Kia EV6 GT Line AWD compared to my Tesla Model Y LR

For those interested I will post my comparison of the two EVs. I have now spent approx 2 hours driving plus quite a bit of research of the Kia EV6 recently, as I am very interested in getting another EV, so I think I have a little knowledge on the subject. Now both comparisons are AWD models from both companies with similar size batteries from memory.

So I will post what I think are the negatives of the EV6 first:

Capacity of the interior for luggage including Frunk and under the floor at the rear. No comparison here I think.

Although Kia are aggressively trying to price the EV6 to compete with the Model Y I think Tesla with their recent price drops are cheaper from what I see ATM. But the new EV5 which maybe available here soon may reverse this trend.

Access to the full Tesla Supercharger network is not applicable at this stage and what Superchargers are available, because of the 800 volt architecture, derates what is a impressive charging speed at suitable chargers that can handle the EV6's characteristics.

I think Tesla's Navigation software is probably better but having access to Apple CarPlay and Android Auto this may make this negative mute.

Having to service the car yearly maybe considered a negative.

Positives of the EV6 IMO:

7 year warranty.

Suspension is noticeable better I think. Kia sending engineers to tune the suspension to Australian road conditions shows here I think. I wish Tesla did the same.

I spoke previously here about how I consider the MY having too low a steering ratio to make a good handling car at higher speeds and especially for inexperienced drivers. The EV6 is far better in this regard IMO.

The radar based adaptive cruise control of the EV6 is far better than what Tesla are using on my Model Y IMHO. It truly was a pleasure to use.

Self steering or what may be considered lane centering. Ok Tesla around sharper corners is better ie holds its line more consistent. But, and this is a big BUT IMO, there are other attributes that make Kia's system far better to use I think. These are:

A capacitive steering wheel it seems ie just lightly grip the wheel when warnings are transmitted to driver instead of adding a certain amount of torque for the Tesla to show you are still attentive.

The ability to correct the line of the Kia without disconnecting self steering ie say you see a pothole ahead that you will hit staying in the centre of the lane. Just steer around it then head back towards the centre and self steering reapplies. It was even possible to leave the system on all the time and have it apply itself any time you wanted ie around town etc. Also taking a racing line around sharper corners was especially nice to achieve I think or moving over pre-emptively to overtake large trucks then back to self steering in the centre of the lane. A great and confidence inspiring system I think.

I have other commitments now but will try to finish this later.

"Kia EV6 RWD (2022)" by usf1fan2 is licensed under CC BY 2.0.
Admin note: Image added for Blog Feed thumbnail

 

[Jas.S60]

My work has some EV6's and I used one for a day. For reference I have a Sept 23 MY LR.

My thoughts are:

1. The EV6 built in nav was terrible. When I input a destination there didn't seem to be any link between the nav and the range estimate. I would really miss Tesla's trip planning features, particularly the feature where it would tell you how much % left when you got there and what would be left if you went there and back.
2. I couldn't get carplay or android auto to work wirelessly (it wasn't clear if it did support it, maybe you needed to update the car's firmware). My work phone is an android and my personal phone was an iPhone and neither worked wirelessly. I only had a USB A cable with me so I couldn't try wired mode (apparently you have to plug it into the USB-C port only).
3. I noticed more wind and road noise. I noticed the windows weren't double glazed like my Tesla and perhaps that's why.
4. I felt the visibility was terrible. It's branded as a cross-over but it's height is more akin to a sedan and it has those sculpted humps in the front hood that is meant to be sculpted to the wheel arches which I felt just took up visual space.
5. I really hated the regen, it appeared to reset to the default whenever I started the car. One pedal driving didn't feel as smooth as the Tesla. Maybe I missed something about setting defaults but it appeared to reset to a mid-level regen every time I started.
6. Felt slllooooowwww compared to my LR. Looking at the spec sheet base model has 0-100 as 7.3s so no surprise. But even when I test drove the regular MY RWD I felt that had more pep than the EV6.
7. No HEPA filter. I never realised such a difference this made. I was driving past someone on a median strip with a 2 stroke trimming the brush and could immediately smell it even with the windows up. I just realised I never smell outside smells in my Telsa (even though I keep it to outside air and not recirc). Although one bright spot for the Kia is it automatically changed the car's aircon to re-circ when it detected that it was going into a tunnel. That's a pretty cool feature and I wish Tesla would do something similar.
8. No powered trunk! What a joke for a 70+k car.
9. Rear camera is grainy and hugely distorted.
10. Sound system is not comparable to the Tesla.
11. I find Tesla's autopilot to be pretty reliable these days and I much prefer Tesla's system of showing the visualisation because it gives me confidence of what the car is doing. I'd rather have something slightly less reliable as long as I know what the car can see rather than other systems where it doesn't give you much detail about what the car is seeing. It's more of a peace of mind thing so this is personal. Lane keeping in the Tesla is heads and shoulder above the KIA.
12. Interior plastics felt cheaper.
13. No blind spot camera equivalent or all the usual Tesla software extras such as dashcam, sentry mode, web browser, calendar sync, etc.

As a side note I hated the charging experience. I had to charge a chargefox rapid charger and work provided me with a chargefox card. It would not work on the charger. I had to create a personal account and use a CC to get the charger to finally work. Took over 20mins from pulling up to start charging.

The charging UI of the EV6 was truly terrible. I connected it to my work's AC charger but I had my suspicions that the car wasn't charging because I assumed the car should tell you how long left and there wasn't that. But, there was a green charging symbol in the dash, I wasn't sure if that meant the charge door was open or if it was charging. The lights on the side of the charge port weren't blinking so I assumed it wasn't charging. Turns out the AC charger needed to authenticate with my building RFID pass before it can charge, took another 20 mins of stuffing around before I could get it working. Although this isn't the EV6's fault I felt they could have communicted errors much better. For example in my MY, it's told me straight up that the cable is connected but there's no power from the charger, or if the cable wasn't seated properly, etc. I spent the 20 mins reading the manual/going on youtube to make sure there wasn't something I was meant to do to start charging and how to tell if the car was charging.

Also the feedback from my colleagues is that they just hate the charging experience (they don't have personal EVs). For me, even as someone who has driven an EV since 2019, I felt the charging experience frustrating so I can't imagine what it would be like for a EV newbie.

Anyway, I would never buy one if for the equivalent price you can get a LR AWD or for much cheaper you can get the MYRWD (admittedly with less range).

 

[Tasdoc]

Given the recent progress of FSD in the US, the only question that matters at present is whether KIA EV6 comes with any hope of becoming autonomous one day. If not, buying one today is indeed like buying a horse

 

[bingbung00]

"a story about how I purchased an expensive car and need to justify it"

2 hours of driving isn't really enough to make definitive comparisons of cruise control, lane keeping etc. What about ADAS and safety?

What did you pay for each car?

 

[TrevRex]

Ok I was going to come back to this thread I started to complete my comparison but it seems I should answer some of what I will call quite a bit of "misinformation" of what I am reading just now in the replies.

My work has some EV6's and I used one for a day. For reference I have a Sept 23 MY LR.

My thoughts are:

1. The EV6 built in nav was terrible. When I input a destination there didn't seem to be any link between the nav and the range estimate. I would really miss Tesla's trip planning features, particularly the feature where it would tell you how much % left when you got there and what would be left if you went there and back.
2. I couldn't get carplay or android auto to work wirelessly (it wasn't clear if it did support it, maybe you needed to update the car's firmware). My work phone is an android and my personal phone was an iPhone and neither worked wirelessly. I only had a USB A cable with me so I couldn't try wired mode (apparently you have to plug it into the USB-C port only).
3. I noticed more wind and road noise. I noticed the windows weren't double glazed like my Tesla and perhaps that's why.
4. I felt the visibility was terrible. It's branded as a cross-over but it's height is more akin to a sedan and it has those sculpted humps in the front hood that is meant to be sculpted to the wheel arches which I felt just took up visual space.
5. I really hated the regen, it appeared to reset to the default whenever I started the car. One pedal driving didn't feel as smooth as the Tesla. Maybe I missed something about setting defaults but it appeared to reset to a mid-level regen every time I started.
6. Felt slllooooowwww compared to my LR. Looking at the spec sheet base model has 0-100 as 7.3s so no surprise. But even when I test drove the regular MY RWD I felt that had more pep than the EV6.
7. No HEPA filter. I never realised such a difference this made. I was driving past someone on a median strip with a 2 stroke trimming the brush and could immediately smell it even with the windows up. I just realised I never smell outside smells in my Telsa (even though I keep it to outside air and not recirc). Although one bright spot for the Kia is it automatically changed the car's aircon to re-circ when it detected that it was going into a tunnel. That's a pretty cool feature and I wish Tesla would do something similar.
8. No powered trunk! What a joke for a 70+k car.
9. Rear camera is grainy and hugely distorted.
10. Sound system is not comparable to the Tesla.
11. I find Tesla's autopilot to be pretty reliable these days and I much prefer Tesla's system of showing the visualisation because it gives me confidence of what the car is doing. I'd rather have something slightly less reliable as long as I know what the car can see rather than other systems where it doesn't give you much detail about what the car is seeing. It's more of a peace of mind thing so this is personal. Lane keeping in the Tesla is heads and shoulder above the KIA.
12. Interior plastics felt cheaper.
13. No blind spot camera equivalent or all the usual Tesla software extras such as dashcam, sentry mode, web browser, calendar sync, etc.

As a side note I hated the charging experience. I had to charge a chargefox rapid charger and work provided me with a chargefox card. It would not work on the charger. I had to create a personal account and use a CC to get the charger to finally work. Took over 20mins from pulling up to start charging.

The charging UI of the EV6 was truly terrible. I connected it to my work's AC charger but I had my suspicions that the car wasn't charging because I assumed the car should tell you how long left and there wasn't that. But, there was a green charging symbol in the dash, I wasn't sure if that meant the charge door was open or if it was charging. The lights on the side of the charge port weren't blinking so I assumed it wasn't charging. Turns out the AC charger needed to authenticate with my building RFID pass before it can charge, took another 20 mins of stuffing around before I could get it working. Although this isn't the EV6's fault I felt they could have communicted errors much better. For example in my MY, it's told me straight up that the cable is connected but there's no power from the charger, or if the cable wasn't seated properly, etc. I spent the 20 mins reading the manual/going on youtube to make sure there wasn't something I was meant to do to start charging and how to tell if the car was charging.

Also the feedback from my colleagues is that they just hate the charging experience (they don't have personal EVs). For me, even as someone who has driven an EV since 2019, I felt the charging experience frustrating so I can't imagine what it would be like for a EV newbie.

Anyway, I would never buy one if for the equivalent price you can get a LR AWD or for much cheaper you can get the MYRWD (admittedly with less range).

It seems you are driving a base model EV6 with probably out of date software to the car I drove. It seems to me we are comparing apples to oranges here to the latest 2024 Kia EV6 GT Line.

But lets go through them in your order.

1. I already said "I think Tesla's Navigation software is probably better but having access to Apple CarPlay and Android Auto this may make this negative mute." Having access to ABRP, Waze, Google maps etc right on the screen helps here I think.
2. Not having a cable suitable for what I consider is a quality component of the EV6 is I think is your own error. Newer Kia's like the EV9 are wireless.
3. Definitely not applicable on the higher trim of car I drove IMO.
4. Didn't notice this but I did raise the electric seat up high.
5. i-Pedal or one pedal driving is stronger in regen to the MY from my observance but I had no trouble applying it smoothly. Those paddles behind the steering wheel to control regen reminds me of the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEVs, who were the first to use them I think, I have owned over the years and yes you need to select i-pedal with one press of the paddle for me each time you drive.
6. Very comparable in 0-100 times from "seat of the pants" observation. One son and myself felt it was exactly the same but another son who probably drives my Tesla the most swore the Kia felt faster.
7. I had already checked on the HEPA filter. Can be bought aftermarket for the EV6 so no biggie IMO.
8. GT Line has powered trunk.
9. GT Line has a good quality rear camera from memory.
10. 14 Speaker Meridian Premium Sound System(5 Speakers, 4 Tweeters, 4 Woofers, 1 Subwoofer) of the GT Line is very comparable I think maybe just lacking in top end volume compared to Tesla. Still winds up to levels that most will probably not notice I think.
11. Tesla's autopilot. Not near as good as what I experienced in the 2024 GT Line EV6. What age Kia were you driving?
12. Quality of the interior was good and IMO it was good to have some buttons back LOL.
13. GT Line has blind spot cameras in front of you on the dash, warnings in the side mirrors and on the colour HUD in the windscreen.

Now as for your charging experience I will say this. Blaming the EV6 for your company's charge card experience etc sounds petty IMO. For gods sake the damn EV6 I drove even shouted "charging started" to me on the outside of the car with flashing lights on the charging port when charging started.

 

[TrevRex]

Given the recent progress of FSD in the US, the only question that matters at present is whether KIA EV6 comes with any hope of becoming autonomous one day. If not, buying one today is indeed like buying a horse

LOL. Don't give a damn about FSD. I hope I never have to buy that crap. I still love controlling a car with my own skills mainly. I am only in a Tesla because of the Supercharger network mainly.

Not sure Kia even cares that much about "full autonomous driving". Maybe they care more about the "driving experience". It sure seems that way to me after using their EV6.

 

[TrevRex]

"a story about how I purchased an expensive car and need to justify it"

2 hours of driving isn't really enough to make definitive comparisons of cruise control, lane keeping etc. What about ADAS and safety?

What did you pay for each car?

Geez how did you turn "as I am very interested in getting another EV" into "a story about how I purchased an expensive car and need to justify it".

I did NOT purchase the EV6. Two hours of myself driving then each of my sons and my wife where I was riding "shotgun" was more than enough for me to know I didn't want a EV6.

Anyway I am too busy to bother writing anymore on this subject. I might try again later.

 

[Tiger]

The ability to correct the line of the Kia without disconnecting self steering ie say you see a pothole ahead that you will hit staying in the centre of the lane. Just steer around it then head back towards the centre and self steering reapplies. It was even possible to leave the system on all the time and have it apply itself any time you wanted ie around town etc.

This is what I am missing from Tesla autopilot/fsd.

I believe Tesla originally disabled it to reduce the amount of feedback data they have to process, but hopefully they soon have enough computing power to process these feedbacks. The most annoying part of fsd/autopilot is when it drives too close to either the oncoming lane or the curb and I would like to teach it a thing or two.

 

[primedive]

This is what I am missing from Tesla autopilot/fsd.

I believe Tesla originally disabled it to reduce the amount of feedback data they have to process, but hopefully they soon have enough computing power to process these feedbacks. The most annoying part of fsd/autopilot is when it drives too close to either the oncoming lane or the curb and I would like to teach it a thing or two.

I feel the difference is that Autosteer takes over steering entirely, while lane assist in the Korean cars steers the wheel with you. It’s a different experience and in some ways superior, such as being able to steer around obstacles without disengaging and being able to set whatever speed you want.

 

[sleepydoc]

I’m a diehard CarPlay fan but after finishing a trip with our CarPlay minivan I can definitely say that I prefer my Tesla’s interface.

The nav system is just as good or better in every aspect.
I found apple music and podcasts easier to use on my Tesla vs the CarPlay interface on our van.
Looking at routes, traffic, etc was easier on my Tesla.

The two points in which CarPlay won was its ability to share an ETA and the ability to handle group text messages. On balance, though, I would rather use Teslas system. I never thought I’d say that, but that’s my honest assessment at this point.

 

[Maximillan]

I’m a diehard CarPlay fan but after finishing a trip with our CarPlay minivan I can definitely say that I prefer my Tesla’s interface.

The nav system is just as good or better in every aspect.
I found apple music and podcasts easier to use on my Tesla vs the CarPlay interface on our van.
Looking at routes, traffic, etc was easier on my Tesla.

The two points in which CarPlay won was its ability to share an ETA and the ability to handle group text messages. On balance, though, I would rather use Teslas system. I never thought I’d say that, but that’s my honest assessment at this point.

How do you manage podcasts on the Tesla?

 

[doggy1]

How do you manage podcasts on the Tesla?

We listen to Podcasts extensively. Always used in-car Spotify and we have Premium Connectivity. Hasn't missed a beat, even Sydney/Canberra/Hay/Barossa/Hay/Sydney. Seems to have a decent buffer.

 

[sleepydoc]

How do you manage podcasts on the Tesla?

Previously I had a Spotify account that I used which worked but it was annoying to pay simply to listen to podcasts I already had and you have to have a separate account/login for the car which means it doesn’t sync well. Now I just use the Apple Podcasts app that Tesla includes and find it works perfectly for me.

I don’t know if it still exists but when I first bought my car it had a TuneIn app for podcasts but it as beyond atrocious so I quit using it almost immediately and haven’t looked at it since.

 

[moa999]

Previously I had a Spotify account that I used which worked but it was annoying to pay simply to listen to podcasts

Note that you've stumbled across an Australian sub-forum thread,
Where the included premium music service is Spotify with a premium subscription including it's podcast feature (whereas it's LiveOne/Slacker in the US afaik)

 

[sleepydoc]

Note that you've stumbled across an Australian sub-forum thread,
Where the included premium music service is Spotify with a premium subscription including it's podcast feature (whereas it's LiveOne/Slacker in the US afaik)

Oops - my bad! All my comments are Americo-centric. Partly because I'm an American and that's what we do but mainly because it's the only experience I have. Oh, and also because I'm oblivious and didn't realize I was on the Australian sub-forum!

Does Tesla include the Apple Podcasts app in Australia?

 

[meloccom]

Oops - my bad! All my comments are Americo-centric. Partly because I'm an American and that's what we do but mainly because it's the only experience I have. Oh, and also because I'm oblivious and didn't realize I was on the Australian sub-forum!

Does Tesla include the Apple Podcasts app in Australia?

Yes they do, only it’s not as featured as the iOS app. For example there’s no ‘Play Next’ feature on Tesla version of the app and you can’t pre download podcasts either. Both would be very useful to avoid having to touch the screen whilst driving.

 

[cafz]

How do you manage podcasts on the Tesla?

I use my phone with bluetooth for podcasts (and ebooks).

 

[sleepydoc]

I use my phone with bluetooth for podcasts (and ebooks).

That’s one advantage CarPlay has - you can easily use any 3rd party app. Without it you’re limited to the apps that Tesla (or whatever make you have) provides.

 

[bingbung00]

That’s one advantage CarPlay has - you can easily use any 3rd party app. Without it you’re limited to the apps that Tesla (or whatever make you have) provides.

I've never used a third party app on car play. Much rather have good native software. If apple play was a feature on tesla I wouldnt use it. I'm sure many others agree.

It's merely a talking point for washed up reviewers trying to become relevant again by shitting on tesla

 

[ashipps]

For those interested I will post my comparison of the two EVs. I have now spent approx 2 hours driving plus quite a bit of research of the Kia EV6 recently, as I am very interested in getting another EV, so I think I have a little knowledge on the subject. Now both comparisons are AWD models from both companies with similar size batteries from memory.

So I will post what I think are the negatives of the EV6 first:

Capacity of the interior for luggage including Frunk and under the floor at the rear. No comparison here I think.

Although Kia are aggressively trying to price the EV6 to compete with the Model Y I think Tesla with their recent price drops are cheaper from what I see ATM. But the new EV5 which maybe available here soon may reverse this trend.

Access to the full Tesla Supercharger network is not applicable at this stage and what Superchargers are available, because of the 800 volt architecture, derates what is a impressive charging speed at suitable chargers that can handle the EV6's characteristics.

I think Tesla's Navigation software is probably better but having access to Apple CarPlay and Android Auto this may make this negative mute.

Having to service the car yearly maybe considered a negative.

Positives of the EV6 IMO:

7 year warranty.

Suspension is noticeable better I think. Kia sending engineers to tune the suspension to Australian road conditions shows here I think. I wish Tesla did the same.

I spoke previously here about how I consider the MY having too low a steering ratio to make a good handling car at higher speeds and especially for inexperienced drivers. The EV6 is far better in this regard IMO.

The radar based adaptive cruise control of the EV6 is far better than what Tesla are using on my Model Y IMHO. It truly was a pleasure to use.

Self steering or what may be considered lane centering. Ok Tesla around sharper corners is better ie holds its line more consistent. But, and this is a big BUT IMO, there are other attributes that make Kia's system far better to use I think. These are:

A capacitive steering wheel it seems ie just lightly grip the wheel when warnings are transmitted to driver instead of adding a certain amount of torque for the Tesla to show you are still attentive.

The ability to correct the line of the Kia without disconnecting self steering ie say you see a pothole ahead that you will hit staying in the centre of the lane. Just steer around it then head back towards the centre and self steering reapplies. It was even possible to leave the system on all the time and have it apply itself any time you wanted ie around town etc. Also taking a racing line around sharper corners was especially nice to achieve I think or moving over pre-emptively to overtake large trucks then back to self steering in the centre of the lane. A great and confidence inspiring system I think.

I have other commitments now but will try to finish this later.

View attachment 1048449
"Kia EV6 RWD (2022)" by usf1fan2 is licensed under CC BY 2.0.
Admin note: Image added for Blog Feed thumbnail

Does KIA have over the air software updates to improve the operating and functioning of the car?