2025Kia V6 will gain a new look, bigger battery

Having debuted in Kia's domestic market on May 5, the ev6, a version designed for the U.S., finally debuted on Thursday at the 2024 Los Angeles Auto Show, with Kia also showing off its high-performance EV9GT.

The updated EV6 will be sold in the U.S. in the first half of 2025 as a 2025 model and will be produced at the Kia plant in Georgia. Kia's first dedicated EV, the current EV6, appeared on the market for the 2022 model, creating the 2023 high-performance EV6GT. Updates made in 2025EV6 will also be extended to the EV6GT.

Exterior styling changes have more Kia introduced with the addition of recent models such as the EV9 electric three-row SUV and the K4 compact sedan what Kia calls the Star Map headlights design. The change in the rear is much more subtle. The only visible difference is the new graphics of the curved light bars of the taillights.

Inside, there is a new steering wheel design, a dual 12.3-inch digital screen for gauge clusters and infotainment systems, and a redesigned center console. Kia also said it added more sound insulation to reduce noise in the cabin. Electric motors are also claimed by automakers to be quieter.

Reflecting changes made to the relevant Hyundai Ioniq5 for its own 2025 update, the updated EV6 ditched the current model's 77.4kwh battery and favored a new standard battery with a capacity of 63 kwh and 84 kwh available units. Kia estimates that when combined with rear-wheel drive, the 84kwh battery will provide a range of up to 319 miles. Adding all-wheel drive reduces that figure.

The 63kwh battery has a 167-horsepower motor in the rear. The 84kwh battery comes with a 225-horsepower single motor at the rear, or a 320-horsepower dual motor, all-wheel drive setup.

The updated EV6GT comes standard with an 84kwh battery, dual motor and all-wheel drive, but the output is bumped to 601hp. The output can also be temporarily raised to 641 hp using GT mode. The current EV6GT's output tops out at 576 horsepower. Also, the new one in the updated EV6GT is what Kia calls the Virtual Gear Shift (VGS). Similar to the associated Ioniq5N's N e shift function, the VGS uses the motor's control software to simulate the feel of the gear being shifted. It also uses fake engine sounds.

Kia has not released any performance figures, but said the updated EV6 has a towing capacity of 2,300 pounds, up from the current 2,700 pounds. The vehicle automatically detects the weight of the trailer and adjusts the remaining range estimate to suit.

All EV6 models feature 800v technology, allowing fast charging using DC fast chargers. The latest version comes standard with a NACS connector, so it's convenient to use one of the many Tesla DC fast charging stations.1