A Prius Expert's Review of the Kia EV6

Added a list of issues to the end as I only listed the positives in the TL;DR section.

 

I have also completed an almost 3,000km (1,900mi) road trip in the EV6 if anyone is interested.

 

I didn't keep that detail of a log but the total cost is around Cdn$51 because of some free charging from Electrify Canada as well as hotel charging.

I mostly relied on two networks - Electrify Canada and B.C. Hydro for 150kW/350kW and 50kW charging respectively.

For the most part, the charging was painless. I did run into issues at some Electrify Canada stations (oddly, the same one I had no issues before too) with the session cutting out prematurely (and on multiple occasions). I'm not sure if it was due to heat since the temps at that time were in the high 30s (high 90s/low 100s Fahrenheit). The car would also have been subjected to high stress conditions too after highway driving up and over the Cascades and then fast charging at high temperatures then continuing on into the desert valley and then fast charging again. I will say, that ultra fast charging (hyperfast? given the new nomenclature) is more stressful than high speed mountain driving. I noted only around 100kW-120kW of power needed to maintain 75mph/120km/h going uphill vs. charging at 150-220kW at Electrify Canada stations.

As one gets away from the coast and into the interior and Rockies, the charging speed drops with mostly 50kW stations (unless you're along the Trans-Canada Highway, then there's EC and Petro Canada ultra fast chargers). In Jasper, we topped up at a 50kW station while eating dinner so that actually worked out well. We did opportunity charging along the way to Jasper at 11kW AC and 25kW DCFC stations (free!) but given our short stay, it probably added 2%-4%. Still better than nothing!

My biggest concern was the Icefields Parkway /Hwy 93 from Jasper to Banff as there are no charging stations in between (ok there's one 25kW one at Saskatchewan River Crossing but it's run off a diesel generator). Turns out I was worrying for nothing as the long range of the EV6 meant starting at 90% at Jasper, we arrived in Banff at 28% and managed to find a L2 charger while eating dinner and spending some time in the evening at Banff before heading to our hotel (that hotel didn't have any chargers).

Heading back home along the Trans-Canada was easy - so much so that I did one segment starting at 90% 80% (instead of 100%) knowing that I'll get there with charge to spare even including side trips. I did arrive at 9% (low charge light comes on at 10%).

Fortunately, I didn't have to wait for any chargers (other than the one time at one of the hotels). Unfortunately, most of the 350kW stations at Electrify Canada were broken at the time (they were up just a month prior so not sure what happened in between) but the 150kW chargers were ok. Some were close to peak but others were in the 80kW range so that took longer than expected (40 mins vs 20 mins). The surprise was hitting the car's peak of 240kW at 66% at a Petro Canada charger (very different charge curve compared to a Tesla). And the only issue I had were the high temperature charging where the station kept ending the session (I didn't see any errors on the car's side).

Edit: Checked my notes. Turns out that segment in the second-to-last paragraph was from 80% to 9% not 90% to 9%.

 

No. Typically the hotel only has 1 J1772 outlet and maybe 1 Tesla destination charger. One of the hotels had two J1772 which was a nice surprise.

I haven’t actually asked. I assume it’s first come first served.

 

Haha. Yes even with the regular Prius, I've driven past the low fuel light based on my L/100km figures which allowed me to drive 900+km on a tank in both the Gen 2 and Gen 3 Prius. I haven't had a chance with the Prime, unfortunately, because I haven't really road tripped it (just the first summer before the pandemic).

But yes, a plug-in hybrid is definitely a gateway to EV ownership.

Here's a screenshot of that segment. (The 17.4kWh/100km at the bottom is the accumulated trip total, that's why it's different from the "tank" or "charge" efficiency of 16.7kWh/100km).

The orange battery light at the bottom left is the "low fuel light".

Edit: Ha! I double checked my notes. Seems like I forgot the details. It's actually 80% to 9%!! I will edit my previous post.

Even without the moonroof?

This guy is 6' 6" inside one WITH a moonroof.

 

I swapped out to winter tyres early because I needed a new set and I didn’t want to deal with the rush of others doing their seasonal changeover or with the potential of parts shortages (because there’s a lot of new EVs sold this year).

I went with Fast EV01 lightweight flow-formed alloys on Nokian Hakkapeliita R5 EV tyres. Together, they save around [more than] 14 lbs per corner compared to the stock rim/tyre combo.

The most noticeable change is the lighter weight on the steering wheel (feels like a Prius now lol) but what I wasn’t expecting is the increased in fuel economy. The temperatures this week have been similar to the last two weeks and I’ve actually been lowering the 2-month average consumption after the swap!

Here’s a round trip commute today:


And here was the last charge on winters only (I charged before the tyre change)


This is approaching Prius Prime territory!

11.8kWh/100km = 5.3mi/kWh

13.8kWh/100km = 4.53mi/kWh

Note at the bottom that the picture from yesterday (second photo) says 14.7kWh/100km and the photo from today (first photo) dropped to 14.6kWh/100km. This is the current average since early August. (14.6kWh/100km = 4.25 mi/kWh).

Not bad for a 320hp 2.1 ton EV. (And probably the reason why Toyota stuck with lightweight 15" alloys on the Prius for the 2nd-4th generation).

Edit: turns out, the stock 19” rims weigh 32 lbs and not the 20” rims so I added “more than” to the 14 lbs saved. If I can get a hold of a weigh scale that I can safely put the wheels on or someone else weighs the 20” rims, I’ll add that info here

 

Yes they’re 19” in size vs. the stock 20”.

Whoops. Guess that should’ve said “wrapped in” not “on”.

I suppose but that much of a difference? That’s insane. Pleasant surprise though. That means my winter tyre combo will at least partially offset the colder temps and tread type whenever winter (or fall) decides to show up.

 

Plus I’m running a narrower tyre so that’ll help with rolling resistance.

 

Halfway through a range test on winter tyres. I think my Prius driving skills are really helping out.

12.8kWh/100km = 4.88 mi/kWh = 205Wh/mi.

It's rated at around 400km (for 2023 with the 20" and AWD and around 450km with the 19" and AWD). 2022 range figures combined and averaged the two to 274 miles/441km. Anyway, cooler temperatures will prevent me from hitting 600 km/375 mi but it'll be fun to see how close I can get. So far, 588km/367mi ain't bad!

 

The range test did not work out as it rained and got cold on the second half =(. Couldn't reach 600km.

The efficiency swings are much larger than with the Prime. 0°C in clear skies or 5°C in rain with the heat on (but Eco Climate) and I'm up to 16-17kWh/100km. Rise to 10°C on dry pavement and it improves to 14-15kWh/100km. This is all city driving.

 

1.5 year update:

Likes:

• Still love driving it. It's smooth and quiet. This is anecdotal but I think it got a touch quieter when I added the TuxMats (vs. the thin OEM carpet mats) and 2.5-3mm thickness lower door felt kick panel covers.
• Getting decent range but I do have the range sapping 20" rims. About 400km highway (350km mountainous) and about 475-500km city in the summer
• A few Infotainment updates (Twice a year) added more functionality like EV Route Planning with charging stops (and the most recent one now lets you see the arrival SOC). Battery pre-conditioning was the big one back in May 2023
• Seats are holding up well (the faux suede)

Dislikes:

• Still can't fix the source of a rattle in the A-pillar. It's worse in the summer
• Piano black scratches so easily - way easier than the my Gen 4 Prime's piano black (Which still looked new after 3 years when I traded it in)
• The 2024 model added a charge port light - why wasn't this included in the first place
• The lower door panels are scratchy. You can't remove the scuffs. Thus, I added a felt cover for the area
• No door courtesy lights - not even a reflector! Pretty bad for doors this large.

Also, after 34,000km, it seems degradation is minimal.

Usable is somewhere between 74kWh and 75kWh (from 100% to 0% on the battery meter in the car. Kia does allow you to access the bottom 2-3kWh to make up the full 77.4kWh in an emergency).

If one does the math and use 74kWh, then my degradation is 0.72%. If one uses 75kWh, then my degradation is 2.04%