The Kia EV9 SUV has been crowned the 2024 Drive Car of the Year.
It is the first time in the award’s 18-year history a fully electric vehicle (EV) has been named the overall winner.
The Kia EV9 represents a significant step forward in the EV space by offering a glimpse into the future of family-friendly, zero-emissions SUVs according to Drive. It says the win also reflected growth across the market, with Australians buying two and a half times more electric vehicles in 2023 than the year prior.
Launching in 2006, the ambition of Drive Car of the Year is to showcase the best of what’s next in cars available for Australian drivers to buy today. Assessing hundreds of models each year and narrowing down the field to a group of cars leading their respective categories, taking the hassle out of researching a new car for many consumers.
This year, Drive judges reviewed and tested more than 400 new models that went on sale during 2023 to select the overall winner, the Kia EV9, from a finalist list of 18 category winners aligned to consumers’ varied budgets and style preferences.
“Drive Car of the Year continues to be a comprehensive Australian car awards program designed to deliver guidance for consumers on the best cars that are driving our industry forward,” Drive chief executive Simon Halfide says.
“This year has seen the biggest step change in the history of the awards. Three short years ago we introduced the first fully electric category into the Drive Car of the Year which comprised of just three models. And here we are in 2024 with not only a market growth of around 90,000 EVs sold in 2023 but with an EV taking out both the overall award and all top three finalist positions,” Halfhide says.
“The EV9 presents the future that families are looking for. It remains highly functional and practical as a seven-seat SUV but offers cutting-edge electrification for silent, clean, and cost-effective long-term ownership,” Drive content director James Ward says.
“We know that not every buyer is ready for electric and that not every family is shopping at this price point, but the EV9 is worth the attention of every new car buyer for what it brings to the market and for the potential it shows around what will come next. This is the car that will set the tone for the next generation of Australian family cars,” Ward says.
“The team at Kia Australia is thrilled the EV9 has been awarded Drive Car of the Year 2024 and in turn, has become Drive’s first all-electric vehicle recipient of the overall award,” Kia Australia chief executive Damien Meredith says.
“The Kia EV9 is a bold and confident, all-electric, upper large SUV featuring advanced technology, expansive battery range and performance, and a locally tuned suspension.
“The EV9 plays an important role as the halo model of a very diverse product range offering, and we appreciate the Drive judges recognising the exceptional and unique car that it is,” Meredith says.
