2025 Kia EV6: Facelift revealed for Tesla Model Y rival with larger battery, new tech

The updated 2025 Kia EV6 electric SUV has debuted with a revised look and increased driving range.

Due in Australia at the end of 2024, revisions for the EV6 – the 2022 Wheels Car of the Year and Wheels Best Electric Midsize SUV 2024 – mimic those recently applied to the related Hyundai Ioniq 5 with a larger 84kWh battery and additional features that were first seen in more-recent Hyundai-Kia vehicles.

Exterior design revisions for the EV6 include a tweaked front end to match Kia’s newest models like the EV9 and K4 with C-shaped ‘star map signature’ headlights and a “wing-shaped” bumper.

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The GT-Line (pictured in blue) adds a sportier-looking front bumper and a full-width LED light strip.

Other design changes include new alloy wheels, an updated tail-light signature, a revised lower rear bumper, and two new colours for the GT-Line: Wolf grey and yacht matte blue.

Inside, the EV6 receives an updated panoramic curved display – still with a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster and a 12.3-inch infotainment system – a new steering wheel similar to the K4 with an off-centre Kia logo, a revised dashboard pattern, and an improved wireless charger to prevent phones from sliding.

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There’s also some revised switchgear, a power-adjustable steering wheel column, a digital rear-view mirror, and three new colour options: Medium grey, green & light grey, or toffee brown.

Hyundai-Kia’s new CCNC infotainment system – with snappier graphics, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto support, over-the-air updates and built-in voice control – finally appears in the EV6 with the facelift, while all variants should add Kia Connect telematics in Australia.

Other tech additions include a fingerprint authentication system, walk-away locking, a digital key with Apple CarKey support in some markets, side parking sensors, a UV photocatalytic air sterilisation function, steering wheel grip detection, and improvements to the remote smart parking assist.

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Under the skin, a new and larger 84kWh “fourth-generation” lithium-ion battery pack replaces the existing 77.4kWh unit.

The driving range for the long-range rear-wheel-drive model with 19-inch wheels – equivalent to the Air RWD in Australia – has increased by four per cent, taking it to around 550 kilometres on the WLTP test cycle.

Kia has fine-tuned ride and handling with a revised ‘frequency-sensitive’ shock absorber, optimised motor noise control and more sound absorption material near the rear motor, while safety is improved with a thicker B-pillar and dual second-row side airbags, taking the airbag count to 10.

In Korea, the brand said it will be “securing competitiveness by freezing sales prices for all trims” of the EV6, but there’s no guarantee Australia will also be barred from price increases.

The current Kia EV6 line-up is priced between $72,590 before on-road costs for the Air RWD and $87,590 plus on-roads for the GT-Line AWD, with an update for the flagship GT AWD – currently available from $99,590 before on-road costs – due at a later date.

When the facelifted EV6 arrives in Australia at the end of this year, Kia Australia’s product planning boss Roland Rivero told Wheels there is potential for an additional mid-spec variant – likely called Earth – allowing the GT-Line to be moved further upmarket with an improved cabin presentation.

More than 210,000 units of the Kia EV6 have been sold globally since it launched in mid-2021.

VFACTS new-car sales data shows 3116 examples of the Kia EV6 have been sold in Australia between January 2022 and April 2024 – with limited supply for our market – compared to 45,487 Tesla Model Ys and 2232 Hyundai Ioniq 5s.

Kia Australia’s electric vehicle line-up is set to expand around June or July with the addition of the Chinese-built EV5, which will better target the top-selling Model Y on price and availability.

Below: The current 2024 Kia EV6 GT-Line

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