Straight away, the EV6’s looks set it apart from several of those rivals. Like the Ioniq 5, the EV6’s body shape is hard to pigeonhole. Kia calls the slippery but muscular shape “crossover-inspired” and makes references to the EV being an SUV. There are hints of that in the pronounced wheel arches and slightly tall ground clearance but mostly the EV6 looks like a large hatchback - think Polestar 2 rather than Ariya.
It’s also hugely spacious. Kia says it has the most spacious cabin in its class and while we didn’t get the tape measure out, it feels cavernous. Front and rear passengers have acres of legroom and shoulder room. Even the freakishly tall will fit with ease and the plunging rear roofline will only cause headroom issues for those well over six feet. Behind the passenger space there’s 490 litres of boot - plenty for most uses although behind several SUV-styled rivals.
Smart regenerative braking allows for one-pedal driving in most situations and there’s a choice of eco, normal or sport drive modes. These make a noticeable difference to the car’s throttle and braking behaviour but don’t affect its passive damping, which errs on the firm side and can be caught out occasionally by sharp changes in the road surface. That stiffer ride does however mean impressive body control for such a large vehicle.