We’ve now learned initial pricing for Kia’s upcoming EV9 three-row SUV in one European market, thanks to a price list on Kia’s Belgian-language website.
So far we’ve had to speculate on pricing for the upcoming EV9, as Kia hasn’t announced US pricing yet. With deliveries starting in Korea last week, we know what domestic Korean pricing is for the EV9 – it starts at around $60K. But things can change when cars get exported, so European pricing gives us a little more of a hint as to what the car might cost overseas.
Now, thanks to a Belgian price list, we know that the base model “Earth launch edition” spec of the EV9 starts at €74,990 – definitely a higher price than we initially expected. “Earth” in this instance refers to trim level, as Kia is wont to use environmental terms to describe its trim levels (“wave,” “wind,” etc.). The only separately-priced options we see are for swiveling second-row seats and metallic or matte paint. Otherwise, all customization comes through the two trim levels (the higher “GT Line” trim costs an additional €8,900).
However, there are some caveats. These prices include Belgian taxes, which stand at 21%. The pre-tax base price is €61,975, which translates to ~$67.5K at current exchange rates. This, we think, is the closest idea of what US pricing might look like for the upcoming SUV.
However, this is the 99.8kWh “large battery” version. We haven’t seen pricing for the “standard” 76.1kWh version anywhere yet, but we imagine that would account for a nice chunk of a discount. For comparison, the EV6 comes in 58kWh and 77kWh versions, and that 19kWh difference will cost you $6,100 more. So the 23kWh difference between the EV9’s two models should probably cut a similar amount off of the price.
So the base price of the standard-battery model, once that comes around, could be closer to $60K again. This is still more expensive than the Korean pricing, since Korea gets the large battery for around $60K, so it looks like we’re seeing maybe a 10% or so increase for foreign models.
It also starts the EV9 near the top of pricing for the EV6. The EV6 starts at $42K but goes up to $61K for the highest-end configurations. So Kia is building a price ladder here, with the bigger car occupying the top rung of it (personally I think smaller cars are better, but I guess I’m the weird one).
Comparing to other offerings on the market, this is a big chunk more expensive than Kia’s gas-powered SUV, the Telluride, which starts at $35k, or €34k in Europe. That massive almost-100kWh battery doesn’t come cheap.
While EV price differentials can often be made up by subsidies, the EV9 won’t qualify for the US EV tax credit, due to being assembled in Korea. However, US buyers can get around this restriction by leasing, where Kia currently offers a $7,500 lease deal on its current models by passing along the commercial EV tax credit to the lessee. Kia hasn’t confirmed that this deal will apply to the EV9, but as it applies to its other EV models, we suspect it will – though maybe not immediately at launch.
But looking at pricing of some other three-row electric SUVs, this price would put the EV9 about mid-pack. If we assume an eventual ~$60K base for the standard model, that’s more than the Tesla Model Y and Mercedes EQB which both start at around $53K with their anemic rear seats, approximately in line with or a little less than what we expect from the spacious three-row ID.Buzz, and quite a chunk less than the Rivian R1S and Volvo EX90 which are in the 80K range.
We’re seeing more sightings of the EV9 in the US (we just saw a video of one in Palm Springs, see below), so launch is imminent. We’ll surely get real pricing soon, but until then, what do you think about the likely ~$60K base price in the US for the standard-battery EV9? Or $67K for the large battery? Let us know in the comments.