- Kia EV6 safety suite features win
- Poor score for pedestrian upper leg impact
- Kia EV6 child safety features
Source: ANCAP
Kia’s pure electric EV6 has secured a five star rating from Australian auto safety testing firm ANCAP.
Built on Hyundai Motor Group’s e-GMP platform, the Kia EV6 is sporty-looking fastback that is available in Australia in a range of variants, although not in large numbers. Kia says it has only secured 500 units for local roads in 2022, and has taken orders stretching comfortably into the latter half of 2023.
Currently, the EV6 is available in an entry-level Air variant starting at $67,990 and the mid-level GT-Line priced from $74,990 (both before on-roads). Both are available in either rear-wheel-drive with a single-motor setup or all-wheel-drive with a motor on each axle. A top-of-the-line GT variant is planned for release later in 2022.
Kia EV6 safety suite features win
ANCAP says it awarded five stars to the EV6 for its outstanding suite of safety features, which include an autonomous emergency braking (AEB) system capable of functioning at highway speeds, a lane support system (LSS) with lane keep assist (LKA) and emergency lane keeping (ELK) functionality, and blind spot monitoring (BSM).
The EV scored 88% for safety assist features. It got top marks for AEB junction assist and occupant status alerts, and near top marks for its speed assistance system.
Source: ANCAP
Its highest score however was for adult occupant protection (90%), with top marks for side oblique impact and pole oblique impact.
Source: ANCAP
This was followed by child occupant protection (87%) – with a top score poof 16 out of 16 for dynamic front protection.
Source: ANCAP
“The Kia EV6 is equipped with the range of collision avoidance systems we’ve come to expect in today’s five star cars, and it performed particularly well for its ability to prevent collisions with cyclists, and oncoming vehicles in avoidance tests simulating intersection turns,” said ANCAP CEO Carla Hoorweg.
Although Hoorweg congratulated the Kia EV6 for its ability to avoid collisions with road users, it did not do so well if a collision were to occur.
Poor score for pedestrian upper leg impact
The EV6 scored just 64% for vulnerable road user protection including top marks for lower leg impact but this was offset by a score of just 2.36 out of 6 for upper leg impact, presumably due to the EV6’s sweeping nose design.
“The bonnet of the Kia EV6 provided ADEQUATE to MARGINAL protection to the head of a struck pedestrian over most of its surface, with WEAK and POOR results recorded at the base of the windscreen and on the stiff windscreen pillars,” said ANCAP in its findings.
“Protection of the pelvis area was ADEQUATE to POOR, while the bumper showed GOOD results for leg impacts.”
However, it did do better on this score than the Hyundai Ioniq 5 which received a five star rating in late 2021, but scored just 0.02 out of 6 for upper leg impact.
Source: ANCAP
Kia EV6 child safety features
Child safety features for the Kia EV6 include ISOfixes in the second row outside seats, and top tether anchorages across all three back row seats.
“Installation of typical child restraints available in Australia and New Zealand showed most child restraints could be accommodated in most rear seating positions, though one of the selected booster seats could not be correctly installed in the centre rear seating position,” said ANCAP.
Source: ANCAP
You can view the full results of the EV6’s ANCAP test here.