Kia EV9

The Kia EV9 makes a bold case that electric family haulers don't have to sacrifice practicality for range. A genuine three-row SUV built on Kia's E-GMP platform, it stretches nearly 197 inches to accommodate seven passengers with real cargo space to spare. EPA-rated at up to 304 miles in rear-wheel-drive form, it charges at up to 230 kW on a DC fast charger and can even power camping gear via its vehicle-to-load outlet.

Kia's EV9 arrives as the brand's most ambitious vehicle yet, occupying the large electric SUV segment alongside rivals that routinely cost tens of thousands more. Starting just under $55,000, it challenges the idea that premium three-row EV ownership requires a luxury badge. The exterior is all angular planes and deliberate creases, nothing timid about the silhouette, and the interior matches that assurance with a nearly smooth panoramic display bar housing a 12-inch instrument cluster and a 12-inch center touchscreen. Materials quality throughout feels a full segment above the price tag. Rear-wheel-drive Long Range models return an EPA-estimated 304 miles, which stands among the best figures in the three-row segment. AWD variants deliver 379 horsepower and a 4.4-second 0-60 mph run at the cost of roughly 30 miles of range, settling around 270 miles. Kia's 800-volt electrical architecture is the practical headline here: a compatible 230-kW DC fast charger takes the battery from 10 to 80 percent in approximately 24 minutes, a genuinely road-trip-friendly number for a vehicle with three rows of occupants and luggage. Kia also bundled access to multiple charging networks and includes a Tesla Supercharger adapter on recent units. Inside, the EV9 earns its family-hauler credentials with a third row that realistically fits adults up to about five-foot-ten, a distinction that separates it from many ostensible three-row crossovers where the rearmost bench is sized for small children only. The 122-inch wheelbase makes that legroom possible without compromising the second row. Upper trims add heated and ventilated captain's chairs for row two, dual wireless charging, a refrigerator-ready 12V outlet, and up to 3.6 kW of vehicle-to-load power through a built-in outlet, enough to run a camp setup or power tools at a job site. Road noise suppression is exceptional across all trims, aided by acoustic laminated glass and active noise cancellation on higher configurations. The EV9 does have real tradeoffs worth understanding before signing. The large footprint, nearly 197 inches long, can be awkward in dense urban parking, and the third-row seat folds flat rather than disappearing into the floor, creating a stepped load surface that complicates sliding long cargo. The layered infotainment menu structure occasionally demands extra taps for straightforward adjustments. Most significantly, the majority of EV9 units do not currently qualify for the $7,500 federal EV tax credit due to battery-pack sourcing requirements, though Kia's Georgia assembly operation is changing that picture for later production runs.