- ‘Finest Household SUV’ award for Kia Sportage for second yr operating
- ‘Finest Household Electrical SUV’ for Kia EV6
- New Kia EV9 named ‘Finest Electrical 7-Seater’
- Kia wins the ‘Tow Automobile Award’ for its extensive selection of towing-capable vehicles
Kia UK has gained 4 awards on the 2024 What Automobile? Automobile of the 12 months awards, together with main class wins for the Kia Sportage and Kia EV6.
Kia Sportage: ‘Finest Household SUV’
For the second consecutive yr, the Kia Sportage was awarded the ‘Finest Household SUV’ award. The judges rated it forward of all different rivals in one of the vital standard and hotly contested courses within the UK.
The judging panel, made up of the journal’s workforce of knowledgeable highway testers, commented: “The Kia Sportage has a extra snug experience than key rivals, but it evokes confidence on winding roads, due to robust grip and correct steering. You additionally get a smart-looking and user-friendly inside that provides a correctly elevated driving place. And regardless of the place within the automotive you are sitting, there’s loads of head and leg room, and the Sportage feels pleasingly ethereal.”
The fifth-generation Kia Sportage was launched early in 2022, and gained What Automobile?’s ‘Finest Household SUV’ award in 2023. Final yr it was the UK’s fourth best-selling automotive general, with 36,135 models discovering properties with UK consumers. Providing a variety of petrol, hybrid and plug-in hybrid choices, the Sportage is priced from £29,375 on-the-road.
Kia EV6: ‘Finest Household Electrical SUV’
Two years on from successful What Automobile?’s general ‘Automobile of the 12 months’ award, the Kia EV6 remains to be seen by many as setting the usual for EVs in its class. The automotive has gained the 2024 ‘Finest Household Electrical SUV’ award, forward of a number of newcomers in an more and more aggressive section.
The judges commented: “Two years after it was named What Automobile? Automobile of the 12 months, the Kia EV6 continues to mix a fantastic battery vary, quick charging, a nice experience and dealing with stability and beneficiant tools ranges for a aggressive worth higher than any rival. Plus, regardless of its smooth appears, it is a sensible selection, providing a great deal of house in each the entrance and the rear, and a good-sized boot.”
The EV6 is priced from £45,275 on-the-road, and presents a driving vary of as much as 328 miles in line with the WLTP ‘mixed’ take a look at cycle*. Drivers can select between rear- or all-wheel drive fashions, in addition to a high-performance EV6 GT mannequin, which may speed up from 0-to-62mph in simply 3.5 seconds. The EV6 is a excessive performer within the UK’s rising EV sector, with greater than 6,000 models offered within the UK in 2023.
Kia EV9: ‘Finest Electrical 7-Seater’
The all-new Kia EV9, on-sale within the UK since early January 2024, was additionally awarded the ‘Finest Electrical 7-Seater’ prize. A sub-category of the ‘Finest 7-Seater’ award, the EV9 was praised by the judges for its capabilities and worth in comparison with rivals: “Most seven-seat electrical SUVs are both ludicrously costly or not as sensible as you would possibly count on, however the Kia EV9 is totally different, providing snug seating for seven adults in a package deal that – whereas removed from low-cost – is effectively priced subsequent to rivals. And with a beneficiant official vary, the EV9 can sort out lengthy journeys with out you having to fret about the place the following cost is coming from.”
The EV9 is now out there to order within the UK, priced from £64,995 on-the-road and providing a complete vary of apparatus, a daring and fashionable design, and the newest EV expertise supplied by Kia. The rear-wheel drive EV9 ‘Air’ is able to travelling as much as 349 miles on a single cost* (WLTP ‘mixed’ cycle), whereas all-wheel drive ‘GT-Line’ and ‘GT-Line S’ fashions can journey as much as 313 miles on a single cost. Its 800-volt charging functionality means the EV9 can harness excessive DC energy to recharge its battery from 10 to 80 per cent in solely 24 minutes.
Kia wins ‘Tow Automobile Award’ for its extensive selection of towing-capable vehicles
Kia’s fourth trophy is the ‘Tow Automobile Award’, usually reserved for a person automobile, however this yr recognising Kia’s wide selection of towing-capable vehicles.
The judges commented: “What Automobile? and the specialists at The Tenting and Caravanning Membership workforce up yearly to seek out the most effective tow vehicles. Nonetheless, as an alternative of singling out a person mannequin, this yr the judges felt that Kia as a model was most deserving of the award for the way in which it persistently builds good tow vehicles, whether or not you desire a diesel, a hybrid or perhaps a totally electrical automotive.”
A number of of Kia’s vehicles provide a excessive towing capability, together with the favored Sportage, Sorento, EV6, and – now – the EV9, the latter providing a braked towing capability of as much as 2,500kg in all-wheel drive, dual-motor format.
Paul Philpott, President & CEO, Kia UK, commented: “What Automobile? is among the most trusted and dependable names for UK motorists, and recognition within the annual ‘Automobile of the 12 months’ awards is a robust endorsement. We’re subsequently immensely proud to see three of our vehicles recognised as best-in-class in 2024, and our wider mannequin line-up for his or her towing capabilities. The Sportage particularly continues to be a high performer for households all over the place, whereas the award-winning EV6 and EV9 symbolize the benchmark of their respective segments as extra consumers go electrical for the primary time.”
The What Automobile? Automobile of the 12 months Awards
Annually, the What Automobile? Automobile of the 12 months Awards names the most effective new vehicles throughout a number of automobile classes. To be eligible for the awards, a automotive will need to have been examined back-to-back with its rivals, on UK roads and at a devoted take a look at facility, by What Automobile?’s workforce of highway testers.
