Kia EV6 review: running costs & insurance
Slightly higher insurance groupings than rivals are the only real minus point here
| Insurance group | Warranty | Service interval | Annual company-car tax cost (20%/40%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 34-45 | 7yrs/100,000 miles | 2yrs/20,000 miles | From £181/£362 |
Like all electric cars, the Kia EV6 can be significantly cheaper to run than any petrol or diesel-engined equivalent – especially if you’re a company car driver and can charge at home using an off-peak energy tariff. Do so, and we reckon you can cancel out the EV6’s initial list-price difference versus a like-for-like BMW 3 Series or Audi A4. One area to keep an eye on is insurance premiums, as the Kia sits in higher groups than several of its immediate rivals.
Kia EV6 insurance group
The Kia EV6's slightly sportier nature than its Hyundai Ioniq 5 sister car is evident in slightly higher insurance groupings: 34 to 45, depending on spec, as opposed to 30 to 41 for the Hyundai. That's also slightly higher than the groups 33 to 40 ratings for the Ford Mustang Mach-E and the Audi Q4 e-tron's groups 25 to 39.
Warranty
Kia has long been an industry leader when it comes to manufacturer warranty cover and that hasn't changed with its move into the fully-electric world. The EV6 comes with the same excellent seven-year/100,000-mile guarantee that all the Korean brand's cars leave the showroom with, although MG is nipping at its heels with a seven-year/80,000-mile cover package on its (admittedly cheaper and less high-tech) electric models.
If you’re planning to keep your car for a long time, the Toyota bZ4X and its 10-year/100,000-mile warranty is the new class leader, though that’s only applicable for as long as you have the car serviced at a main dealer. Furthermore, we don’t rate the Toyota as an overall package as highly as we do the Kia.
Servicing
Kia says the EV6 only needs to be serviced once every two years or after 20,000 miles, whichever comes first. That's about twice as long as the service intervals for the majority of Kia's other models, and should reduce the maintenance costs of running an EV6.
Road tax
The Kia EV6 is, like all fully zero-emissions vehicles, zero-rated for road tax (VED) in the UK until 2025. After this date, EVs will be taxed just like any other vehicle, and given the Kia’s lofty list price (even its basic form) it’s likely to be liable for the premium car surcharge for cars costing more than £40,000.
Zero-emissions status does mean exemption from the London Congestion Charge until 2025, however, as well as from other low and zero-emissions zones that are popping up around the country.
Depreciation
According to August 2023 depreciation data from independent industry experts, the Kia EV6 should be worth between 58-59% of its new value after three years or 36,000 miles on the road. Though there isn’t much in it, the most desirable model – again, according to experts – is the single-motor GT-Line model, which is said to retain 59.85% of its original value.
That’s incredibly impressive, and beats rivals like the BMW i4 (49-56%) and Ford Mustang Mach-E (40-44%) hands down.
