Comparison review: 2023 Kia EV6 GT v Tesla Model Y Performance
These two exciting new electric cars have shown just how far zero-emissions cars have come in a few short years. See which comes out on top.
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Electric performance cars deliver the fastest acceleration you can buy for $100,000 or so. Two of the latest contenders, the Tesla Model Y and Kia EV6, apply fast-car thrills to family friendly motoring.
Tesla Model Y Performance
The rapid version of Tesla’s Model Y won’t attract a second glance from petrolheads.
Shunning the usual peacocking of bright colours, polished wheels, proud badges and loud exhausts, the Model Y Performance is hard to spot – red brake callipers and a subtle carbon fibre spoiler are the only visual giveaways.
It’s a similar case on the inside, where the Model Y’s unremarkable steering wheel and high seats with flat bolsters hardly scream performance car.
As with any other Tesla, the cabin is an airy space with the minimalist styling and enormous central touchscreen familiar to fans of the brand.
It has a truly sensational 14-speaker stereo and the same gimmicks you’ll find in cheaper models – including Netflix and video games.
Tesla doesn’t publish power figures, but it does claim the car is capable of dispatching the 0-100km/h dash in 3.7 seconds, making it faster than more expensive performance heroes such as the Audi RS3 and Mercedes-AMG A45.
A similarly spacious petrol SUV with this sort of punch will cost almost $200,000 on the road.
The Tesla costs about $106,000 drive-away.
This performance model turns up the voltage on the brand’s crossover, its dual motors delivering a claimed 393kW of power, according to vehicle homologation documents. Some experts suggest the car’s output is closer to 350kW but it’s an impressively rapid machine by any measure.
The Tesla leaps forward with a determined prod of the accelerator pedal, making the most of careful throttle mapping, sophisticated traction control and fat Pirelli tyres to rocket down the road with minimal fuss.
Quick steering combines with firm suspension and a low centre of gravity to help the Model Y corner with agility rarely found in crossovers. A new suspension tune somehow makes this car feel more composed and comfortable than the regular Model Y.
The cabin is still a little boomy over bumps but the “autopilot” driver assistance system is impressive for the most part.
The Model Y also has superior range to the EV6 – a claimed 514km compared with 424km for the Kia.
The strangest element of the Model Y in these supply-constrained times is that customers who place an order today will get their car in less than a month.
Kia EV6 GT
As with its American rival, the Kia is an electric family crossover that uses two electric motors to deliver shocking performance. But unlike Tesla, Kia leans on tried-and-true car methods used by conventional manufacturers to sell fast cars.
There are spoilers, polished 21-inch alloys and neon green highlights. GT badges join deeply-bolstered bucket seats and a flat-bottomed steering wheel with shift paddles in the cabin.
Kia’s website pitches the EV6 GT as a “peerless triumph” that is “beyond perfection”, while video ads show the Kia competing against European supercars in a drag race.
This is new territory for what was recently a budget brand. It now offers a family car with 430kW of power and a claimed 3.5-second sprint to 100km/h.
Priced from about $110,000 drive-away, it’s the most expensive Kia yet. But that hasn’t prevented demand from outstripping the seriously limited supply of a car that will be hard to get hold of this year.
Kia’s halo model is loaded with kit, including the full gamut of safety features and a decent array of luxury touches such as a panoramic sunroof and sports seats trimmed in faux suede and leather. But those seats are manually adjustable, which grates in a six-figure car. You could say the same of the hard plastics in a rear passenger area that lacks the space and vision of the Tesla.
Twin 12.3-inch displays feel dated alongside Tesla’s next-level infotainment. It also lacks the Model Y’s class-leading smartphone app but scores points for a seven-year warranty and vehicle-to-load capability that the Tesla doesn’t match. Tesla hits back with a much broader charging network for those who like to venture beyond the city.
There’s no doubt the EV6 feels faster than the Tesla. It’s a seriously quick car. Narrower rear Michelins struggle for traction and the body shimmies out of line when you give it a bootful.
It feels like a muscle car – powerful, weighty and demanding respect. Heavier than the Tesla, with slower steering and less intrusive stability control, the Kia asks more of a driver than its rival.
Clever electronic suspension is more sophisticated than the Model Y’s fixed dampers, giving drivers the ability to customise its behaviour. It also allows finer tuning of the braking, battery regeneration and traction control to please keen drivers.
VERDICT
The Kia is the superior driver’s car, and the most engaging sub-$200,000 EV we’ve experienced. It’s a remarkable machine.
But the Model Y is a smarter everyday proposition with a more liveable cabin, more range, a superior charging network and strong brand appeal. Add the fact you can have a Tesla in the driveway next month and it takes a narrow victory here.
TESLA MODEL Y PERFORMANCE VITALS
PRICE About $106,000 drive-away
MOTOR Front and rear electric, about 393kW
WARRANTY/SERVICE 4-year/80,000km, no capped price servicing
SAFETY 7 airbags, front and rear auto emergency braking, active cruise control, blind-spot monitoring, traffic jam
assistance
RANGE 514km
BOOT 854 litres
SPARE Repair kit
KIA EV6 GT VITALS
PRICE About $110,000 drive-away
MOTOR Front, rear electric, 430kW/740Nm
WARRANTY/SERVICE 7-year/unlimited km, $2013 for 7 years
SAFETY 8 airbags, front and rear auto emergency braking, active cruise control, blind-spot monitoring, traffic jam assistance, rear cross-traffic alert
RANGE 424km
BOOT 480 litres
SPARE Repair kit
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