2023 Kia EV6: Car and Driver 10Best Trucks and SUVs

Now that the industry’s shift toward EVs has turned serious, Electric Avenue is experiencing a bit of a traffic jam. And this year’s 10Best is proof. The yawn-tonomous, sub-200-mile offerings are out of the zeitgeist, and vibrant new entries are popping up all over. Along with the Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Rivian R1T, the Kia EV6 is the first electric to take a 10Best Trucks and SUVs award, and it had been six years since an electric car won 10Best. So, how did Kia do it? Why are we so excited about a mufflerless SUV that’s as soft to the ears as a bedtime story? Easy—Kia made the EV6 as good and practical as our favorite gas-powered SUVs and baked in fun. Did we mention it has an available Drift mode to make it easier to do donuts?

The Kia EV6 gets the electric part of the equation right too. It uses an 800-volt electrical architecture that allows it to add 100 miles of range in 11 minutes at a DC fast-charger. With up to 310 miles of EPA-rated range, the EV6 can go farther than any other EV with a base price under $50,000.

Those practical metrics are just part of what we love about the EV6. While its platform-mate the Ioniq 5 was already our EV of the Year, the most powerful Kia ever now has something the Hyundai doesn’t: 576 horsepower. Go for the high-powered GT performance model, and 60 mph is yours in 3.2 seconds. Before the EV6, getting a Kia to accelerate like that required pushing your Aunt Linda’s Sephia into the Grand Canyon.

Now, the EV6 isn’t on the 10Best list just because the GT is quicker to 60 mph than a Mustang Shelby GT500, although that’s admittedly a great thing. The EV6 takes a spot because every version delivers a practical package, demonstrates well-bred refinement, and is blessed with a ride and handling balance that left us grinning. Welcome to the neighborhood, champ.