SOME seeing the new Kia EV9 for the first time might think it was a concept model giving a taste of how cars will look in the future.

The all-electric SUV is big, distinctively different and comes with three rows of seats.

There are three versions of the EV9. Cheapest is the rear-drive Air with 200bhp and costing £65,025.

With drive to all wheels (AWD) and producing 378bhp are the £73,275 GT-Line, pictured, and the GT-Line S, priced from £76,025.

All provide seating for seven but there is an additional version of the GT-Line S which is a six-seater. Costing £77,025, it has two seats in the middle row which can be swivelled round to face the two at the back.

Being a sizeable vehicle, occupants will not feel cramped wherever seated and there is still room for some luggage behind the third row. Powered folding down of the second and third row seats converts the EV9 into a handy load carrier.

EV9s with AWD are fast with Kia saying they will get from rest to 62mph in just 5.3 seconds and run up to 124mph.

An unladen weight of around 2.7 tonnes for AWD versions might suggest they could feel cumbersome when pressing on but I never felt unease driving the GT-Line.

Manufacturers are putting an increasing amount of hi-tec into dashboards. Some are not user-friendly but Kia have not totally dispensed with switches.

AWD EV9 models have a range rating of up to 313 miles against up to 348 miles for the rear-drive Air version.

While nowhere near as quick as its stablemates, the Air is claimed capable of 0-62mph in under 10 seconds. The Air’s greater range and much cheaper price would attract me.

Kia’s impressive haul of awards for the well appointed EV9 include World Car of the Year 2024 and UK Car of the Year 2024.