Skip advert
Advertisement
In-depth reviews

Kia EV6 review - Reliability & safety

"Kia scores highly with owners and the EV6 is loaded with safety kit"

Carbuyer Rating

4.4 out of 5

Owners Rating

5.0 out of 5

Read owner reviews
Reliability & safety Rating

4.5 out of 5

While it may have been the first model built on Kia's new E-GMP platform, the brand has built up a great reputation with some of the people who’ve already made the switch to electric cars. Models like the Kia Niro EV and Kia Soul EV have proved durable, with an excellent driving range that doesn't appear to diminish significantly over time.

Kia EV6 reliability

Both Kia and Hyundai have built up solid reputations as some of the leading proponents of EV technology, and models have sold in large numbers around the world. 

Advertisement - Article continues below

Kia is certainly in a reassuring position in our 2024 Driver Power owner satisfaction survey, placing in an impressive third. Rankings were strong across the board, and Kia came third for value and its infotainment systems. A fairly high 24% of owners did, however, report a fault within the first year of ownership.

The Kia EV6 itself didn’t chart in 2024’s model-specific survey, but it did come seventh out of the 75 models included in 2023, with just the electric Citroen C4 outperforming it in the EV standings overall. Its powertrain, running costs, practicality and more were all praised, but reliability was rated as just below average and it could only manage 45th for ease of use.

Kia EV6 safety

It’s fair to say that the Kia EV6 is a very safe car, having achieved five stars in Euro NCAP testing. Contributing to this score was a very impressive 90% for adult occupant protection and 86% for child occupant protection. It also achieved a great 87% rating for its safety tech, although pedestrian safety was less impressive and the EV6 achieved just 64% in this category.

It’s no surprise the EV6 got a great score for its safety features as it’s bristling with them. Even the standard version gets autonomous emergency braking, which looks out for cyclists and pedestrians, as well as other vehicles. It also has a navigation-based smart cruise control system that can assist with driving in heavy traffic. GT-Line versions add blind-spot warnings, supplemented by semi-autonomous parking, highway driving assist, an augmented reality head-up display and a system to help avoid collisions while parking.

Skip advert
Advertisement

Charlie writes and edits news, review and advice articles for Carbuyer, as well as publishing content to its social media platforms. He has also been a regular contributor to its sister titles Auto Express, DrivingElectric and evo. As well as being consumed by everything automotive, Charlie is a speaker of five languages and once lived in Chile, Siberia and the Czech Republic, returning to the UK to write about his life-long passion: cars.

Skip advert
Advertisement

Recommended

Kia EV6 review – one of the best EVs on sale
Kia EV6 facelift
In-depth reviews
3 Oct 2024

Kia EV6 review – one of the best EVs on sale

New Kia EV6: updated battery specs, UK pricing and prototype drive
New Kia EV6 front quarter
News
2 Sep 2024

New Kia EV6: updated battery specs, UK pricing and prototype drive

Top 10 best electric cars 2024
Best electric cars
Best cars
16 May 2024

Top 10 best electric cars 2024

Kia EV6 to adopt new family look for 2024 refresh
Kia EV6 facelift
News
26 Dec 2023

Kia EV6 to adopt new family look for 2024 refresh

Most Popular

Car tax: VED rates and increases explained 2024/25
Car tax
Tips and advice
4 Nov 2024

Car tax: VED rates and increases explained 2024/25

Ford EcoBoost engines: reliability, problems and should you buy one?
Ford Puma EcoBoost front
Tips and advice
5 Nov 2024

Ford EcoBoost engines: reliability, problems and should you buy one?

New Renault 5 is here! Retro EV costs from just under £23k
Renault 5
News
19 Nov 2024

New Renault 5 is here! Retro EV costs from just under £23k

Tips & advice

View All
Car dashboard warning lights: what does each symbol mean?
Car dashboard symbols and meanings
Tips and advice
21 Oct 2024

Car dashboard warning lights: what does each symbol mean?

Electric car charging stations: public networks, charger types, apps and maps
Charging station
Tips and advice
23 Jul 2024

Electric car charging stations: public networks, charger types, apps and maps

PCP vs HP – which type of car finance is right for you?
PCP vs HP
Tips and advice
17 May 2022

PCP vs HP – which type of car finance is right for you?

Average speed cameras: how do they work?
Average speed cameras: how do they work?
Tips and advice
21 Mar 2024

Average speed cameras: how do they work?

Best cars

View All
Top 10 best car interiors
Peugeot 208 hatchback
Best cars
25 Jun 2021

Top 10 best car interiors

Top 10 best electric cars 2024
Best electric cars
Best cars
16 May 2024

Top 10 best electric cars 2024

Top 10 best cheap-to-run cars 2024
The best cheap-to-run cars 2023
Best cars
2 Jan 2024

Top 10 best cheap-to-run cars 2024

The UK's top 10 fastest hot hatchbacks 2024
Fastest hot hatchbacks hero
Best cars
2 Jan 2024

The UK's top 10 fastest hot hatchbacks 2024