Everything you need to know about the Kia EV9
With three Kia EV9 models to choose from in Australia, how do you know which variant is right for you? We compare the range.
The Kia EV9 is one of the largest electric cars on the road and, with a starting price of over $100,000 on the road, it's also Kia's most expensive model.
The futuristic SUV landed in Australia at the end of 2023, and so far in 2024 217 EV9s have been sold, with 61 sales last month (April 2024).
In terms of rivals, the EV9 battles against other three-row family SUVs such as the Nissan Patrol and Toyota LandCruiser. However, as an all-electric, seven-seat SUV in its price range, direct competition for the EV9 is limited to the Mercedes-Benz EQB.
The EV9 range offers three models: the Air, Earth, and GT-Line. This SUV offers a comprehensive list of standard features, is covered by a seven-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty, and boasts a five-star ANCAP safety rating.
As the winner of our 2024 Drive Car of the Year awards, the EV9 serves as a game-changing family car for Australian buyers. You can read more about why it won here.
In the meantime, we've broken down the Kia EV9 range across key areas like price, range and performance, so you can see how the three variants differ.
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Kia EV9 Air
The Air is the cheapest model in the range. It packs a smaller battery, has a single motor, and is the only model with a rear-wheel-drive layout.
Standard features include a noise-suppressing windscreen and side glass, LED interior lighting for all three rows of seats, a 12.3-inch infotainment touchscreen with Wi-Fi 'over the air' updates, heated and ventilated front seats, a heated steering wheel, and remote engine start, to name a few.
| Price | $97,000 |
| Battery size | 76.1kWh |
| Driving range claim (WLTP) | 443km |
| Battery chemistry | Lithium ion |
| Charging time (11kW) | Approx 7h (10–100% claimed) |
| Charging time (50kW) | 1h 03min (claimed 10–80%) |
| Charging time (350kW) | 20min (claimed 10–80%) |
| Power | 160kW |
| Torque | 350Nm |
| 0–100km/h (claim) | 8.2 seconds |
Kia EV9 Earth
The Earth adds a larger battery, dual-motor all-wheel drive and extra driving range. Additional features include gloss black fender flares and side moulds, ambient cabin lighting, an illuminated Kia logo on the steering wheel, a 360-degree camera, digital side-view mirrors, and 19-inch alloy wheels.
| Price | $106,500 |
| Battery size | 99.8kWh |
| Driving range claim (WLTP) | 512km |
| Battery chemistry | Lithium ion |
| Charging time (11kW) | Approx 9h 05min (10–100% claimed) |
| Charging time (50kW) | 1h 23min (claimed 10–80%) |
| Charging time (350kW) | 24min (claimed 10–80%) |
| Power | 283kW |
| Torque | 700Nm |
| 0–100km/h (claim) | 6.0 seconds |
Kia EV9 GT-Line
The range-topping GT-Line houses the same longer-range battery as the Earth and is also dual-motor all-wheel drive. It's also the quickest of the bunch – 0.7 seconds faster than the mid-spec Earth.
Additional features include small cube projection LED headlights, black roof rails, tinted rear windows, digital side mirrors, dual sunroofs, a head-up display reflected into the windscreen in the driver's line of sight, 14-speaker Meridian premium audio system, a digital rear-view mirror, heated and ventilated outer rear seats, remote parking assistance, and 21-inch alloy wheels.
| Price | $121,000 |
| Battery size | 99.8kWh |
| Driving range claim (WLTP) | 505km |
| Battery chemistry | Lithium ion |
| Charging time (11kW) | Approx 9h 05min (10–100% claimed) |
| Charging time (50kW) | 1h 23min (claimed 10–80%) |
| Charging time (350kW) | 24min (claimed 10–80%) |
| Power | 283kW |
| Torque | 700Nm |
| 0–100km/h (claim) | 5.3 seconds |
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