Saying Goodbye to One of the Few EV Sports Cars
Why does it seem like it’s always our favorites that get canned? We’ve spent hundreds of miles falling in love with the Kia EV6 GT, only to now find that the 2025 AWD model we spent a week in late last year may be the last time we’ll see the GT. Arrez en paix.
Kia said the change was “due to changing market conditions,” and added that the 2026 EV6 GT was delayed “until further notice.” They went on to say all other trims or versions of the EV6 will continue to be assembled in West Point, Georgia. We take little solace in that, even those the other trims are fine vehicles. They’re just not the screaming GT.
Clean Fleet Report takes one last look at the 2025 EV6 GT. If you can still find one at Kia dealers across the country, don’t dawdle. Once they’re gone, they are gone.
Kia’s Performance EV
When asked if Kia was contemplating adding a sports car to its line-up, Russell Wager, vice president marketing at Kia America, said: ‘Hey, wait a minute. We do have one, and it is called the EV6 GT with 601 horsepower!” Mea culpa. Kia markets the EV6 GT as a performance crossover (the fastest Kia ever!) that is also civil enough to handle all daily driving needs.
The EV6 GT has four drive modes—Eco, Normal, Custom and Sport—with an additional kick-it GT setting that it will turn 0-60 times of 3.4 seconds, a 1/4 mile at 118 mph and, if daring enough to try it, spin the dual electric motors to their maximum of 161 miles per hour. Wondering how this compares to other ‘fast’ cars? Check this out!
Clean Fleet Report assumes you’re smart and urges you not to be driving that fast, so be careful out there! Going fast in itself is fun, but add-in a superb suspension and tight handling, and things get real interesting, real fast. The all-wheel drive EV6 GT, weighing-in at 4,883 pounds, is planted solidly to the ground. The batteries placed below the floor, deliver a low center of gravity. Ask any race car engineer how getting the weight low to the ground can create go-cart-like handling.
Kia says the EV6 GT is “optimized for performance” compared to the base EV6 AWD, which Clean Fleet Report tested and found to be fun, too. The bespoke performance pieces found on the EV6 GT versus the base EV6 make all difference.
- 320 hp to 601 hp
- 320 hp to 641 hp when in Launch Mode
- The torque goes from 446 to 545 lb.-ft.
- Maximum speed: 117 mph to 161 mph
- 0-60 mph: 5.0 seconds to 3.6 seconds
- 0-60 mph: 5.0 to 3.4 seconds when in Launch Mode
- Dedicated sports suspension with electronically controlled dampers
- Performance electronically controlled suspension
- Electronic limited slip differential
- Larger front brakes: 15.0” versus 12.8”
- Larger rear brakes: 14.2” versus 12.8”
- GT-only 255/40 Goodyear Eagle F1 asymmetric tires on 21” alloy wheels
On the Road
The front-to-rear torque vectoring seamlessly provides the needed power to whichever wheel has the most demand. There is a confident feel when cornering with the 2.3 cranks of the steering wheel (lock-to-lock) making for sharp and precise turning.
The EV6 GT has standard ABS and power-assisted ventilated front and rear solid discs. Handling and driving confidence are aided by the standard electronic stability control, electronic brake-pressure distribution and brake assist.
Kia shines with its development of one-pedal driving. With three pulls of the left side steering wheel paddle, the brake regeneration force reaches the maximum setting. Regenerative braking uses the motors to recharge the battery when slowing or coasting, converting kinetic energy into electric energy, which is stored in the battery.
Whether around town or seeking-out curves like we did, “one pedal” is the most convenient, efficient and fun way to drive the EV6 GT. It will be hard for diehard manual transmission and internal combustion engine fans to accept one-pedal driving in an EV is a smoother and faster experience. It isn’t necessarily better than a manual transmission, but different.
Smooth, Linear Acceleration
It needs to be done carefully and obeying the laws when driving on public streets and highways, but there are times when a performance car needs to unwind. People always talk about how fast a car goes, but we at Clean Fleet Report, as well as the electric vehicle manufacturers, are more interested in how fast an EV accelerates. The old saying ‘a need for speed’ needs to be updated to ‘a need for acceleration.’
In Sport, using Launch mode and GT boost, that number is 3.4 seconds from a stop to 60 miles per hour. It’s pin-you-back-in-your-seat fast. You want to experience faster than a Ferrari Roma and Lamborghini Huracan Evo Spyder RWD? Select the Sport drive mode and press the fluorescent yellow GT button, located on the lower left of the steering wheel, and the EV6 GT comes alive.
The dual-motor e-AWD sends 601 hp and 641 lb.-ft. of torque to all four wheels with a smooth and linear acceleration that doesn’t wait for gear shifts—because there are no gears! Such is the beauty of driving an EV.
The front-to-rear torque vectoring seamlessly provided the needed power to whichever wheel had the most demand. There was a confident feel when cornering with the 2.3 cranks of the steering wheel (lock-to-lock) making for sharp and precise turning.
The EV6 GT has standard ABS and power-assisted ventilated front and rear solid discs. Handling and driving support were aided by the standard electronic stability control, electronic brake-pressure distribution and brake assist.
Kia shines with its development of one pedal driving. With three pulls of the left side steering wheel paddle, the brake regeneration force reaches the maximum setting. Regenerative braking uses the motors to recharge the battery when slowing or coasting, converting kinetic energy into electric energy, which is stored in the battery.
Whether around town driving or seeking-out curves, using your fingertips will be the most convenient, efficient and fun way to drive the EV6 GT. It will be hard for diehard manual transmission and internal combustion engine fans to accept that one-pedal driving in an EV is a smoother and faster experience. It isn’t necessarily better than a manual transmission, but different.
Drive Modes
The four drive modes of Eco, Normal, Custom and Sport are selected from a toggle on the left side of the steering wheel, while the GT toggle is all alone on the right side. The modes are self-explanatory with Eco best when on long highway runs, Normal for everyday driving and Sport when a bit more accelerator pedal response is desired. But wait, there’s more as engaging the GT boost maximizes the motors for performance and activates the electronically controlled sports suspension.
For even more fun the car can be placed into a drift mode by turning off the traction control and electronic stability control features, which will then send the power only to the rear wheels. We don’t recommend doing this without professional instruction, practice, a wide-open place to slide around and a tire sponsor or budget as this will quickly erase the tread from your tires.
Power and Range Specs
- Dual electric motors
- 576 horsepower and 545 pound-feet of torque/601 and 545 with Boost
- 0-60 mph: 3.4 seconds
- Electronically controlled top speed: 161 mph
- 77.4 kWh lithium-nickel-cobalt-manganese battery
- 206 miles AER (all-electric range)
Welcoming Interior
The EV6 GT is built on Kia’s dedicated EV platform, which will see service on future EVs from Kia, plus on models from sibling brands Hyundai and Genesis. This design has a completely flat floor and provides ample leg, shoulder and head room for five occupants in a spacious interior.
Driver and passenger get 8-way power (with memory) adjustable heated seats that are covered in SynTex suede. The leather-covered steering wheel has switches for the cruise control, radio volume and channels, a button to activate voice recognition, and the Drive Mode and GT boost selectors.
Wide second row access led to comfortable rear seats. Outbound seats are heated, and rear passengers get two USB-C charge ports and air vents. The 60:40 rear seat slides and reclines, producing 43.6 inches of cargo space when folded down. Without an engine up front there is a front trunk/frunk for stashing small items. The EV6 GT comes standard with a power sunroof and a power lift gate.
The low slung dash has dual 12.3-inch horizontal color display screens that look like one piece. One screen is for the digital instruments and the other for the infotainment system. Sounds came from a 14-speaker (with a subwoofer and four tweeters) Meridian premium audio system with AM/FM/MP3/SiriusXM/HD Radio and wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay connections. Bluetooth can handle up to two devices, while wireless phone charging and a Wi-Fi hot spot complete the technology. The front occupants get a 12V power outlet, two USB-C charge ports, one USB-A data port and air conditioning and heater vents.
Kia has a clever design to go between the dual-zone climate controls and infotainment controls. On the narrow horizontal screen below the main touch screen, there are capacitive touch points for the temperature and fan, and one to switch to the radio controls, which include volume and channel knobs. This space saver had a short learning curve, quickly showing its benefits.
The color head-up display (HUD) included augmented reality where the driver can opt-to project relevant information, such as turn-by-turn navigation and advanced safety alerts of the EV6’s surroundings.
Kia Connect provides access to vehicle systems, including remote start and remote charging. It can connect to a smartphone app for Apple and Android operating systems. The electro-chromatic auto-dimming rear view mirror is Homelink-equipped.
Safety
The Kia EV6 GT comes with an extensive list of standard safety features, beginning with seven airbags: front, side impact, side knee, and side air curtain with rollover sensors. Kia’s safety tech is robust with advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), including lane keeping assist, blind spot detection, forward collision avoidance and rear cross-traffic avoidance assist. Other safety features are hill start assist, surround and blind view monitor with parking sensors and a tire pressure monitoring system.
The Highway Driving Assist is activated when the navigation-based smart cruise control is engaged. This technology, designed to aid in driving, will reduce fatigue and stress and includes the ability to automatically change lanes on a highway by using the turn signal stalk.
Charging
The 10.9 kW onboard charger is part of Kia’s 800 volt system, which, when used with a 350 kW charger, can deliver 70 miles of new range in about five minutes and 217 miles in under 18 minutes.
The EV6 GT can be plugged into a 120V common wall plug, but expect replenish times to be long and slow, as in 72 hours (three days!). The best bet for owners will be to install a 240V Level 2 home charger that will take the battery from a 10-to-80 percent charge in 7.20 hours.
The EV6 GT also has vehicle-to-load (V2L) capability, where power can flow from the battery to charge e-bikes, camping and outdoor equipment, or run your office while traveling. It can also be a home electricity backip during a power outage.
Warranty
- Powertrain – 10 years/100,000 miles
- Battery – 10 years/100,000 miles
- Basic – Five years/60,000 miles
- Roadside Assistance – Five years/60,000 miles
Pricing
The 2025 Kia EV6 GT AWD has a base price, including the $1,495 destination fee, of $65,295.
Clean Fleet Report drove a 2025 Kia EV6 GT AWD, optioned with Yacht Blue Matte paint at $695, carpeted GT-embossed floor mats at $220 and the GT cargo cover at $170, for a total price of $66,380.
Even though the federal government eliminated the tax credit for most electric vehicles, your price may be reduced through state/local agency or local utility incentives as well as keen negotiating.
Observations: 2025 Kia EV6 GT AWD
The 2025 Kia EV6 GT is a true driver’s car. You buy it for the experience of going quick and fast in a nimble all-wheel drive all-electric sports car, but will also find it’s a very civil daily driver. Yes, it is possible a sports car doesn’t have to be a two-seater with a manual transmission. This is the 21st Century after all.
Saying farewell to the EV6 GT is not easy, begging the question – how much longer can you go driving good, but not exciting, cars? Go into your local Kia dealer soon and see if your personality and life are ready to be taken up a notch. Or two.
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Story and photos by John Faulkner.
