Kia's EV6 Just Got Crowned 2022's (European) Car Of The Year

After fending off fierce competition from runners-up Renault Megane E-Tech and platform sibling the Hyundai IONIQ 5, the Kia EV6 is both the first Korean entrant to take top spot and the first Asian-built fully electric vehicle to do so as well.

The EV6 scored a total of 279 points from judges in a rather closely fought competition from the 6 other shortlisted contenders. The podium winners (265 and 261 points, respectively) were followed by the Peugeot 308 (191), Skoda Enyaq (185), Ford Mustang Mach-E (150), and the Cupra Born (144).

Jason Jeong, President at Kia Europe, commented: "It's a great honour to have won the 2022 European Car of the Year with the EV6, the first ever Kia to win this prestigious award. The EV6 is truly a landmark development that's been designed from the outset to make electric mobility fun, convenient and accessible by combining a highly impressive real-world driving range, ultra-fast charging capabilities, a spacious high-tech interior and a truly rewarding driving experience. The EV6 is an exciting sign of what's still to come in our evolving electrified line-up."  

The sporty electric high riding hatchback (crossover?) had already been raking in praise around the world for its combination of value, fast charging capability, driving dynamics, range, build quality, and overall technology/safety suite.

Even better news for Malaysia is that current local distributors for the brand, Bermaz (through subsidiary Dinamikjaya Motors), are keen on bring the EV6 into showrooms some time in the second half of 2022, as revealed to investors a few months ago.

Built on the E-GMP platform that will underpin nearly every electric Hyundai and Kia vehicle going forward, the EV6 in its most potent configuration is able to put down 580PS and 740Nm onto the road from its dual-motor powertrain that’s fed by a floor-mounted 77.4kWh battery.

Kia claims that it needs just 3.5 seconds to rocket up to 100km/h from a standstill with top speed achieved at 260km/h. This level of performance does take a toll on range, however, as it will only manage 424km on a single charge. In more endurance-focused guises, such as pairing the largest capacity battery option with the least lesser-powered single motor drive unit, the EV6 can yield an expected 528km (WLTP) in between trips to the plug.

Hyundai Sime Darby Motors managed to strike first blood with the Kona Electric, offering Malaysians a less costly gateway into Korean zero-emissions motoring, now aided by the surprise early arrival of the IONIQ 5 in March.

The Car of the Year awards are an independent organisation supported by 9 major automotive publications and is among the longest-running prize in the automotive industry. This year's panel consists of a 61-strong jury consisting of highly respected motoring journalists from 23 countries.

However, due to it only involving journalists and publications based in Europe, those outside the continent refer to it as the European Car of the Year awards.