Counting premium brands, last year Americans bought roughly 1.5 million mid-size, three-row family SUVs, according to data from Motor Intelligence. Fewer than 30,000 of them were fully electric-powered, and you couldn’t buy any of them for less than $80,000 out the door. Thanks to the Kia EV9, that’ll end soon. Orders opened Monday for what is certain to be remembered as the first “affordable” electric three-row. Prices will range from $56,395 to $75,395, and it’ll have a range of up to 304 miles.
That pricing pretty much kicks off where a loaded version of Kia’s gas-powered Telluride tops out, so affordability is a relative term, but it’s far less than the Rivian R1S ($79,800), Tesla Model X ($81,630 at the moment), or the six-figure GMC Hummer or Mercedes-Benz EQS SUVs.
Forbes Wheels has now had two previews of the EV9, earlier this year with prototypes in South Korea and last month with a pre-production unit in Walla Walla, Washington. In both cases, the EV9’s interior seemed particularly well-suited to the needs of consumers who might otherwise buy a Telluride or a Toyota Highlander, only with the potential for much lower energy costs and more style.
Now that reservations are open, buyers can pay $750 (which will be counted towards the purchase price) to reserve their EV9, with deliveries expected to begin late this year. To give you an idea of what buyers can expect, we’ve broken down the various trims, specs and prices (including the standard $1,495 destination fee) below.
2024 Kia EV9: Trims and Pricing
Kia will offer five different grades of EV9, at least for now. The presence of a “GT-line” model telegraphs the arrival of a speed demon EV9 GT, likely to feature the 576-horsepower drivetrain of the EV6 GT, but it won’t happen until 2025. In the meantime, the five 2024s are the Light, Light Long Range, Wind, Land and GT-Line.
Light, $56,395: Kia will offer the EV9 with either a 76.1-kWh or a 99.8-kWh battery pack, but the Light is the only one with the smaller unit, which yields 230 miles of range. It comes with a single 215-hp, 258 pound-foot electric motor driving the rear wheels with a zero-to-60 time of 8.2 seconds. This is the cheapest way to get into an EV9 and it comes with a second-row bench seat for seven-passenger capacity, but it’s also the lightest on features and has the shortest range.
Light Long Range, $60,695: The Light Long Range combines the single-motor, rear-drive setup with the larger 99.8-kWh battery pack for an EPA-estimated range of 304 miles, the longest in the lineup. It also offers standard second-row captain’s chairs and makes some desirable equipment optional, like a heat pump. The major demerit here is that for this pretty big spend, it actually has a little less power than the standard Light, with 201 hp and a nearly 10-second zero-to-60 time. Both Light models come only with 19-inch wheels to maximize their range.
Wind, $65,395: Likely to be the sweet spot for most buyers, the Wind upgrades the EV9 to the dual-motor, all-wheel-drive setup, which boosts power to a much healthier 379 hp and up to 516 lb-ft of torque. It’ll hustle to 60 mph in a brisk 5 seconds and still deliver 280 miles of range on the standard 19-inch rims, though 20s are optional, as is more equipment like a heated steering wheel and a self-leveling rear suspension. It comes with standard and roof rails and 7-passenger seating.
Land, $71,395: The Land uses the same dual-motor e-AWD drivetrain as the Wind, but adds more equipment, like the Wind’s 20-inch alloys, which happily do not reduce range. On the Land you get the second-row captain’s chairs (which also yield a little more legroom in the third row), an exterior vehicle-to-load power outlet, small-cube LED headlights (like those on the original EV9 concept vehicle), rear window curtains, memory seats, a second-row console, a power-adjustable steering column, a rear-view mirror display and numerous interior and exterior aesthetic upgrades.
GT-Line, $71,395: Top dog for now, the GT-Line gets all of the Land’s equipment and even racier visuals thanks to many special blackout trim pieces and standard 21-inch wheels, though they reduce maximum range to 270 miles. The aesthetic touches also extend to the interior, with custom pedals, trim and seat stitching. There are many other interior upgrades too, including power front seats with more adjustments and a head-up display. Land and GT-Line models can also be had with second-row VIP seats, though they cost extra.
Since they all use the automaker’s e-GMP platform, the EV9’s all get 800-volt architecture by default, which means charging times similar to the EV6 and other e-GMP cars. On a 350 kW DC fast charger, Kia says both battery pack versions of the EV9 will charge from 10 to 80% in under 25 minutes. Both Hyundai and Kia products will soon make the move to Tesla’s NACS charging standard, but that won’t happen overnight, and 2024 EV9s will use the existing CCS standard.
So How Is That Interior and Third Row?
In terms of actual family utility and lots of other areas, only the Rivian really comes close to the EV9 in practicality.
The comfort standards of wayback seats in the gas-powered three-row stakes got tougher this year with the arrival of the new Honda Pilot and Toyota Grand Highlander, but even I, a 6-foot-4 person, can fit in the EV9’s third row when it’s equipped with the second-row captain’s chairs. It’s meant for kids, but that’s a good sign. The seven-passenger version’s second-row bench slightly reduces third-row legroom (from 32.0 inches to 30.8), but among electric competitors again, only the R1S is truly similar.
Though we’ve only sampled the GT-Line’s interior up close, if the lower-end EV6s are prologue, every EV9 should come with quality furnishings. Tesla’s Model X may be more expensive and have those, er, interesting doors, but the EV9’s interior looks and feels markedly nicer and more family-friendly.
The open area between the dash and the console also provides useful storage for a purse or a handbag, and there are clever storage features throughout that you won’t find in the other EV three-rows. Big doors should also make loading kids into car seats a snap. Plus, there’s lots of cargo space, 20.2 cubic-feet behind the third row, 43.5 with it folded and 81.7 with both rows stowed. The overall number falls shy of the others, but the EV9 is tops behind the third row and bests Tesla behind the second.
Rivian’s cabin feels more luxurious, but like Tesla, it’s also a little too dependent on screens. A whole lot of functions are on screens or touch-sensitive spots in the EV9, too, but it’s less screen overkill and Kia’s systems are easier to learn and use than those of the EV startup’s, plus, there’s Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, things you won’t find at Rivian or Tesla despite higher asking prices.
2024 EV9 deliveries should begin before the end of the year, and while electrics aren’t for everyone, not having to visit the gas station anymore is another handy time saver for parents. We expect more than a few will be looking at the EV9 for that reason and many others.
Kia provided lodging and meals to enable Forbes Wheels to bring you this first-person report. Although Forbes Wheels sometimes participates in manufacturer-hosted events, our coverage is independent, unbiased and aimed at offering consumers an objective view of every vehicle we test.