2025 Kia EV6 gains new looks, bigger battery

• The Kia EV6 has received a mid-cycle refresh that includes significant changes, inside and out
• Among the updates is a bigger battery and a lot more power for the EV6 GT variant
  
• Pricing information will be announced closer to the market launch in the first half of 2025

An updated EV6 made its debut in Kia’s home market of Korea in May, and the version designed for the U.S. finally made its debut on Thursday at the 2024 Los Angeles auto show, where Kia also showed a high-performance EV9 GT.

The updated EV6 will go on sale in the U.S. in the first half of 2025, as a 2025 model, and production will take place at Kia’s plant in Georgia. The current EV6, Kia’s first dedicated EV, arrived on the market for the 2022 model year and spawned the high-performance EV6 GT for 2023. The updates made to the 2025 EV6 also extend to the EV6 GT.

The exterior styling changes include new headlights with a design more like what Kia has introduced on recent model additions such as the EV9 electric three-row SUV and K4 compact sedan. Kia calls the headlight design the Star Map. The changes at the rear are much more subtle. The only visible difference is a new graphic for the curved light bar of the taillights.

Inside, there’s a new steering wheel design, dual 12.3-inch digital screens for the gauge cluster and infotainment system, and a redesigned center console. Kia said it also added more sound insulation to reduce noise in the cabin. The electric motors are also claimed by the automaker to be quieter.

Mirroring changes made to the related Hyundai Ioniq 5 for its own 2025 update, the updated EV6 ditches the current model’s 77.4-kwh battery in favor of a new standard battery with 63 kwh of capacity and an available unit with 84 kwh. Kia estimates the 84-kwh battery will deliver up to 319 miles of range, when paired with rear-wheel drive. Adding all-wheel drive will reduce the figure.

The 63-kwh battery comes exclusively with a single motor at the rear, rated at 167 hp. The 84-kwh battery comes with either a single motor at the rear, rated at 225 hp, or a dual-motor, all-wheel-drive setup rated at 320 hp.

The updated EV6 GT comes standard with the 84-kwh battery and dual-motor, all-wheel drive, but with output bumped to 601 hp. The output can also be raised to 641 hp temporarily, using a GT mode. The current EV6 GT’s output tops out at 576 hp. Also new for the updated EV6 GT is what Kia calls the Virtual Gear Shift (VGS). Similar to the N e-Shift feature on the related Ioniq 5 N, the VGS simulates the feel of gears being shifted using the control software for the electric motors. It also uses fake engine sounds.

Kia hasn’t published any performance figures, but said the updated EV6 has a towing capacity of 2,700 pounds, up from 2,300 pounds at present. The vehicle automatically detects trailer weight and adjusts the remaining range estimate to suit.

All EV6 models come with 800-volt technology, making high-speed charging using a DC fast-charger possible. The latest version will come with a NACS connector as standard, which will make using one of the many Tesla DC fast-charging stations convenient.