Battle of the electric vehicles: Kia EV6 vs. Hyundai Ioniq 6

The local electric vehicle (EV) segment is shaping up to be a competitive category.

We can attribute the growth of the EV scene to the continued efforts of the Electric Vehicle Association of the Philippines, the country’s respective government agencies that help push the local automotive industry’s electrification, and the consistent barrage of offerings from various automobile companies.

Showing promise of dominating the Philippine upmarket EV segment are two South Korean electric cars — the Kia EV6 and the Hyundai Ioniq 6.

Interested to see which of the two best suit your style and motoring needs? Join us in this battle of the electric vehicles to find out.

Weigh-ins

The Kia EV6 is 4,695 millimeters (mm) long, 1,890mm wide, and 1,550mm tall. The electric crossover has a wheelbase of 2,900mm and a ground clearance of 160mm.

Its rival, the Hyundai Ioniq 6 has an overall length of 4,855mm, an overall width of 1,880mm, and an overall height of 1,459mm. Its wheelbase measures around 2,950mm and it clears the ground at 141mm.

By looking at the numbers, the Hyundai Ioniq 6 is slightly longer and taller than the Kia EV6. Nevertheless, the former is wider than the latter and has better ground clearance.

Exterior

The Kia EV6 has a more aggressive-looking exterior due to the abundance of straight lines and aggressive angles found outside the crossover.

At the front it boasts a pair of sharp LED headlamps with an auto-leveling feature. It also gets an intelligent front lighting system with LED daytime running lights (DRL) and LED position lights. The front lighting setup flanks its thin gloss black grille, which is complemented by the vehicle’s GT-Line front bumper and black front skid plate.

To its side are black, electric adjustable and folding side mirrors with turn signals; body-color and flush door handles; as well as a set of 20-inch alloy wheels wrapped in 255/45 R20 tires.

The rear end of the Kia EV6 gets a rear spoiler, an LED high-mount stop lamp integrated in the roof spoiler, two LED rear combination taillamps, and a power tailgate. Don’t even bother checking for exhausts since the EV6 offers emissions-free driving due to its battery-electric powertrain.

Meanwhile, the Hyundai Ioniq 6 offers a more sleek and stylish character thanks to its fastback sedan bodystyle.

At its fore is a pair of LED headlamps as well as low and high projection lights and adaptive driving beam technology. It also has automatic lighting control with dedicated LED DRLs as well as LED position lamps. It boasts a simple yet classy grille that adds a splash of sophistication to the electric streamliner.

The side profile of the Hyundai Ioniq 6 comes with body-color, electric, heated, electric-folding side mirrors with integrated turn signals. It also gets flush body-tone door handles, beautiful-looking side claddings, and 20-inch alloy wheels shod in 245/40 R20 tires.

Its rear offers a Porsche-like look thanks to the rear spoiler integrated into the vehicle’s sloping back. It also gets LED rear combination lamps, a high-mount stop lamp, and a power tailgate.

Overall, both EVs look stunning and offer styles that come both ends of the spectrum. On that note, we’re going to call it a tie.

Interior

Inside, the Kia EV6 surprises with its wealth of advanced and modern features. To begin with it welcomes the driver with a two-spoke leather steering wheel with a bunch of controls for the car’s wide range of technologies.

Past the steering wheel is a 12.3-inch LCD instrument panel complemented by its 12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment system. Together, the screens combine to create a seamless display that occupies almost the entire dashboard.

The driver and the Kia EV6’s passengers will be treated to seats covered in a combination of black suede and white leather. Additional creature comfort tech comes in the form of a dual-zone automatic air conditioning system, a push start button, remote keyless entry, a wireless charger, and a host of ports for charing one’s handheld devices.

Not to be outdone, the Hyundai Ioniq 6 offers a beautiful leather-wrapped four-spoke steering wheel with a central panel that looks like a Bluetooth speaker. It also has multifunctional controls that allow the driver to operate the streamliner’s vast features without having to take his or her hands off the wheel.

For its screens, the Hyundai Ioniq 6 shares the same dual display system that consists of a 12.3-inch instrument cluster and a 12.3-inch infotainment display. Like the one fitted in the Kia EV6, the display screens slapped on the Hyundai Ioniq 6 also get Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

Other notable features come in the form of its leather seats, dual-zone automatic air conditioning unit, wireless charger, and premium Bose sound system for that compelling car audio experience.

Like how the battle for the best exterior went, the Kia EV6 and the Hyundai Ioniq 6 are neck and neck in this round. Rightfully, we will call it a tie.

Engine

Powering the Kia EV6 is a permanent magnet synchronous motor (PMSM) paired with a single-speed automatic transmission with Shiftronic technology.

Providing juice to this setup is a 77.4-kilowatt-hour (kWh) lithium-ion battery that offers an estimated all-electric range of 528 kilometers (km).

When it comes to power, the Kia EV6 makes as much as 225 horsepower with 350 Newton-meters (Nm) of torque.

Likewise, the Hyundai Ioniq 6 is outfitted with a PMSM that is accompanied by a single-speed reduction gear transmission.

Similarly, it gets a 77.4kWh battery, but offers longer emissions-free driving with an approximate range of 545km.

Power figures for the Hyundai Ioniq 6 are also about 225 horses with 350Nm of pulling power.

While the numbers they produce are virtually identical, we have to give it to the Hyundai Ioniq 6 for offering slightly better range than its opponent.

Safety

When it comes to safety, the Kia EV6 comes with features such as airbags and seatbelts, an anti-lock brake system (ABS), electronic stability control, a multi-collision brake system, hill-start assist control, and a tire pressure monitoring system.

It also gets advanced driver assist technologies like smart cruise control, blind spot detection with blind view monitor, lane keeping assist, lane following assist, forward collision avoidance assist, rear cross-traffic collision avoidance assist, safe exit assist, driver attention warning, as well as a rear camera display and parking sensors.

The Hyundai Ioniq 6 does come with a similar set of safety technologies including ABS, a multi-collision brake system, hill start assist, a manual speed limiter, a rain sensor, and electronic stability control.

For its advanced driver assist system, the Hyundai Ioniq 6 offers smart cruise control with stop-and-go technology, lane-keeping assist, forward collision avoidance assist, blind spot collision warning, blind spot collision avoidance assist, parking distance warning, reverse parking collision avoidance assist, driver attention warning, rear seat alert, high beam assist, and a surround-view monitor.

Pricing and variants

Kia EV6

EV6 GT-Line Long Range – P3.788 million

Hyundai Ioniq 6

Ioniq 6 EV GLS 2WD – P3.798 million

Verdict

The battle between the electric vehicles ultimately sees the Hyundai Ioniq 6 as the winner, mainly thanks to its longer range compared to the Kia EV6.

Nevertheless, both vehicles appear to be strong contenders thanks to the shared features offered by the two nameplates.

Photos from Juan Paulo Papa, Ruben Manahan IV, and Hyundai Motor Philippines

Also read:

All You Need to Know About the PH-spec 2023 Hyundai Ioniq 6

Full-size Lego model of Kia EV6 displayed at Milan Design Week

You can test drive the Hyundai Ioniq 6 at the AFPCTDF 2023