2024 Kia EV9 Air long-term review

What on earth is that?” comes the call from a neighbour across the street. I’ve just parked up the Kia EV9 in the evening gloom and after glancing back over my shoulder, I can see what he means. With its black paint reflecting the last of the day’s sun and its bold, geometric LED lighting signature cutting through the fading light, the EV9 looks so otherworldly that it’s more like a prop from Blade Runner than a large family SUV.

• Price as tested: $97,000
• This month: 1046km @ 18.5kWh/100km
• Overall: 1046km @ 18.5kWh/100km

Observation one, then: the Kia EV9 makes a hell of a first impression. It’s also a brilliant conversation starter. I’ve only had Kia’s flagship EV for a few weeks but already every neighbour has dropped by to ask about it. Most are surprised to learn it’s a Kia, although not quite as surprised as when they discover how much it costs. After an appraising gaze at the eye-catching exterior and a peek inside the vast cabin, most people peg the EV9’s value at “probably $70K? Maybe $80K?”.

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You, though, already know this is a six-figure car. The Kia EV9 has been a regular in the pages of Wheels and its last appearance saw it finish runner up (to the Ioniq 5 N) for ‘best EV of 2024’. That’s how impressed we are with its ability to combine desirable good looks with tidy dynamics and a roomy, well-crafted cabin.

This test, however, is a little different. Both because it’s a chance for us to get into the nitty-gritty of living with an EV9 day-to-day, but also because this is our first chance to spend some proper time with the entry version, the $97,000 EV9 Air.

First impressions couldn’t be more positive. Okay, black isn’t its best colour – one neighbour remarked “it looks a bit like a hearse” and now I can’t unsee it – but there are six other exterior hues to choose from and beyond riding on smaller 19-inch wheels, there’s little to visually distinguish the Air from more expensive versions.

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Even better is the fact that those smaller wheels, rolling on balloon-like 255/60R19 Nexen tyres, lend the Air a gentler ride. There’s still plenty of performance, too. Unlike the AWD variants, the Air only has one e-motor and its battery pack is smaller, dropping from 100kWh in other versions down to 76kWh. Outputs are still healthy at 160kW/350Nm and while the Air’s 0-100km/h dash of 8.2sec sounds pedestrian on paper, in reality the instant response of the e-motor means it still feels remarkably brisk and muscular.

And it’s positively enormous inside. Okay, the cabin is another place that could benefit from a pop of colour – there’s a lot of grey going on in here – but there’s no faulting the cabin’s design or the sheer amount of technology on offer. Just like more expensive versions, the Air scores a panoramic digital dash and there’s loads of standard gear: heated and cooled seats, a heated steering wheel, Kia’s full active safety suite, tri-zone climate, and enough storage to make a cargo ship blush. Special mention has to go to the headrests which are so soft they feel as though they’ve been nicked from a Range Rover.

There are a few niggles, however. Unlike other versions, the Air doesn’t come with a front-facing camera or a 360-degree monitor and it’s such a vast thing – at 5m long and almost 2m wide, it has a bigger footprint than a LandCruiser 300 – that nosing it into car parks can be stressful.

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And then, after about a week of custodianship, the battery decided to go flat. I’d learn later this was a common issue caused by the control logic for the headlights drawing charge from the 12V battery when the vehicle was parked, but at the time it was a real head-scratcher. The EV9 was so unresponsive, I couldn’t even pop out the concealed door handles to get inside to give it a jump start. Luckily we were at home so it was only a minor inconvenience to call Kia’s roadside assist. Two hours later, I was back on the road, and Kia quickly resolved the issue with an over-the-air update, so no dealer visit required.

Minor blips aside, it’s been a strong showing from the ‘cheapest’ EV9 so far. We have some longer trips planned next month, so I’m keen to see how it fares on the open road.