Although Hyundai and Kia sit under the same corporate roof, the two companies treat each other as rivals. And in this competition, Kia notched a win when it comes to the EV6 electric SUV over Hyundai's Ioniq 5. The EPA published the official range ratings for both vehicles, and they show the EV6 take a slight lead over the Ioniq 5's ratings. At its best, the Kia will do 310 miles on a charge compared to the Hyundai's 303-mile rating.
Both of those 300-plus figures come from the 77.4 kilowatt-hour battery packs installed for the Long Range models with a rear-wheel drive layout. The EV6 follows an identical hierarchy as the Hyundai with battery packs and the option for all-wheel drive. Adding the AWD system drops the EV6's range rating to 274 miles, which bests the 256-mile estimate for the Ioniq 5. And if you're shopping the least expensive version of Kia's electric SUV, the Standard Range model with rear-wheel drive will do an estimated 236 miles. The figure is 16 miles greater than the Ioniq 5, which has an identical layout.
The difference in range is minor, but it's interesting to see two cars riding with identical platforms and powertrains differ this much. It very well could be aerodynamics or something else Kia tweaked to gain the slight advantage. We should see the first EV6 SUVs launch in the first quarter of next year with a First Edition model. If you reserved one of these special cars, you'll get some unique color choices and extra equipment, such as the brand's Smart Park system. An Apple Watch is part of the deal, too.
