7:00 am, January 21, 2022
Kia’s EV6 has been crowned Car of the Year 2022 by What Car? – making it a double triumph for the manufacturer twice over.
The electric car’s victory was announced last night (Jan 20) at the publication’s Car of the Year Awards ceremony at the Grosvenor House hotel in London.
It’s the second time that Kia has won the overall What Car? Car of the Year Award and the second time it’s won with a new electric car, scooping its maiden victory in 2019 with the e-Niro.
Judges said the EV6 set new benchmarks for electric cars, offering an official range of 328 miles, and managing 224 on a charge when What Car?’s testers ran it in near-worst-case low temperatures.
The battery can also charge from 10 to 80 per cent in 18 minutes.
The car was praised for being so spacious, too, as well as refined even by electric car standards and having a seven-year warranty.
What Car? editor Steve Huntingford said: ‘Once again, Kia has set a new benchmark for an electric vehicle.
‘The EV6 is a terrific all-rounder that answers electric car buyers’ questions around range and charging times brilliantly, and which offers terrific space, refinement and value for money.
‘Kia’s progress has long been impressive, but it is the way that it has seized the opportunity offered by the transition to electric cars that has made it a leader in the market.
‘Coming hot on the heels of its victory with the e-Niro in 2019, this Car of the Year win cements its position alongside Tesla as one of the most exciting electric car makers on the planet.’
Kia UK president and chief executive Paul Philpott said: ‘It’s a great honour for Kia to win Car of the Year at this year’s What Car? Awards, particularly given the high regard with which they are held by customers across the UK.
‘The EV6 is a truly exceptional car, and it’s just the beginning of things to come from Kia on our rapid journey to electrification.
‘This is tangible recognition that Kia is fast becoming a true leader in electric vehicles, having also won this award with e-Niro in 2019.’
Other big winners on the night included BMW, which notched up five category victories.
Its X5 scooped the title for best luxury SUV, the 3 Series was named best executive car, the 5 Series best luxury car, the 4 Series best coupé, and the 4 Series Convertible best convertible.
Ford was the next most successful, with three titles: best small SUV (Puma), best sports SUV (Puma ST), and best pick-up (Ranger).
Tesla’s Model 3 took home the trophy for best large electric car, while the Cupra Born was named best small electric car.
The winners in full
OVERALL WINNER
Car of the Year: Kia EV6 RWD GT-Line
CATEGORY WINNERS
Small car: Honda Jazz SR
Family car: Seat Leon 1.5 TSI 130 Evo FR
Small SUV: Ford Puma 1.0 Ecoboost Hybrid (mHEV)
Family SUV: Volvo XC40 Recharge T4 Plus (Dark Theme)
Electric SUV: Kia EV6 RWD GT-Line
Large SUV: Hyundai Santa Fe 4WD Premium
Luxury SUV: BMW X5 xDrive45e M Sport
Sports SUV: Ford Puma ST 1.5 Ecoboost 200 Performance Pack
Hybrid (plug-in): Lexus NX 450h+ F Sport Premium Plus Pack
Small electric car: Cupra Born 58kWh V2
Large electric car: Tesla Model 3 Long Range
Executive car: BMW 3 Series 330e M Sport (M Sport Pro Package)
Luxury car: BMW 5 Series 530e M Sport (M Sport Pro Package)
Estate: Skoda Superb Estate 2.0 TDI 150 SEL
MPV: Volkswagen Touran 1.5 TSI 150 SE
Pick-up: Ford Ranger 2.0L EcoBlue 213PS Wildtrack auto
Hot hatch: Mercedes-AMG A45 S Plus
Performance car: Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo 4S
Coupé: BMW 4 Series 420i M Sport (M Sport Pro Package)
Convertible: BMW 4 Series Convertible 420i (M Sport Pro Package)
Sports car: Porsche Cayman GTS
SPECIAL AWARDS
Reliability Award: Lexus
True MPG Award: Toyota Yaris Cross 1.5 petrol hybrid
Innovation Award: Gridserve
Safety Award: Nissan Qashqai
Tow Car Award: Kia Sorento 2.2 CRDi 3 DCT
Reader Award: Range Rover
