My experience with the U.S.-bound Kia EV6 Facelift (2025 launch)

Update (December 24, 2024): ‘Design,’ ‘Interior,’ ‘Specifications’ and ‘Price & Release Date‘ updated.

At the 2024 Paris Motor Show, Kia’s stall had the new EV6 on display. The vehicle recently started reaching Europe, and has many important updates based on feedback from early adopters including a refreshed front, enhanced range, improved usability, and new features for safety, convenience, and security. Here’s my experience with the refreshed EV6.

Design

The 2025 EV6 has a longer front overhang for better aesthetics and thus measures 0.5 in. more in length (184.8 in.) than the outgoing model (184.3 in.). The big change in the exterior of the EV6 is the new headlamps, featuring “Star Map Signature Lighting” for the DRLs. The headlights, with their nearly triangular, vertical housing, give the vehicle a more futuristic appearance. These certainly look nicer in the flesh than in photos.

A newly designed front bumper with sharper angles adds a robust and more rugged look. Depending on the trim and configuration, the 2025 EV6 sports 19-, 20-, or 21-inch alloy wheels, all in a new design. The side sill molding on the new model is at a sharper angle, further giving a refreshed look on the sides. At the rear, the bumper carries a revised design and the three horizontally stacked symmetrical reverse lights are completely new.

Interior

The updates on the new Kia EV6’s interior start with the redesigned steering wheel, which now feels grippier and from the class of a luxury vehicle. There’s also a new fingerprint recognition system that saves personalized profiles, adding convenience for different drivers in the same household.

On the top portion of the dashboard (around the dual 12.3-inch touchscreens), there are subtle material changes that give it a slightly quirkier and squidgy feel, replacing the hard plastic. The center console is also an updated one, carrying a sleek new finish for enhanced aesthetics.

The 12.3-inch screens run the new Connected Car Navigation Cockpit (ccNC) software, featuring an all-new UI, faster processing, and over-the-air (OTA) updates. Also new on the tech front is ultrawideband-based Digital Key 2.0, which they can share via text with other users. Digital Key 2.0 does not require them to hold their smartphone against the door handle.

The 2025 EV6 offers enhanced safety with new ADAS functions like Junction Turning Vehicle, Junction Crossing Vehicle, Lane Change Side Vehicle, and Evasive Steering Assist. Kia says that it has also improved the vehicle’s structural safety by increasing the B-pillar’s thickness and adding second-row side airbags, bringing the total to ten airbags.

Specifications

The new EV6 has upgraded to the Gen 4 84 kWh battery, an increase from the current 77.4 kWh. Kia expects the bigger battery pack to deliver an EPA-estimated range of up to 319 miles, 9 miles more than the outgoing model’s smaller unit. The company has replaced the 58.0 kWh battery pack with a 63.0 kWh unit. It expects the new unit to offer an 8-mile improvement and is targeting an EPA-estimated range of 240 miles.

Both new battery packs take as little as 20 minutes for a 10-80% fast-charging session, two minutes more than the old battery packs. The EV6 has received no changes on the powertrain front with the facelift. The RWD variant still uses a 167 hp/258 lb.-ft. motor with the short-range battery pack and a 225 hp/258 lb.-ft. motor with the long-range battery pack. Similarly, the AWD variant employs two motors producing 320 hp and 446 lb.-ft. of torque.

Price & Release Date

For the U.S., I expect the 2025 Kia EV6’s prices to fall between USD 43,000 and USD 58,000 for the standard variants, and the new EV6 GT to be set at around USD 62,000. The improved model will start arriving at U.S. dealerships in the first half of 2025.

Unlike the current vehicle, the 2025 EV6 will be a U.S.-built model, which could make it eligible for federal tax credits of up to USD 7,500. Kia will assemble the new model at its West Point (Georgia) plant. With its arrival, the EV6 will challenge familiar rivals like the Hyundai Ioniq 5, Nissan Ariya, Subaru Solterra, Chevrolet Blazer EV, and Toyota bZ4X.

TopElectricSUV says

The Hyundai Motor Group is moving quickly with its EV program, adding, refreshing and replacing models ahead of the usual lifecycles. As the EV6 operates in the competitive mid-size SUV market, where nearly every major manufacturer is already involved or planning to enter, these enhancements are crucial. The upgraded looks, range and interior would align the EV6 with newer models Kia’s EV line-up, ensuring that it stays fresh and relevant. This serves as a strong indication to consumers that the company values and actively responds to their feedback.