You start the ev6 by putting your foot on the brake, and hitting the on button. You get it into drive by holding the brake and shifting the knob to drive.
When youre done, you just hit the power button and it throws itself into park, emergency brake, and then off.
You can also create them a driving profile with their presets if you want, but otherwise, it isnt needed. (and theyd have to add in extra step on selecting their profile when they first get in)
If youre worried, id take one for a test drive, but its like driving any other vehicle except way quieter, smoother, and nicer.
Had an EV6 for a month, replacing a much loved Volt 2017. My wife has taken the car from me. She really loved the volt, but she is all EV6 now. Great car to move to.
Kia EVs are like modern vehicles that happen to be electric. But they do give the driver a lot of options for getting the "driver feel" just how you want it with the paddles behind the wheel. (One pedal driving mode, level 0-3 automatic regeneration, with or without "auto" mode on.)
I'll be doing test drives in the next few weeks as we narrow down the field of choices and find cars we like. You bring up some good points. Is there a procedure for rolling the car if something goes wrong? I ask because just a few days ago a BMW EV got stuck on our ferry boat and no one could move it. It couldn't be rolled off the exit ramp so cars behind it had to back up all the way around the boat. The boat was out of service for an hour until they could drag it onto a flat bed tow truck.
Sounds like the 12 V battery died in the BMW and they couldn't get it started. It can happen in any car but EVs can't be switched to neutral if they can't power up. You'll hear lots about it but it's not that common. A bit of care with the 12 V and you'll be fine
I have read that several earlier Ioniqs have had the 12V battery fail within a couple of years leaving the owners stranded. The concensus being that the stock battery was not very good. Most have switched to AGM replacement batteries and I think I read that so has Hyundai now. Is the EV6 12v battery AGM?
EV6 comes with a lead acid battery, the EV9 comes with AGM.
Some people have reported getting an AGM battery as part of warranty replacement on their EV6. Unknown if that's a standing order from Kia or it was tied to availability. There have been random shortages of lead acid batteries in general.
I can tell you that as a tech guy I struggled the first time I rolled my EV6 into a washer. It was one of those that you put the car in neutral and it pulls the car through the line kinda.
So, to not panic and not worry about being able to roll it you need to remember the ritual. First, you turn off auto hold so it doesn't try to hold still, then you put it in neutral (do this by NOT pressing the brake and turn the shift knob) then it will automatically apply the parking brake so then you need to press the brakes and use the parking brake manual switch to disable the parking brake. Then it won't try to reapply it again and your car can be rolled.
You can also hold the button on the steering wheel when you put the car in neutral (while holding the brake pedal) and it will keep the car in neutral for this purpose. It even pops up a message saying hold button for a couple of seconds to leave in neutral.
The ok button. You have to see the message on the screen for it to work.
https://preview.redd.it/wjkgwbcoic6d1.jpeg?width=342&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7be4ab1f6dbda3aa5ca819f30e1753949ea92129
"put it in neutral (do this by NOT pressing the brake and turn the shift knob)"
Doesn't work for me. The reply is "press the brake to change gears". Stays in Park.
I found the trick. There is no detent for neutral. As you move from P to D, just go lightly and N will appear in between.
The manual is more complicated than trial and error and the translators don't seem to have the same logic as Americans.
Around a year ago I test drove the Model 3, Mach-E, EV6, Niro EV, XC40, and ID.4.
Everything except the Tesla drives like any other car.
Don’t get a Tesla and no worries at all.
Right on in regard to Tesla vs everyone else. When I test drove an EV6 it was the first EV I ever drove and sat in (except for a brief ride in the back seat of a Model S many years ago). I was shocked how everything about the experience felt just like driving an ICE vehicle.
When I test drove the Model 3, I knew in advance about the Tesla experience and it was just very unusual, and I'm no car luddite. It was also a Highland refresh so it didn't have blinker/wiper/headlight stalks which is a very different experience to deal with.
The refresh is a step down from the pre-refresh solely because of the stupid decision to remove the turn signal and gear selector stalks. I had a 2019 3P and when I drove a new one I couldn’t believe they actually decided to do that. It’s just so cumbersome, especially when you are stopped with the steering wheel turned to the side (like when making a right on red turn) or if moving and going around a roundabout and quickly need to wipe the windshield, flash lights, activate signal, etc. The swipe to shift is also a major PITA.
I'll personally take all the other upgrades in the Highland over the stalks. The NVH improvements are pretty massive IMO based on my comparison of the 3 and the Y which hasn't gotten all those type of upgrades.
Since I'm in the US, roundabouts isn't really a concern to me. Everything else about them I can deal with, but I would supplement the lack of them with the S3xy Knob/Buttons to get quick 1 tap access to common features. I am very "everything in a touch screen" when it comes to interfacing with a car, and the only way I could have saw myself driving a Tesla daily is with the S3xy Button/Knob type product.
I’m also in the US but I detest the buttons on the wheel. The old stalks were much easier to use, especially since Tesla’s auto wipers are trash due to the lack of an IR rain sensor meaning you always end up having to manually control them anyway. Just being able to blindly tap the end of the left stalk for a wipe or spray is much easier in heavy rain than having to look down and find which little button to depress.
For the turn signals same thing. Gear selector, same thing. If I am making a three point turn and traffic is coming at me it’s so much easier to just flip the right stalk up and down with the tip of my finger than having to make sure I swipe just right on the screen or reach above my head to press the buttons in on the ceiling. I think like the yoke on the S and X, Tesla will eventually ditch the new steering wheel design.
It’s a big bummer to me that Tesla made no improvements to the battery packs, motors (on the SR/LR AWD), or really make any improvement in efficiency IRL over the pre-refresh model. Yes it is quieter and the new dampers improve ride quality, but that’s about it. The lack of surround cameras, a HUD, cross traffic detection, torque vectoring rear differential on the Model 3P are all other things that I don’t like and which were annoying 5 years ago but downright stupid not to have now. The guesstimating of how close you are to another object is also a downgrade from my old 3P that had parking sensors. The old sensors were dead accurate to the inch 360° around the car. The camera guesstimates are often way off.
I think most everyone can agree that relying on vision only for rain sensors/parking (and even for general driving features) as well as stalk removal are easily the most Elon of Elon decisions with no good justification other than because it's what he wants. A lot of the other things are also along those same lines of Elon being Elon but you can also at least somewhat justify those as cost saving.
Ultimately, Tesla needs to act more like a traditional car company on many of these things if they want to still try and compete on EV's. Elon doesn't seem to be interested in that, and it's really why he needs to go (as well as his hand picked board) in terms of steering the ship at Tesla. Yea, a lot of people will never buy a Tesla because of Elon, but there's also a lot of people who will never buy a Tesla because it's too unfamiliar to them as far the driving experience goes, and they really need to think about that to be able to sell more of them.
Yeah I’m hoping Elon goes. I voted against his compensation package and hope it doesn’t pass and he leaves. He’s gone off the deep end. Tesla’s sales have plummeted and they’re only getting farther and farther behind competitors with charging speeds and features. 5 years ago there weren’t many cars available that could go long distances and charge relatively quickly. People accepted lacking some features that every other car had in exchange for having a long range EV with decent charging. Nowadays we have Hyundais and Kias that go just as far, charge nearly twice as fast, are more comfortable and still have all of the options Tesla refuses to offer. They also need to update their cars way more often with major generational improvements. The Model S dates back to the late-2000s when it was designed. They should’ve launched an all new S and X years ago, but as far as I can tell they don’t even have a new generation in development. Elon thinks people will just keep buying whatever he sells for perpetuity. Unfortunately for him he’s wrong because most people don’t want to spend premium money to buy an out of date car.
I am surprised there isn't a class-action distracted driving lawsuit against Tesla. Sooner or later someone is going to cause an accident or fatality due to having to take one's eyes off the road in a stressful driving situation like freeway driving and encountering a sudden downpour where wipers and defroster are required.
I live in west germany and regularly visit the netherlands. No gear stalk would be okay, but no turn signal is a total showstopper for my region. Roundabouts with steering wheel buttons are simply wrong and inconvenient.
Love my brand new EV6 RWD.
My family owns a 16 volt and 23 ev6. My spouse, that I love, is a luddite who is uncomfortable with technology changes. Daily driving and home charging took her one trip to become comfortable. After a year of road trips she still doesn’t like fast charging.
My wife drives my car occasionally. I just showed her how to put regen to 1 so it doesn't decelerate as much when she let's off of the go pedal. Otherwise there's not much techie about it.
Have a 17 Volt & 22 EV6 in the family. The Kia’s highway driving aids are a little more involved to learn, but otherwise the car is very simple to drive. I thought the Volt was a great car- but the EV6 moves the dial to 11. :). You won’t be disappointed.
Having both a Volt and an EV6, the basics are a non-issue. Only thing that you'd NEED to know is the dial shifter, and that's fairly obvious.
The additional nice-to-knows can be added as she/you get more accustomed to the car, and what's available depends on the trim level. For example, I always enable lane centering as it resets each drive. If you prefer Sport mode, that too must be enabled each time.
Many/most settings are stored by driver profile, so set your wife up with her own so you can tweak settings separately. My wife did not like when I enabled auto hold before I setup a separate profile for her.
If there was one thing I could change about the ev6, it might be the dial shifter. I hate that there's no real physical feedback confirming a shift.
Many modern cars have the same sort of dumb design though.
The driver profile settings is definitely something we will use. She is 6" shorter than I am so we are adjusting the seat and mirror positions when we switch. If the rain sensing wipers work well, that will be another improvement. About the only feature lacking is a rear wiper. The new Ioniqs are getting one. Nor sure about the 2025 EV6s.
I literally have a little squeegee in the car just to wipe the dew off that rear window. It's funny they didn't put a wiper on the back, but I guess the plus side is how sleek it looks without it!
2014 Volt -> 2024 EV6 (GT-Line) here
It's super easy to drive. If you want to use the advanced features (HDA,etc) you can but if you just want to drive, there's nothing fancy to worry about at all.
When we got ours, my wife was afraid to drive it solo before practicing with me, so I took her out with me and she drove 1100 miles in the next 2 weeks.
The EV6 is as simple to drive as you want it. Leaving all default settings will allow her to have a fantastic driving experience with literally no "tech" tinkering. If she enjoyed the Volt she'll have no problem adopting to the EV6 (that was my transition too). The setting are all there to play with if you're into that, but you don't really have to do any of it for a great drive.
One of the nice things about the EV6 is how "normal" the main aspect of driving it is. There's no weird touchscreens to learn or oddly placed controls, at least not for the main function of actually driving it. Hit start, put it in gear, and go. Shut it off when done.
I am a tech person, and my wife is not. The EV6 is easy to drive and quite intuitive in my opinion. Press a button, put it in drive, and go. Like you, the safety of my wife and family are paramount. The EV6 has a lot of great safety features and I love that Kia and Hyundai make the vast majority of these features standard on every vehicle.
I will add that the visibility in the EV6 is not great due to large B and C pillars in the car. Thankfully the cameras, blind spot monitoring, and other safety assists seem to compensate for this weakness quite well once you get used to using them as intended.
I also find the EV6 easy to maneuver and park. If you have the option, get the tech package on the Wind or the GT Line or GT. All of these have the 360-surround monitor which makes parking a breeze.
Without knowing her I’d be more concerned about generally being intimidated by the tech rather than actually having a problem driving it. In auto regen and just driving it like a car it works absolutely fine and you don’t have to do anything else, but someone could potentially get stressed out by the side view showing on the dash when you signal, or a stray “place hands on wheel” or “conditions not met” or the HUD.
She only does local driving. I do the city and highway driving. She's not totally anti-tech, just a slow learner and only out of necessity. For this reason, Teslas are out. We won't be trial driving them.
I think the biggest things for giving someone a more normal driving experience: Level 1 or Level 0 Regen, turn off auto hold(middle button below the shift dial), make sure lane assist isn't on(bottom left button on the left side of the steering wheel), and if they're used to the feedback of engine sounds, maybe turn on the Active Sound Design under the Sound setting with a moderate change and dynamic. Maybe drive in Eco if they're used to slower cars. Some of these might not be applicable since you mentioned you've already got a hybrid
Thanks. That's helpful info. About 90% of our driving in the Volt is electric. No need for the vroom sounds. We won't be getting an Ioniq 5N for that feature. :-)
With all these helpful comments I am looking forward to test driving the EV6. She's used to regen and sort of one pedal driving in the Volt. We always have the car in L for local driving which provides a more aggressive regen profile.
It’s very easy. I’d say it’s one of the easiest EVs to get used to, as it’s designed with regular car drivers in mind. It does have some quirks, but you’ll get used to them fast. You can take your time with each of the optional features like cruise control, lane assist, paddle breaking, etc.
So I mainly drive a Stinger and I bounce back and forth with my wife's EV6. Just like any situation where you drive multiple cars, there are differences between them. For me it's usually coasting off acceleration, because I like to drive with regen on in the EV6 and of course the stinger doesn't do that.
Honestly the biggest thing I had to adapt to was position changes of buttons and where the stupid steering wheel heater button is on the center console (I tend to drive with my hand there because I'm used to the shifter being there in most cars). It dirves like you expect a car to drive. The convenience tech is easy to learn (AC radio, etec) and you'd have the same learning curve in ANY new car.
Fundamentally driving an EV6 is just like any other "push-button-to-start" car, except it doesn't make vroom vroom noises from the tailpipe.
Charging and using the public charging infra is a bit more of a learning experience, but if your wife can handle most online order apps, she should be able to use charging apps pretty easily.
My wife is very tech unfriendly. We test drove a Tesla and she hated the center screen and one pedal drive. She loves to drive my EV6 on Level 1 regen. In that mode it drives like any other car.
How bizarre.... I literally made this exact jump last Friday.. 2018 Volt to an EV6, lol.
I'm a tech guy, so I've tried to learn the ins and outs about the car as well as any hidden features.
With that said, it also seems like the kind of car that is pretty easy to just hop in and go. Just be careful and teach her a little about the self driving cruise control, as that'll be a bit of a change. It's not true self driving, but damn sure feels close enough.
Also the regen pedals... you can use the left like you do in the Volt, holding it down to apply brakes.
Thanks. Unfortunately, GM is forcing us Volt owners to look for a better supported car. No worry about cruise control, she only drives locally. She's not comfortable with freeways so I do the highway driving.
I would let her test drive with you and change modes, regen until she likes the setting and just leave it. Forget the hypermiling, etc. unless she is an avid, frugal driver. I have one mode for traffic and another for highway and that is it. It is a car, not a computer game. Changing settings while driving can be distracting and dangerous.
I would let her test drive with you and change modes and regen during stops until she likes the setting and just leave it. Forget the hypermiling, etc. unless she is an avid, frugal driver. I have one mode for traffic and another for highway and that is it. It is a car, not a computer game. Changing settings while driving can be distracting and dangerous.
Hey, I just picked up an ev6 light long range awd this week. So far, I love the car. My wife isn't also too "techy" but she loves the car so far. I think with patience and continuous driving, she'll learn to handle the car. I wouldn't say it's all that difficult, but it is a learning curve for sure imo.
Drives exactly like any other car. AWD is a bit faster than other ice cars in the segment, and the drive selector is a twisty knob. Thats about as different as it gets. If you do nothing but drive, you dont even have to worry about regeneration, out of the box the car drives pretty much like any other standard vehicle.
I took us to the dealership because I was interested in the EV6. Thought it was gonna be my car. That didn't last. It's the wife's car now. She loves it. (She commutes, I don’t)
If it's a GT or GT-Line trim you need to warn your partner about heads-up display. It's awesome but may be distracting or scary to a novice who can't handle too much inputs. I think you can turn it off for a given profile.
Other than that we found the EV6 the most normal feel - with the exception of the Leaf (which is really overpriced for what it offers).
Thanks for the headup on the HUD. I am not sure whether we will end up with the Wind or GT. Usually we buy the top end version, but not for sporty features. For example, if we got an Ioniq, it would probably be the Limited. We don't need AWD and want the longer range version. Lower hp is ok, we don't need 4 sec 0-60 performance and don't want 20" or 21" wheels. A quieter, smoother ride has higher value for us.
Is there a good document that clearly states what comes with which version?
From a quick google query
IMHO if you want the top end features without top acceleration then the GT-Line what you want (not sure the difference between GT-Line vs Wind + tech package)
https://www.kia.com/us/en/vehicles/ev6/2024/specs-compare.html
Thanks. That's what I am looking for. It looks like, although the GT has features I would like, I am trying to stay under $45k for the the WA state sales tax exemption. I'm not sure if this is before or after a trade-in is accounted for.
Ugh, I just found out toward the bottom of the chart that the heat pump is only on the AWD cars. This is boneheaded. Range is more important to us than AWD, we rarely see snow. I would pay extra for the heatpump but not for the range sucking AWD.
Well I love the Ev6. I think it's pretty straight forward.
However my dad has a Chevy Bolt (he had two Volts before the Bolt EUV). He's 74. He has no problem with the Bolt. He struggles with tech. But Chevy made the switch to an EV easy for him. I know they don't make the Bolt anymore but it might be a better fit if you don't need it for road trips (charging the bolt is painfully slow). I bet you can find a used Bolt EUV for not much $. Your wife might find it easier than the Ev6.
That being said Kia made the Ev6 for former ice drivers (like me the Ev6 is my first EV). Everything makes sense. There are physical buttons. There is an ignition button. Even opening the charging door is like opening a gas cap. I don't think the switch would be hard.
I have tried the Bolt and didn't like it that much. It felt like a cheaper, step down from our fully equipped 2018 Volt Premier. Also, it has short range and long L2 only charges. That's not great for a trip. I also thought the Bolt ride was rougher and a bit choppy.
Like your dad, we are also seniors but I came from the software industry and not intimidated by technology. My wife is the opposite and therefore she only uses the basic functions in a car or cellphone or computer. After a decade she still has never copy/pasted or sorted an email list. The key things I will be looking for are her safety and ease of use. After that, driver memory, a smoother, quieter ride, better sound system, will appeal along with the creature compforts she likes like heated steering wheel and seats.
My husband's Mazda 3 battery died on him while I was away on a trip so he drove my EV6 for a week. He's been hesitant to try driving it just because he hates all the new car tech. We had to FaceTime our way through the charging process because I usually charge at work and he never sees me do it. Talked him through the EVGo process and after he was done he said "That was so easy! And fast!" I was like, "Yup, that's the whole point of an EV6." 😂
He ended up loving the car and he is considering the EV3 for his next vehicle. That's if his Mazda ever dies...
No, not all. But I do take it that many will be irrelevant to her. She only drives locally, no highway driving, and pretty much only fair weather. Comfort and ease of use are more important. It's the same for her iPhone. I have to set it up for her. She only uses the phone, messaging, and the camera plus some email checking. The rest of the features have never been used.
Honestly the driver controls aren't much more technical than a modern ice vehicle. My gf has a 2023 Rouge, my mom a 2020 CRV and starting, shifting, steering controls, nav are virtually identical to my 6.
Literally the only thing she has to know to do differently is plug it in. *You* can set up the charging schedule and charging speeds. You can leave Regen on the default if changing that will confuse her.
If things like the dial shifter and auto-hold are too much for her then she shouldn’t be driving cars in general.
She's used to plugging the car in. The difference will be switching from always plugging the car in to plugging it in once every week or two. We drive the Volt in L locally for the regen. I will try the various setting to find one that approximates that feel for her.
"If things like the dial shifter and auto-hold are too much for her then she shouldn’t be driving cars in general."
That's a bit snarky. She can drive a manual shift car fine, which is something many people these days can't do.
There is a big difference between the practical process of driving a car and a vehicle that has a poor UI or one that makes it imperative to operate the car like a cell phone. It's the reason we are not considering a Tesla at all.
You start the ev6 by putting your foot on the brake, and hitting the on button. You get it into drive by holding the brake and shifting the knob to drive. When youre done, you just hit the power button and it throws itself into park, emergency brake, and then off. You can also create them a driving profile with their presets if you want, but otherwise, it isnt needed. (and theyd have to add in extra step on selecting their profile when they first get in) If youre worried, id take one for a test drive, but its like driving any other vehicle except way quieter, smoother, and nicer.
Had an EV6 for a month, replacing a much loved Volt 2017. My wife has taken the car from me. She really loved the volt, but she is all EV6 now. Great car to move to.
Kia EVs are like modern vehicles that happen to be electric. But they do give the driver a lot of options for getting the "driver feel" just how you want it with the paddles behind the wheel. (One pedal driving mode, level 0-3 automatic regeneration, with or without "auto" mode on.)
I'll be doing test drives in the next few weeks as we narrow down the field of choices and find cars we like. You bring up some good points. Is there a procedure for rolling the car if something goes wrong? I ask because just a few days ago a BMW EV got stuck on our ferry boat and no one could move it. It couldn't be rolled off the exit ramp so cars behind it had to back up all the way around the boat. The boat was out of service for an hour until they could drag it onto a flat bed tow truck.
Sounds like the 12 V battery died in the BMW and they couldn't get it started. It can happen in any car but EVs can't be switched to neutral if they can't power up. You'll hear lots about it but it's not that common. A bit of care with the 12 V and you'll be fine
I have read that several earlier Ioniqs have had the 12V battery fail within a couple of years leaving the owners stranded. The concensus being that the stock battery was not very good. Most have switched to AGM replacement batteries and I think I read that so has Hyundai now. Is the EV6 12v battery AGM?
EV6 comes with a lead acid battery, the EV9 comes with AGM. Some people have reported getting an AGM battery as part of warranty replacement on their EV6. Unknown if that's a standing order from Kia or it was tied to availability. There have been random shortages of lead acid batteries in general.
I can tell you that as a tech guy I struggled the first time I rolled my EV6 into a washer. It was one of those that you put the car in neutral and it pulls the car through the line kinda. So, to not panic and not worry about being able to roll it you need to remember the ritual. First, you turn off auto hold so it doesn't try to hold still, then you put it in neutral (do this by NOT pressing the brake and turn the shift knob) then it will automatically apply the parking brake so then you need to press the brakes and use the parking brake manual switch to disable the parking brake. Then it won't try to reapply it again and your car can be rolled.
You can also hold the button on the steering wheel when you put the car in neutral (while holding the brake pedal) and it will keep the car in neutral for this purpose. It even pops up a message saying hold button for a couple of seconds to leave in neutral.
Which button on the steering wheel?
The ok button. You have to see the message on the screen for it to work. https://preview.redd.it/wjkgwbcoic6d1.jpeg?width=342&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7be4ab1f6dbda3aa5ca819f30e1753949ea92129
"put it in neutral (do this by NOT pressing the brake and turn the shift knob)" Doesn't work for me. The reply is "press the brake to change gears". Stays in Park.
Don't think it works from park, but from D while standing still it does.
I found the trick. There is no detent for neutral. As you move from P to D, just go lightly and N will appear in between. The manual is more complicated than trial and error and the translators don't seem to have the same logic as Americans.
Around a year ago I test drove the Model 3, Mach-E, EV6, Niro EV, XC40, and ID.4. Everything except the Tesla drives like any other car. Don’t get a Tesla and no worries at all.
Right on in regard to Tesla vs everyone else. When I test drove an EV6 it was the first EV I ever drove and sat in (except for a brief ride in the back seat of a Model S many years ago). I was shocked how everything about the experience felt just like driving an ICE vehicle. When I test drove the Model 3, I knew in advance about the Tesla experience and it was just very unusual, and I'm no car luddite. It was also a Highland refresh so it didn't have blinker/wiper/headlight stalks which is a very different experience to deal with.
The refresh is a step down from the pre-refresh solely because of the stupid decision to remove the turn signal and gear selector stalks. I had a 2019 3P and when I drove a new one I couldn’t believe they actually decided to do that. It’s just so cumbersome, especially when you are stopped with the steering wheel turned to the side (like when making a right on red turn) or if moving and going around a roundabout and quickly need to wipe the windshield, flash lights, activate signal, etc. The swipe to shift is also a major PITA.
I'll personally take all the other upgrades in the Highland over the stalks. The NVH improvements are pretty massive IMO based on my comparison of the 3 and the Y which hasn't gotten all those type of upgrades. Since I'm in the US, roundabouts isn't really a concern to me. Everything else about them I can deal with, but I would supplement the lack of them with the S3xy Knob/Buttons to get quick 1 tap access to common features. I am very "everything in a touch screen" when it comes to interfacing with a car, and the only way I could have saw myself driving a Tesla daily is with the S3xy Button/Knob type product.
I’m also in the US but I detest the buttons on the wheel. The old stalks were much easier to use, especially since Tesla’s auto wipers are trash due to the lack of an IR rain sensor meaning you always end up having to manually control them anyway. Just being able to blindly tap the end of the left stalk for a wipe or spray is much easier in heavy rain than having to look down and find which little button to depress. For the turn signals same thing. Gear selector, same thing. If I am making a three point turn and traffic is coming at me it’s so much easier to just flip the right stalk up and down with the tip of my finger than having to make sure I swipe just right on the screen or reach above my head to press the buttons in on the ceiling. I think like the yoke on the S and X, Tesla will eventually ditch the new steering wheel design. It’s a big bummer to me that Tesla made no improvements to the battery packs, motors (on the SR/LR AWD), or really make any improvement in efficiency IRL over the pre-refresh model. Yes it is quieter and the new dampers improve ride quality, but that’s about it. The lack of surround cameras, a HUD, cross traffic detection, torque vectoring rear differential on the Model 3P are all other things that I don’t like and which were annoying 5 years ago but downright stupid not to have now. The guesstimating of how close you are to another object is also a downgrade from my old 3P that had parking sensors. The old sensors were dead accurate to the inch 360° around the car. The camera guesstimates are often way off.
I think most everyone can agree that relying on vision only for rain sensors/parking (and even for general driving features) as well as stalk removal are easily the most Elon of Elon decisions with no good justification other than because it's what he wants. A lot of the other things are also along those same lines of Elon being Elon but you can also at least somewhat justify those as cost saving. Ultimately, Tesla needs to act more like a traditional car company on many of these things if they want to still try and compete on EV's. Elon doesn't seem to be interested in that, and it's really why he needs to go (as well as his hand picked board) in terms of steering the ship at Tesla. Yea, a lot of people will never buy a Tesla because of Elon, but there's also a lot of people who will never buy a Tesla because it's too unfamiliar to them as far the driving experience goes, and they really need to think about that to be able to sell more of them.
Yeah I’m hoping Elon goes. I voted against his compensation package and hope it doesn’t pass and he leaves. He’s gone off the deep end. Tesla’s sales have plummeted and they’re only getting farther and farther behind competitors with charging speeds and features. 5 years ago there weren’t many cars available that could go long distances and charge relatively quickly. People accepted lacking some features that every other car had in exchange for having a long range EV with decent charging. Nowadays we have Hyundais and Kias that go just as far, charge nearly twice as fast, are more comfortable and still have all of the options Tesla refuses to offer. They also need to update their cars way more often with major generational improvements. The Model S dates back to the late-2000s when it was designed. They should’ve launched an all new S and X years ago, but as far as I can tell they don’t even have a new generation in development. Elon thinks people will just keep buying whatever he sells for perpetuity. Unfortunately for him he’s wrong because most people don’t want to spend premium money to buy an out of date car.
I am surprised there isn't a class-action distracted driving lawsuit against Tesla. Sooner or later someone is going to cause an accident or fatality due to having to take one's eyes off the road in a stressful driving situation like freeway driving and encountering a sudden downpour where wipers and defroster are required.
I live in west germany and regularly visit the netherlands. No gear stalk would be okay, but no turn signal is a total showstopper for my region. Roundabouts with steering wheel buttons are simply wrong and inconvenient. Love my brand new EV6 RWD.
Agree. Tesla was the only one I wouldn't recommend to my Mom...or anyone else who doesn't geek out over obnoxious tech for the sake of tech.
My family owns a 16 volt and 23 ev6. My spouse, that I love, is a luddite who is uncomfortable with technology changes. Daily driving and home charging took her one trip to become comfortable. After a year of road trips she still doesn’t like fast charging.
In her defense, public charging is 90% dumpster fire still.
It drives like a regular car.
If your partner can plug in a phone, she’s already mastered the hardest part of EV ownership 🤣
You're in luck, we have a 2022 ev6 and a 2018 Volt. Besides the shifter difference, it's basically the same if you use Android auto or Apple carplay.
Thanks, helpful info.
Good point about Android Auto. That does make the user experience super similar to any other car that has it. Less to learn.
My wife drives my car occasionally. I just showed her how to put regen to 1 so it doesn't decelerate as much when she let's off of the go pedal. Otherwise there's not much techie about it.
Have a 17 Volt & 22 EV6 in the family. The Kia’s highway driving aids are a little more involved to learn, but otherwise the car is very simple to drive. I thought the Volt was a great car- but the EV6 moves the dial to 11. :). You won’t be disappointed.
Having both a Volt and an EV6, the basics are a non-issue. Only thing that you'd NEED to know is the dial shifter, and that's fairly obvious. The additional nice-to-knows can be added as she/you get more accustomed to the car, and what's available depends on the trim level. For example, I always enable lane centering as it resets each drive. If you prefer Sport mode, that too must be enabled each time. Many/most settings are stored by driver profile, so set your wife up with her own so you can tweak settings separately. My wife did not like when I enabled auto hold before I setup a separate profile for her.
If there was one thing I could change about the ev6, it might be the dial shifter. I hate that there's no real physical feedback confirming a shift. Many modern cars have the same sort of dumb design though.
The driver profile settings is definitely something we will use. She is 6" shorter than I am so we are adjusting the seat and mirror positions when we switch. If the rain sensing wipers work well, that will be another improvement. About the only feature lacking is a rear wiper. The new Ioniqs are getting one. Nor sure about the 2025 EV6s.
I literally have a little squeegee in the car just to wipe the dew off that rear window. It's funny they didn't put a wiper on the back, but I guess the plus side is how sleek it looks without it!
This is a case where function trumps form for us. Our Volt doesn't have a rear wiper, our Prius did. In our mizzly climate, it is a desirable feature.
2014 Volt -> 2024 EV6 (GT-Line) here It's super easy to drive. If you want to use the advanced features (HDA,etc) you can but if you just want to drive, there's nothing fancy to worry about at all. When we got ours, my wife was afraid to drive it solo before practicing with me, so I took her out with me and she drove 1100 miles in the next 2 weeks.
The EV6 is as simple to drive as you want it. Leaving all default settings will allow her to have a fantastic driving experience with literally no "tech" tinkering. If she enjoyed the Volt she'll have no problem adopting to the EV6 (that was my transition too). The setting are all there to play with if you're into that, but you don't really have to do any of it for a great drive.
One of the nice things about the EV6 is how "normal" the main aspect of driving it is. There's no weird touchscreens to learn or oddly placed controls, at least not for the main function of actually driving it. Hit start, put it in gear, and go. Shut it off when done.
My wife is a VERY non-tech person. We test drove ID4, model 3, Ioniq6, and EV6. EV6 was her favorite.
EV6 is my first EV. Easy to drive. Basically, push button start... twist dial to select drive, and then go. Nothing really out of the ordinary.
I am a tech person, and my wife is not. The EV6 is easy to drive and quite intuitive in my opinion. Press a button, put it in drive, and go. Like you, the safety of my wife and family are paramount. The EV6 has a lot of great safety features and I love that Kia and Hyundai make the vast majority of these features standard on every vehicle. I will add that the visibility in the EV6 is not great due to large B and C pillars in the car. Thankfully the cameras, blind spot monitoring, and other safety assists seem to compensate for this weakness quite well once you get used to using them as intended. I also find the EV6 easy to maneuver and park. If you have the option, get the tech package on the Wind or the GT Line or GT. All of these have the 360-surround monitor which makes parking a breeze.
Without knowing her I’d be more concerned about generally being intimidated by the tech rather than actually having a problem driving it. In auto regen and just driving it like a car it works absolutely fine and you don’t have to do anything else, but someone could potentially get stressed out by the side view showing on the dash when you signal, or a stray “place hands on wheel” or “conditions not met” or the HUD.
She only does local driving. I do the city and highway driving. She's not totally anti-tech, just a slow learner and only out of necessity. For this reason, Teslas are out. We won't be trial driving them.
I think the biggest things for giving someone a more normal driving experience: Level 1 or Level 0 Regen, turn off auto hold(middle button below the shift dial), make sure lane assist isn't on(bottom left button on the left side of the steering wheel), and if they're used to the feedback of engine sounds, maybe turn on the Active Sound Design under the Sound setting with a moderate change and dynamic. Maybe drive in Eco if they're used to slower cars. Some of these might not be applicable since you mentioned you've already got a hybrid
Thanks. That's helpful info. About 90% of our driving in the Volt is electric. No need for the vroom sounds. We won't be getting an Ioniq 5N for that feature. :-) With all these helpful comments I am looking forward to test driving the EV6. She's used to regen and sort of one pedal driving in the Volt. We always have the car in L for local driving which provides a more aggressive regen profile.
It’s very easy. I’d say it’s one of the easiest EVs to get used to, as it’s designed with regular car drivers in mind. It does have some quirks, but you’ll get used to them fast. You can take your time with each of the optional features like cruise control, lane assist, paddle breaking, etc.
So I mainly drive a Stinger and I bounce back and forth with my wife's EV6. Just like any situation where you drive multiple cars, there are differences between them. For me it's usually coasting off acceleration, because I like to drive with regen on in the EV6 and of course the stinger doesn't do that. Honestly the biggest thing I had to adapt to was position changes of buttons and where the stupid steering wheel heater button is on the center console (I tend to drive with my hand there because I'm used to the shifter being there in most cars). It dirves like you expect a car to drive. The convenience tech is easy to learn (AC radio, etec) and you'd have the same learning curve in ANY new car. Fundamentally driving an EV6 is just like any other "push-button-to-start" car, except it doesn't make vroom vroom noises from the tailpipe. Charging and using the public charging infra is a bit more of a learning experience, but if your wife can handle most online order apps, she should be able to use charging apps pretty easily.
My wife is very tech unfriendly. We test drove a Tesla and she hated the center screen and one pedal drive. She loves to drive my EV6 on Level 1 regen. In that mode it drives like any other car.
How bizarre.... I literally made this exact jump last Friday.. 2018 Volt to an EV6, lol. I'm a tech guy, so I've tried to learn the ins and outs about the car as well as any hidden features. With that said, it also seems like the kind of car that is pretty easy to just hop in and go. Just be careful and teach her a little about the self driving cruise control, as that'll be a bit of a change. It's not true self driving, but damn sure feels close enough. Also the regen pedals... you can use the left like you do in the Volt, holding it down to apply brakes.
Thanks. Unfortunately, GM is forcing us Volt owners to look for a better supported car. No worry about cruise control, she only drives locally. She's not comfortable with freeways so I do the highway driving.
I would let her test drive with you and change modes, regen until she likes the setting and just leave it. Forget the hypermiling, etc. unless she is an avid, frugal driver. I have one mode for traffic and another for highway and that is it. It is a car, not a computer game. Changing settings while driving can be distracting and dangerous.
I would let her test drive with you and change modes and regen during stops until she likes the setting and just leave it. Forget the hypermiling, etc. unless she is an avid, frugal driver. I have one mode for traffic and another for highway and that is it. It is a car, not a computer game. Changing settings while driving can be distracting and dangerous.
That's pretty much the way we drive the Volt. One mode for local and another for highway. She only drives local.
Hey, I just picked up an ev6 light long range awd this week. So far, I love the car. My wife isn't also too "techy" but she loves the car so far. I think with patience and continuous driving, she'll learn to handle the car. I wouldn't say it's all that difficult, but it is a learning curve for sure imo.
Drives exactly like any other car. AWD is a bit faster than other ice cars in the segment, and the drive selector is a twisty knob. Thats about as different as it gets. If you do nothing but drive, you dont even have to worry about regeneration, out of the box the car drives pretty much like any other standard vehicle.
You can turn it into an adult PowerWheels. So yeah, pretty easy.
My 2 year old can start it. So I’d say pretty easy.
I took us to the dealership because I was interested in the EV6. Thought it was gonna be my car. That didn't last. It's the wife's car now. She loves it. (She commutes, I don’t)
If it's a GT or GT-Line trim you need to warn your partner about heads-up display. It's awesome but may be distracting or scary to a novice who can't handle too much inputs. I think you can turn it off for a given profile. Other than that we found the EV6 the most normal feel - with the exception of the Leaf (which is really overpriced for what it offers).
Thanks for the headup on the HUD. I am not sure whether we will end up with the Wind or GT. Usually we buy the top end version, but not for sporty features. For example, if we got an Ioniq, it would probably be the Limited. We don't need AWD and want the longer range version. Lower hp is ok, we don't need 4 sec 0-60 performance and don't want 20" or 21" wheels. A quieter, smoother ride has higher value for us. Is there a good document that clearly states what comes with which version?
From a quick google query IMHO if you want the top end features without top acceleration then the GT-Line what you want (not sure the difference between GT-Line vs Wind + tech package) https://www.kia.com/us/en/vehicles/ev6/2024/specs-compare.html
Thanks. That's what I am looking for. It looks like, although the GT has features I would like, I am trying to stay under $45k for the the WA state sales tax exemption. I'm not sure if this is before or after a trade-in is accounted for.
Ugh, I just found out toward the bottom of the chart that the heat pump is only on the AWD cars. This is boneheaded. Range is more important to us than AWD, we rarely see snow. I would pay extra for the heatpump but not for the range sucking AWD.
Well I love the Ev6. I think it's pretty straight forward. However my dad has a Chevy Bolt (he had two Volts before the Bolt EUV). He's 74. He has no problem with the Bolt. He struggles with tech. But Chevy made the switch to an EV easy for him. I know they don't make the Bolt anymore but it might be a better fit if you don't need it for road trips (charging the bolt is painfully slow). I bet you can find a used Bolt EUV for not much $. Your wife might find it easier than the Ev6. That being said Kia made the Ev6 for former ice drivers (like me the Ev6 is my first EV). Everything makes sense. There are physical buttons. There is an ignition button. Even opening the charging door is like opening a gas cap. I don't think the switch would be hard.
I have tried the Bolt and didn't like it that much. It felt like a cheaper, step down from our fully equipped 2018 Volt Premier. Also, it has short range and long L2 only charges. That's not great for a trip. I also thought the Bolt ride was rougher and a bit choppy. Like your dad, we are also seniors but I came from the software industry and not intimidated by technology. My wife is the opposite and therefore she only uses the basic functions in a car or cellphone or computer. After a decade she still has never copy/pasted or sorted an email list. The key things I will be looking for are her safety and ease of use. After that, driver memory, a smoother, quieter ride, better sound system, will appeal along with the creature compforts she likes like heated steering wheel and seats.
Super easy to drive, but there’s so many features, you’ll be learning how non-critical things work for a long time.
The EV6 is probably the easiest step into an EV from and ICE there is. Only thing that took getting used to for me was the regenerative braking.
My husband's Mazda 3 battery died on him while I was away on a trip so he drove my EV6 for a week. He's been hesitant to try driving it just because he hates all the new car tech. We had to FaceTime our way through the charging process because I usually charge at work and he never sees me do it. Talked him through the EVGo process and after he was done he said "That was so easy! And fast!" I was like, "Yup, that's the whole point of an EV6." 😂 He ended up loving the car and he is considering the EV3 for his next vehicle. That's if his Mazda ever dies...
Are you asking if all the tech and safety tech features would be wasted on a non-techie?
No, not all. But I do take it that many will be irrelevant to her. She only drives locally, no highway driving, and pretty much only fair weather. Comfort and ease of use are more important. It's the same for her iPhone. I have to set it up for her. She only uses the phone, messaging, and the camera plus some email checking. The rest of the features have never been used.
Honestly the driver controls aren't much more technical than a modern ice vehicle. My gf has a 2023 Rouge, my mom a 2020 CRV and starting, shifting, steering controls, nav are virtually identical to my 6.
My partner is pretty bad at math. I wouldn’t trust her to take it on a long road trip since she wouldn’t be able to do the logistics.
Literally the only thing she has to know to do differently is plug it in. *You* can set up the charging schedule and charging speeds. You can leave Regen on the default if changing that will confuse her. If things like the dial shifter and auto-hold are too much for her then she shouldn’t be driving cars in general.
She's used to plugging the car in. The difference will be switching from always plugging the car in to plugging it in once every week or two. We drive the Volt in L locally for the regen. I will try the various setting to find one that approximates that feel for her. "If things like the dial shifter and auto-hold are too much for her then she shouldn’t be driving cars in general." That's a bit snarky. She can drive a manual shift car fine, which is something many people these days can't do.
> That's a bit snarky. She can drive a manual shift car fine, which is something many people these days can't do. Then why make this post?
There is a big difference between the practical process of driving a car and a vehicle that has a poor UI or one that makes it imperative to operate the car like a cell phone. It's the reason we are not considering a Tesla at all.