► Facelifted, super-powered Kia EV6 driven
► Now features some virtual shift technology
► Quicker and more comfy than before, too
The facelifted Kia EV6 GT is more than just a useful bump in power output and a rearranged visage. This is only the second electric car to get a digitally defined virtual gearbox, following on from its close relation, the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N. The implementation is surprisingly different, however, and not necessarily as invigorating as you might expect. But then, the Kia is consciously a grand tourer, not a giant hot hatch.
On top of this, the new EV6 GT has a bigger battery, faster charging, and updated infotainment. Most remarkably of all, Kia is selling it for less – the £59,985 starting price representing a saving of £2,690 versus the pre-facelift model.
After two days running it ragged across some of Scotland’s most spectacular scenery – the Old Military Road being a particular highlight – we’ve already gotten to know the 2025 EV6 GT pretty well. Here’s how we found it.
At a glance
Pros: Faster and more comfortable than before, quicker charging, bigger battery, better inside, cheaper!
Cons: Virtual Gear Shift feels less essential that expected – but we’re still glad Kia’s added it
What’s new?
The Virtual Gear Shift (VGS) is the most obvious technical differentiator between this and the previous version, but it’s probably not where you’d notice the biggest difference every day. For the new model has an extra 64bhp to play with, bringing the total up to 641bhp.
Better yet, there’s a new ‘connect car Navigation Cockpit’ (ccNC) infotainment system that offers split-screen functionality and customisable shortcuts. Still a touch faffy in places but easy enough to get to grips with.
The new nose gains the same ‘star map’ lighting signature as the rest of the updated EV6 range, plus there are reworked bespoke bumpers and a new design of 21-inch alloy wheel. The neon green detailing inside and out – including for the brake calipers – we could do without but it’s distinctive.
Other changes in the cabin include revised ergonomics and the extermination of the previous piano-black trim, while lower spring rates and adjustments to the electronically controlled variable dampers aim to improve comfort. Then there are changes to the battery and charging as well.
What are the specs?
The 11 per cent increase in power to 641bhp is accompanied by an extra 22lb ft – taking total torque up to 568lb ft. Top speed is 161mph and 0-62mph is done in just 3.5sec, with a launch control system making this repeatedly accessible. Serious numbers. The all-wheel-drive powertrain is quite significantly rear-biased, with a 303kW (406bhp) motor at the back and a 175kW (235bhp) motor at the front. An adjustable eLSD helps with traction. Up to a point.
Launch control aside, the EV6 is at its quickest with the transmission doing its normal single-speed thing. Engage the new VGS – available in all but the Eco driving mode – by pressing the star button on the steering wheel, and you get six virtual gears with an artificial redline equivalent to around 6500rpm. A digital rev counter indicates as such, though in reality the e-motors are spinning much, much faster.
Accompanied by the ‘active sounds design’, futuristic sort of simulated engine noise in a choice of volumes (including Off), the VGS gives you a driving experience that’s more directly relatable to a combustion car. But also introduces natural pauses between ‘ratios’, reducing the inherent rabidity of the car’s unfettered power delivery. What a mouthful; we’ll get to what this means on the road in a moment.
A new fourth-generation battery pack boasts increased capacity from 77.4kWh to 84.0kWh, and thus the GT now has a longer 279-mile WLTP driving range – 16 miles more. Claimed efficiency is 3.0 miles per kWh but we halved that when we were really enjoying ourselves, and ended on an overall average of 1.9. Performance stayed strong all the way down to five per cent battery remaining, when we handed back the car.
With 800v tech and 258kW peak charging performance (eight percent faster than the old EV6 GT), you can potentially DC-in 10-80 percent in as little as 18 minutes with a 350kW public station – though that will be under optimum conditions. A basic 50kW DC charger will do the same in 76 minutes. On AC you’ll be looking at upwards of 7hrs 35min for a full charge.
How does it drive?
The EV6 GT is an unignorably large car, and feels it most of the time. We’re not saying that’s unequivocally a bad thing, but it never shrinks around you the way some high-performance machinery does, and we think this is partially due to some really conscious decisions Kia has taken when aiming to capture the spirit of an old school grand tourer.
The revised suspension – which is still adjustable – is certainly more cosseting around town, adding to the touring vibes and generally making the EV6 seem a little more mature. Head of the chassis department for Hyundai Motor in Europe, Timo Schöning, told us the idea for the facelift was to improve the low and medium speed response, which has delivered an effective improvement.
Crank up the stiffness, and while it’s not teeth-chippingly firm, there’s still a bit of body roll. So you may as well stick with a lesser setting and enjoy swift progress with the thumpiness toned right down.
Really in hurry/angry about something? The fluoro-green GT button on the steering wheel switches every parameter – motors, steering, suspension, eLSD – to its most aggressive. But do note this also slackens the traction and stability control, and the EV6 GT can be a twitchy beast when provoked. Mid-corner bumps, tightening radii, fists (and feet) of ham, the transition between lots of grip and… not can be abrupt. Full beans and flat out is probably not the way (directly) forward in the wet.
Press the GT button again, though, and this now activates a fully customisable driving mode setting – so you can shortcut to your preferred set-up without having to dive into the menus. Since changing stuff is otherwise several screens deep into the infotainment this is a useful touch. Another steering wheel button cycles through the factory pre-set Eco, Normal, Sport and Snow.
Speed is never an issue here. This is a tremendously fast car, hindered by slower traffic only to the extent its size and the width of some Scottish roads made passing a patient affair. But while we never found ourselves thinking, ‘Oooh, I wish I could have taken that last sequence of turns faster,’ regardless of setting the steering is little too oily feeling and doesn’t self-centre in a particularly natural way. So it takes some acclimatisation before you’re entirely sure about the relationship between the tyres and the surface.
The question of how much you’re actually going to enjoy yourself is also where the VGS implementation gets interesting – for although it’s been added to enhance driver engagement, I preferred driving the EV6 GT with its new toy switched off. A reaction that I initially found rather confusing, having driven – and loved – an Ioniq 5 N with the VGS engaged at every possible moment just a few days earlier.
It helps to understand the differences between the two deployments. The Hyundai has eight pretend ratios in its virtual DCT (referring to a specific intention to replicate a dual-clutch transmission) and fakes its redline at 8000rpm. The Kia has just six ratios and hits the limiter in each at around 1500 pseudo-rpm lower (‘around’ because the exact number on the display tended to vary, which perhaps wasn’t helping).
I did, eventually, get used to this lower limit. But if you’re going to drive it manually (the VGS can perform automatically as well), the Kia’s paddleshifters require a firm tug, and it does seem to get hung up at the limiter in the lower gears. Although this reminded me of AMGs from a few generations ago, I wouldn’t say it was an endearing trait.
Schöning says the changes for the Kia are intended to evoke big, torquey grand-touring engines, in contrast with the high-revving attack of the Hyundai. My issue is that even with the lower artificial rpm, the EV6 GT revs out really quickly – making it very easy to bash the (very hard) limiter in a hilariously clumsy manner. This narrowed powerband restricts progress to such an extent that it makes it feel like Kia’s engineered a virtual diesel, when it could have had the EV6 play-acting as a high-revving V12.
The ‘active sound design’ doesn’t help – because even in its loudest setting it’s not prominent enoug to help you understand where you are in the rev-range. It’s all a bit too GT as laid-back limo when it could be screaming exotic. The Ioniq 5N is just so much more cohesive in comparison. I get there’s a difference between targeting traditional hot hatches and grand tourers, but if you’re going to take manual control of this Kia, surely you’ll want soulful not surly?
My solution was to stop bothering, and use the variable regen settings – also managed by the paddles, but only when the VGS isn’t operational – for added control over deceleration, including into corners. This delivers the interaction between myself and the car I’m often left craving in EVs, without the drawbacks of Kia’s VGS strategy
But if you don’t even want to bother that you’ll be fine, as the GT’s brakes are excellent. Final testament to the care that’s been lavished on this platform, since their consistently strong and predictable stopping power is a balance of many moded systems rather than a pedal and a bunch of hydraulics. Whatever I think of the VGS here, the engineers have put a huge amount of effort into this car.
What about the interior?
The EV6 is enormously spacious inside and the latest infotainment is easy enough to master. There are a number of hidden physical shortcuts to the most annoying safety systems, too – pressing and holding the volume dial on the steering wheel, for instance, turns off the speed limit warning noise.
The build quality is solid, and piano black deletion means fewer obvious fingerprints, so that’s a win. Amusingly, there’s now a fingerprint recognition feature to start the car without a key; you can also use you phone. Not sure all of the materials feel right for a £60k car, but that’s modern life for you.
The chunky sports seats in the front are now eight-way electrically adjustable, making them even more supportive as well as comfy. In the roomy rear there’s a re-angled seat base for better ergonomics and a 60:40 split seat back with remote folding and a ski-hatch.
The boot is a sizeable 480 litres, with another 20 litres for cable storage under the bonnet. There are two sets of Isofix and the wireless charger is now an actively cooled 15w device with grippier finishing.
Before you buy
The GT is the EV6 range-topper, and comes fully loaded. Options are restricted to paint; White Pearl is standard, Runway Red, Midnight Black and Wolf Grey are a £675 premium while the new Yacht Matt Blue is £1500 – very 2010s but rather fetching.
The EV6’s comparative value and tech means rivals aren’t super obvious. We’d suggest taking a close look at the all-electric Porsche Macan and maybe the Rally version of the Ford Mustang Mach-e. But neither of those has VGS, and you’ll have to spend another 30 grand (!) to get a comparable amount of horsepower in the Porsche; with 473bhp at best, the Ford doesn’t even get close to the EV6 GT’s performance. If this leaves you looking at Hyundai brochures, well, that’s no bad thing.
Verdict: Kia EV6 GT
The Kia EV6 GT is a hugely likeable, extremely fast car, and we applaud the team responsible for this mid-life upgrade – which make an already great machine even better. For the most part, its more relaxed character versus the Ioniq 5 N comes through as a distinction and an asset. It will cover ground almost as quickly, and be comfier with it. But if you’re after the ultimate in EV driving involvement, the Hyundai still takes the biscuit. Though if you’d prefer to chill with this roomy, versatile Kia, we totally understand that as well.