Grey Kia EV6 with forested mountains in background
With the base model price just qualifying for federal rebates, Kia EV6 (above) expected to arrive in the Canadian market this month. Photo: Kia

With the first vehicles set to arrive in Canada this month, Kia unveils the price of the EV6 starting at $44,995 making it eligible for federal and provincial rebates

Editor’s note: this story has been changed to reflect an update from Kia that the two GT packages will be rebate eligible in Canada.

The Kia EV6, the South Korean automaker’s first purpose-built, all-electric battery vehicle, will be hitting Canadian roads with a starting price tag of $44,995.

The EV6 is available in five different trim levels: Standard Range RWD with pricing at $44,995; Long Range RWD: $52,995; Long Range AWD: $54,995; Long Range AWD with GT-Line Package 1: $57,995; and Long Range AWD with GT-Line Package 2: $61,995.

A spokesperson for Kia Canada told Electric Autonomy Canada in an email statement confirmed that the vehicles will be “allocated to [Kia’s] network of EV-certified dealers across the country” and will be arriving later this month.

Taking a page out of the Canadian pricing strategy used recently by Volkswagen’s new ID.4 electric SUV and Hyundai’s Ioniq 5 crossover SUV, the Kia EV6 starting price sits a hair below the federal government’s zero-emission vehicles incentive program’s $45,000 base model cut off.

This means the standard, long range RWD and long range AWD EV6s will qualify for both the $5,000 federal rebate as well as provincial and territorial rebate programs, where available, confirms Kia Canada.

The two GT packages will also qualify for the rebate.

Similarities with the Ioniq 5

The EV6 is built on the same new electric-global modular platform (E-GMP) as the Hyundai Ioniq 5. As a result, the two vehicles share similar capabilities including support for ultra-fast, 800-volt charging (can charge up to 250kW) that can supply up to 100 km of range in five minutes and the ability to take its battery from 10-80 per cent in 18 minutes, says the automaker.

The EV6 also is available in two battery packs. The 58 kWh battery has a 125kW rear motor and a range of up to 373 km while the 77.4 kWh battery with a 168kW rear motor and up to 499 km range.

Kia’s AWD model comes with the larger battery pack and has a dual 74kW front motor and a 165kW rear motor combination that gives the vehicles up to 441 km in range.

The South Korean automakers also have a GT model AWD that’s capable of 0-100 km/h acceleration in 3.5 seconds (compared to 5.1 seconds for the quickest Ioniq 5). The GT is expected to arrive in Canada later this year, equipped with the larger battery and a 160kW front motor and a 270kW rear motor.

Nod to Canadian market needs

Kia previously launched the Soul EV and Niro EV, which ran on electric power but were based on internal-combustion engine platforms. For its all-electric EV6 crossover, Kia will include for Canadian customers a heat pump system to help maintain range during winter conditions.

The vehicle also has Vehicle-to-Load (V2L) technology that can provide 1.9kW of power to run home and personal electrical devices and a Vehicle-to-Vehicle (V2V) option to charge another EV in an emergency.

Kia says it also equipped the EV6 with several Advanced Driver Assistance Systems including smart parking assist, blind-spot avoidance assist, driver attention warning, forward collision avoidance assist, navigation-based smart cruise control-curve, high beam assist, highway driving assist, and intelligent speed limit assist.

“The EV6 not only demonstrates Kia’s future in terms of design and technological advancement, but it is also the embodiment of the company’s new brand and Plan S strategy, as Kia’s first dedicated battery electric vehicle,” says Kia Canada’s VP and COO, Elias El-Achhab, in a press statement.

“We are excited for Canadians to get behind the wheel and experience the new era of electrification brought to them by Kia.”

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