Kia EV9: Seven-Seat Electric SUV and What to Check Before Buying

Kia EV9 – a big electric family car

The Kia EV9 is one of the first three-row electric SUVs aimed at a broad market: built on the E-GMP platform, offered with six or seven seats and sized firmly in the large family car class. The car we have for sale is a 2024 Kia EV9 GT-Line TX AWD in white, all-wheel drive, automatic transmission, seven seats and five doors, with the data sheet listing power output as 113 kW. The listing describes the body style as an estate, but in practice this is a tall three-row SUV – worth knowing before you come to see it if you are expecting a low-slung wagon.

This generation is known for its 800 V architecture, which allows relatively fast DC charging, and for its torque-vectoring twin-motor all-wheel drive. Owners describe the car very favourably for ride comfort and interior space – exactly the sort of vehicle that makes long distances pleasant.

Who the Kia EV9 suits

• Large families who genuinely need three rows of seats and ISOFIX points, not just occasional extra perches.
• Drivers who cover a lot of motorway miles and value a quiet, soft and stable ride.
• Businesses carrying clients or a team who want a presentable and comfortable electric car.
• People with charging available at home or at work – a big-battery car makes most sense when topping up is easy on a daily basis.
• It suits you less if you are after a compact city car: a three-row SUV is always large in tight car parks, although the 360-degree camera, front and rear parking sensors and remote parking make manoeuvring considerably easier.

Equipment: what the GT-Line TX offers

This particular car has a long equipment list covering most of what you would expect from the model at all: a 14-speaker Meridian audio system, three displays (a 12.3" instrument cluster, a 5.1" control panel and a 12.3" media and navigation screen), a head-up display, fully automatic three-zone climate control and separate climate control for the rear seats. The seats are leather-trimmed and electrically adjustable, the driver's seat has a massage function and memory, six seats are heated and both front and rear seats are ventilated.

On the technical side, the highlights include a heat pump, electronically adjustable damping, drive modes (Sport, Normal, Eco, My Drive plus Mud, Sand and Snow), Vehicle-to-Load up to 3.5 kW, a front storage compartment or frunk, a detachable tow bar, a digital key and fingerprint recognition. Driver assistance includes forward collision avoidance braking, blind-spot warning with a camera view in the cluster, lane keeping and lane change assist, adaptive cruise control and traffic sign recognition. The wheels are 21-inch GT alloys, and a set of studded tyres is included.

The Kia EV9 in an Estonian winter

Kia tested this model's climate system from southern Spain to northern Sweden, and a heat pump is part of our car's equipment. In measurements carried out in Sweden, the twin-motor version lost roughly 15% of its range at around -5 to 0 °C – a reasonable result for an electric car, but it does mean winter routes are worth planning with a margin and battery preconditioning is worth using. Cabin preheating and the heated steering wheel make winter mornings far more bearable.

Owner opinions on cabin heating performance in genuinely cold weather are contradictory – some have been satisfied, others not – so test the heating properly on a test drive. In some markets, wiper malfunctions under certain conditions have also been looked into, which is a detail worth checking in winter in particular.

What to check before buying

• Recall work carried out at a workshop: the torque of the drive unit differential bolts, the front passenger seat belt retractor cover, the second and third row seat mounting bolts, and the first-year instrument cluster software.
• The instrument cluster: on a few cars the blank screen issue has recurred even after a software update – start the car several times and check.
• Charging and electronics: faults in the ICCU, the integrated charging control unit, can cause charging to stop or trigger warnings; cases of the 12 V battery going flat are also known.
• A test drive on a dual carriageway: some owners have complained of steering vibration at higher speeds that wheel balancing does not always cure.
• Tyre wear and wheel alignment – a heavy, powerful car is demanding on tyres.
• Squeaks, rattling trim and infotainment freezes, which can often be resolved with a software update.
• Bear in mind that parts backorders and electric car diagnostics can take time at a workshop.

The independent tester Consumer Reports rated reliability for the 2024 model year well below the average car of that year, with the drivetrain and battery scoring worst. That does not mean every car is problematic, but it does mean the service and recall history deserves a thorough look.

Running costs and everyday use

An electric car does away with oil changes, spark plugs and the exhaust system. The main costs that remain are tyres, brakes, the cabin filter and periodic brake fluid and coolant changes. Regenerative braking spares the brake pads, but the brakes still need checking regularly, and tyre rotation is the most frequent maintenance job given the car's weight and torque.

If you would rather have those costs bundled into a single monthly payment, Autosky Rent's full-service car rental is a good fit: depending on the package, the monthly payment covers motor insurance and comprehensive cover including superkasko, servicing and repairs for normal wear, summer and winter tyres with changeover and storage, a replacement car, 24h roadside assistance across Europe through the insurance partner, handling of insurance claims and 24/7 customer support.

Buying or renting a Kia EV9 from Autosky Rent

This white Kia EV9 GT-Line TX AWD is located in Tallinn and is offered for sale. We will go through the equipment, the service history and the recall work together, and we always recommend a test drive that includes some time at motorway speed.

Autosky Rent sells cars outright, takes cars on consignment and offers full-service car rental to both private and business customers. Our customers also get better terms on servicing, tyre work, car washing and fuel through our partner network. If you are weighing up whether a seven-seat electric car like this fits your everyday life, we will help you think the choice through and find the right solution for you.