident that Kia builds millions of cars a year.
I would say the EV9 is the closest thing to an EV minivan on the market (in a good way), but that’s no actually longer true thanks to the arrival of the similarly priced VW ID.Buzz. The EV9 was Kia’s best-selling EV in the U.S. in 2024, inching out the much cheaper EV6. So there’s definitely an appetite for 3-row EVs out there, especially ones that are this well-rounded in experience. The upper echelons of the EV9 lineup get perilously close to the $80,000 mark. That’s right alongside where the Rivian R1S lineup starts, and the new Volvo EX90.
The Kia’s interior is decidedly a bit less premium than either of those and the Kia dealer experience, while you can find a great one like we did, tends to be fewer and farther between in terms of overall level of service compared to say a Volvo dealership. As we noted, the EV9s don’t seem to be transacting at anything close to their sticker prices though. So as a mainstream entrant with a price tier a half or full step below some of the more luxury oriented players, the EV9 absolutely delivers. It’s competent, smooth and efficient with features galore. But did it tug the heartstrings? Maybe not as much as the R1S did…
