Kia’s first standalone electric vehicle has been awarded the 2022 European Car of the Year title, beating out six other finalists. Yes, the EV6 is the overall winner…

The new Kia EV6 has been named the 2022 European Car of the Year, becoming the first vehicle from the South Korean company to win the award.

Once the votes from the 59-strong jury had been counted, the all-electric crossover had garnered 279 points, which was enough to see it beat the Renault Mégane E-Tech Electric (265 points) and Hyundai Ioniq 5 (261 points) to the title, sitting atop an all-electric podium.

Other finalists that had been in the running included the Ford Mustang Mach-E, Škoda Enyaq iV, Cupra Born and Peugeot 308. As you can tell, electric vehicles (EVs) dominated this year’s competition, with six of the seven finalists taking the form of battery-powered cars and the seventh (the 308) being available in petrol, diesel and plug-in hybrid form.

“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,” said Jason Jeong, President of Kia Europe. “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.”

Though none of the finalists is currently available in South Africa, there’s at least a chance the Kia EV6 will eventually be offered here, with the company’s local division having earlier indicated an intention to conduct a feasibility study on its introduction.

As a reminder, the EV6 is the Korean firm’s first standalone EV and is based on the company’s Electric-Global Modular Platform (E-GMP). Kia claims the EV6 has “class-leading” interior space, a 528 km driving range and 800-volt charging capabilities.

Revealed at the end of March 2021, the EV6 employs a Nickel-Cobalt-Manganese battery pack that is available in two sizes. The base derivative uses a 58 kWh battery with a rear-mounted motor and is good for 125 kW and 350 Nm. The all-wheel-drive version makes 173 kW and 605 Nm, with Kia claiming a 0-100 kph sprint time of 6.2 seconds.

Specify the bigger 77.4 kWh battery and you score more range and more power. The rear-wheel-drive version boasts 168 kW and 350 Nm, while its all-wheel-drive sibling packs a hearty 239 kW and 605 Nm, with the claimed sprint time falling to 5.2 seconds.Finally, the flagship EV6 GT ships standard with all-wheel drive and the bigger battery, plus some extra power, with peak outputs of 430 kW and 740 Nm allowing a claimed 0-100 kph time of just 3.5 seconds and a top speed of 260 kph.

The EV6 has a chance to add another trophy to its cabinet, as it’s also a finalist in the 2022 World Car Awards, where it has been nominated in the overall World Car of the Year category as well as the World Car Design of the Year section. The winners of this competition will be announced on 13 April.