2025 Kia EV9 review, first drive - look past the badge

If you have over a crore sitting around, and want to blow it on a car, you'll more likely than not make your way straight to a Mercedes or BMW showroom. But Kia wants you to stop and take note of the Kia EV9. Does a mainstream brand, as youthful and tech-driven as Kia is, stand a chance in this demanding segment? And does the EV card play to the EV9's strengths?

2025 Kia EV9 styling, boot space

The badge aside, if making a statement is a priority, the Kia EV9 has you covered. It's large to begin with, being 5,015mm long, 1,780mm wide and 1,980mm tall. But the blocky, angular styling seems to enhance this sense while also lending a cohesive look with the wide stance.

The most striking detail in the blanked-out front are the oversized, vertical lighting. They have a distinct look, with the ambient light extensions and embedded patterns that make this car stand out. The angular surfaces and sloping bonnet do their bit to stop making the EV9 feel top-heavy. With a drag coefficient of 0.28, the EV9 is as aerodynamically efficient as its competitors.

But this sense is best executed from the sides. You have a large, functional glasshouse and a long flat roof, but the EV9 doesn't look too much like an MPV. The simple but angular surfaces and chunky wheel arches contribute to this. The wheels are again quite different with their aero-efficient triangular design.

The tall, vertical tail lamps draw the most attention at the rear. The restrained but impactful creases again stop the EV9 from looking too bulky.

The boxy shape and EV-specific architecture mean that space is well utilized in the EV9. So even with three rows up, you have a usable 333 litres of space. This is enough for even the small carry-on bag, helped by a wide opening and low loading lip. Another helpful touch is that the third and second rows can be power folded, saving a lot of effort.

2025 Kia EV9 interiors, practicality

On the inside of the EV9, there's a fresh, hi-tech feeling. The dash has a smart wrap-around effect with slim vents on either side. A neat detail is the central textured band, bordered by the ambient lighting. It sets the Kia apart from the competition. The new Kia steering wheel fits right in, with its tactile buttons and smart drive mode switch placement. You have a good mix of touch controls and tactile buttons. But, with the EV9's inflated price, some of the plastic panels and switches feel a touch hollow for this segment.

The screen set-up is typical of new Kia models like the Carnival. So you have two 12.3-inch screens, separated by a small 5-inch climate control panel. This panel can become obstructed by the steering wheel at certain angles and just seems to be there to create a seamless link. As before, these screens are crisp and intuitive to operate, but with the added benefit of there now being wireless Android Auto/Apple CarPlay. The tiled home screen gives you quick access to most functions and the instrument cluster is easily configurable. There's also a basic but useful HUD setup.

A great differentiator, that in a way adds to the sense of luxury, is the practicality that the Kia EV9 offers. The large windows and low dash make for an open, calming feeling. The EV architecture shows its benefits here with the spacious open footwells and flat floor. The centre console is especially well done. There is a large open space good enough for small bags, big retractable cupholders and a deep closed cubby. There is also wireless charging and many charging ports. Rounding this off are large door bins and the seats. The seats are wide and supportive with a good range of power adjustment, including thigh extenders and massage functions. They are also heated and ventilated.

For many, the second row will be the space of choice. Here too, the EV9 makes for a comfortable, special feeling. To start with, getting in is easy with the wide-opening doors, flat ledge and grab handles. The seats are again wide and supportive with good support all around. You also have all manner of power adjustments, with the full recline function making for a special feeling with its floating, deep angle of recline. When used with the front seat controls, you can stretch out quite a bit with the ottomans.

There's also a good deal of thigh and headroom here and a high seating position when the seat is upright, so getting work done on the move will be convenient. You have sunshades (which could have been powered), massaging, heating and ventilation functions here too. Other special touches here include the separate climate zone and sunroof. As with the front, you have great storage including a sliding drawer, a cooler and wireless charging.

The third row of the EV9 is relatively spacious for this type of car. The flat floor and powered seat functions make access to this space less cumbersome than in other similarly sized three-row SUVs. While adults will still feel cramped, there is enough here for small trips. The open cabin feel helps as does the comfortable seatback, but as with many such arrangements, you will be sat in a crouched position. But headroom is good and with some adjustment, shorter adults can get enough leg room.

2025 Kia EV9 battery, range and charging

The Kia EV9 is based on the same E-GMP architecture as many other Kia and Hyundai products. So many of the battery and charging numbers will be familiar. The 800V architecture lets the EV9 charge at up to 350 kW, which lets it get from 10 to 80 per cent charge in 24 minutes. With a more common 50 kW charger, it can get from 10 to 80 percent in just over an hour. The AC charging speed is 11 kW, which should give you a full charge overnight.

The India-spec Kia EV9 gets a 99.8 kWh battery pack with 96 kWh of usable capacity. This pack uses nickel-manganese-cobalt chemistry and is good for 561 km of ARAI range. We think you should be able to get 400 km of real-world range consistently with the EV9.

2025 Kia EV9 driving impressions

The Kia EV9 for India comes in the dual-motor AWD GT-Line spec. This makes for potent numbers with 384 PS and 700 Nm. The EV9 is good for a claimed 0 to 100 kmph time of 5.3s, which is not too far off from the much smaller EV6.

But on the move, it's not the performance that strikes you first. It's just how refined and isolated the driving experience is. The experience comes quite close to that of full-blown luxury brands, especially in a quiet setting. Wind and tyre noise is better controlled than even the EV6, which is impressive given the large wheels and boxy look.

While we drove this big SUV in a closed test facility, it seems to have all the ingredients in place to be an easy city car. Visibility is great, helped by the high seating position. You also have a camera feed in the inside mirror and a crisp set of 360-degree cameras, so placing this car in traffic won't be too difficult.

Also impressive is how the EV9 puts its power down. It builds performance in a linear, predictable manner in calmer driving that is easy to get used to. The shift from being on power, to coasting and then regen is especially impressive. There are no steps to this, and the EV9 feels as natural in this as an ICE. Push a bit further, and there is a big, clean rush of torque that is potent but again feels manageable with its predictability. As expected, the EV9 keeps pulling well past 100 kmph so it won't be hampered during highway cruising.

You have drive modes that alter responses, but the EV9 retains its smooth sense in all settings. The Eco mode isn't too conservative and could be a good everyday mode while the Sport mode isn't especially sharp either. The regen modes are well tuned too. You have a single-pedal mode but this doesn't make the SUV especially laboured or add any great deal of resistance like in some other cars. You could reasonably drive it in slow-moving traffic in this mode regularly. There's also an auto regen mode but the fixed levels do a good enough job as it is. Level 2 feels the most natural, and seems to work best in a variety of settings.

The EV9's ride and handling character complements its drivetrain. Even accounting for the usual EV advantage of low-slung mass, the big Kia feels agile and composed. So you find that in a straight line, it may not have the full heft of something with a luxury badge but it still feels solid and composed. The AWD helps too, but the EV9 is impressive around bends. It leans little for its mass and height, and this lean is composed and predictable, so you find that the EV9 can carry good speeds around bends without feeling skittish or running wide too quickly.

In the real world, this should give it an agile feel that will work well on winding roads. The steering has quite a bit of lock which takes away some of this agility but it's still direct. The brakes too feel straightforward to use which adds confidence to the experience.

Despite running 20-inch wheels, the Kia EV9 should be a comfortable car. There is a hint of firmness over speed breakers and broken surfaces but the EV9 doesn't crash through bad patches or lose composure until these sections get quite bad. So at most other times, you'll find that the car stays quite flat and damps out much of the road well. This is especially true at higher speeds where it doesn't pitch or wallow too much.

2025 Kia EV9 price, verdict

Priced at Rs 1.3 crore, the Kia EV9 will be a niche offering. While it will be a task to draw away buyers from luxury brands, Kia seems to have done the hardest part right. The EV9 may not have the cabin quality or ambience of a more premium brand, but it moves along the road as well as any of them. A vast features list and comfortable, practical cabin make this an option you need to consider if you are on the lookout for a top-tier EV.