2024 Kia EV9 price and specs

The Kia EV9 has finally landed in Australia – and it’s the most expensive model in the Korean brand’s stable, ever.

Prices start from $97,000 before on-road costs for the entry-level Air RWD, and top out at $121,000 plus on-road costs for the flagship GT-Line AWD.

The Air and GT-Line versions are hitting dealerships now, with the mid-spec Earth AWD ($106,500) due to land early in 2024. According to Kia Australia, the mid-tier version was affected by component shortages.

Kia’s Australian division claims it has received over 12,000 expressions of interest for its new all-electric SUV flagship, with over 200 pre-launch orders already placed. First vehicles are arriving this month.

In addition to being the most expensive model the brand has offered in Australia, the Kia EV9 debuts a number of new features for the local range, including a new infotainment system with over-the-air updates, a more sophisticated navigation-based semi-autonomous highway drive assistant, as well as camera-based Digital Side Mirrors on the top-spec variant.

Pricing

• 2024 Kia EV9 Air RWD: $97,000
• 2024 Kia EV9 Earth AWD: $106,500
• 2024 Kia EV9 GT-Line AWD: $121,000

All prices exclude on-road costs.

Drivetrains

The base Air RWD features a single-motor drivetrain, with a 160kW/350Nm power unit on the rear axle. Claimed 0-100km/h is 8.2 seconds, with top speed rated at 190km/h.

Both the Earth and GT-Line get a dual-motor AWD drivetrain, with 141kW/350Nm electric motors mounted to each axle – system outputs are 283kW/700Nm. Quoted acceleration times differ slightly for the AWD models, with the Earth claiming 6.0 seconds and the GT-Line cutting that to 5.3 seconds.

In Korea the 700Nm tune (up from 600Nm) is an over-the-air upgrade available for purchase via the Kia Connect store, which brings the faster 0-100 time. Kia Australia maintains both variants get 700Nm locally as standard, though only the GT-Line gets the faster acceleration time.

Efficiency

The EV9 Air features a 76.1kWh lithium-ion Standard Range battery, featuring 348 cells and a voltage rating of 632V. Kia quotes a battery pack weight of 463.3kg, mounted under the floor. WLTP range is up to 443 kilometres for the Air (19.5kWh/100km), which is the lowest of the line-up.

Both the Earth and GT-Line get a dual-motor AWD drivetrain, with 141kW/350Nm electric motors mounted to each axle – system outputs are 283kW/700Nm.

AWD models score a Long Range battery with 99.8kWh of capacity, featuring 456 cells and a voltage of 552V. Battery weight is 566.5kg.

WLTP range is 512km (22.3kWh/100km) for the Earth on 19-inch alloys, while the flagship GT-Line quotes 505km (22.8kWh/100km) on its larger 21-inch rims.

Dimensions

The EV9 Air measures 5010mm long, 1980mm wide and 1755mm tall on a 3100mm wheelbase. The GT-Line is slightly longer (5015mm) and taller (1780mm).

There’s a claimed 333L with seven seats in use, expanding to 828L in five-seat configuration and 2318L with the second and third rows folded. All quoted measurements are VDA.

Servicing and Warranty

As with the wider Kia line-up, the EV9 is covered by a seven-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty. The high-voltage battery and motor are covered for seven years or 150,000 kilometres – whichever comes first.

The EV9 requires maintenance every 12 months or 15,000 kilometres, with several pre-paid packages available. Kia offers three-, five- and seven-year packages which list for $706, $1351 and $1997 respectively.

Unfortunately Kia doesn’t offer a public charger subscription like many premium brands do at this end of the EV market, though representatives told media it’s working on a “potential supplier” for public and home charging solutions – the former likely for dealers – with announcements to be made next year.

Kia Australia is also looking into a guaranteed future value program to give buyers of such a new and expensive vehicle added peace of mind around residuals when it comes time to trade-in.

Safety

The EV9 is being crash tested by Euro NCAP imminently, but at launch there’s no ANCAP or Euro NCAP safety rating.

Kia Australia’s team is firmly aiming for a five-star safety rating though, and the EV9 is equipped with one of the most comprehensive suites of safety features and technology in the brand’s portfolio.

Standard safety features include:

• 9 airbags
  • Dual front
  • Dual front-side
  • Dual rear-side
  • Dual curtains (incl. full 3rd row)
  • Front-centre airbag
• Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB)
  • Pedestrian, Cyclist detection
  • Junction Crossing Assist
  • Lane Oncoming Assist
  • Lane Change Side Assist
• Blind-spot monitoring, assist
• Highway Drive Assist 2.0 (HDA 2.0)
  • Adaptive cruise control with stop/go
  • Lane centring
• Intelligent Speed Limit Assist
• Lane Follow Assist (centring)
• Lane keep assist
• Parking sensors front, rear
• Power child lock
• Rear cross-traffic alert, assist
• Reversing camera
• Tyre mobility kit

EV9 Earth adds:

• Blind Spot View Monitor
• Parking Collision Avoidance – Reverse
• Surround cameras

EV9 GT-Line adds:

• Parking Collision Avoidance – Forward, Side
• Remote Smart Park Assist 2.0

Standard Equipment

EV9 Air highlights:

Exterior

• Standard Range battery (76.1kWh)
• 19-inch alloy wheels
• LED headlights
• LED daytime running lights
• LED tail lights
• Roof rails, silver
• Acoustic windscreen
• Acoustic window glass
• Aero wipers
• Auto-flush door handkles
• Power folding mirrors

Interior

• Column-type shifter
• Push-button start
• Regen Control paddle shifters
• Leatherette seats
• Leatherette steering wheel
• 2-way power lumbar (front seats)
• Remote folding 2nd row seats
• LED interior lighting
• V2L interior outlet
• LED ‘Frunk’ light

Convenience

• Integrated Panoramic Display
  • 12.3-inch driver cluster
  • 12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment
  • 5.0-inch climate control panel
• Satellite navigation
• Kia Connect incl. OTA updates
• 8-speaker sound system
• Fingerprint authentication
• Wireless smartphone charger
• USB-C chargers (in all 3 rows)
• Rain sensor (auto wipers)
• Electrochromatic rear-view mirror
• Heated, ventilated front seats
• Heated steering wheel
• Smart tailgate
• Remote engine start

EV9 Earth adds:

Exterior

• Long Range battery (99.8kWh)
• Gloss Black wheel mouldings, side sills

Interior

• Ambient mood lighting
• Steering wheel logo illumination
• Leatherette upholstery inc. striped stitching

EV9 GT-Line adds:

Exterior

• 21-inch alloy wheels
• Projector LED headlights
• Intelligent front-lighting System (IFS)
  • Adaptive high-beam
• Rear privacy glass
• Digital Side Mirrors
• Dual sunroof

Interior

• Artificial suede headliner, black
• Two-tone GT-Line leatherette upholstery

Convenience

• AR head-up display
• 14-speaker Meridian sound system
• Digital Centre Mirror
• Heated, ventilated outer rear seats
• Premium Relaxation Seats, front
• V2L exterior outlet

Colours

Standard: $NCO

• Flare Red

Premium Paint: $990

• Iceberg Green
• Pebble Grey
• Snow White Pearl
• Aurora Black Pearl
• Panthera Metal

Matte Paint: $3495*

• Ocean Blue Matte (GT-Line only)

*Includes ceramic paint protection

MORE: Everything Kia EV9