Double Win for Kia As Sportage and EV9 Models Shine at What Car? Car of The Year
Both the models won titles in highly contested categories, including Best Family SUV for the Kia Sportage, and Readers’ Choice Award for the Kia EV9.
Both the Kia Sportage and EV9 have been given awards at the What Car? Car of the Year Awards including a major category win for the Sportage.
Kia Sportage – Best Family SUV
The Kia Sportage was named Best Family SUV in what is considered a popular and highly contested category within the awards.
Praised for its competitive pricing, generous standard equipment, and agile handling, the Kia Sportage scooped up the title effortlessly, with judges commenting:
“We’ve group tested the Kia Sportage extensively in various guises over the last 12 months, and it’s emerged victorious every time.
But when you consider its competitive pricing, all of the equipment that you get as standard and how complete a car the Sportage is, it’s easy to see why. It strikes a near-perfect balance between agility and comfort, which gets it off to a great start against any rival. Meanwhile the interior neatly blends practicality and style.”
Celebrating the win, President and CEO of Kia Paul Philpott said:
“We’re proud to see the Sportage recognised by What Car? as the ideal family vehicle. As our best-selling model in the UK, it’s incredibly popular with buyers looking for a car that covers all the bases, at a range of different price points.
Now offering hybrid and plug-in hybrid powertrains, the model perfectly represents our leadership in electrification and also gives customers greater choice.”
The Kia Sportage presents sleek, modern SUV design, with four different power options: hybrid, plug-in hybrid, mild hybrid, and fully electric.
From the outside, it’s a sleek, elegantly contoured vehicle inspired by natural shapes, with a distinctive tiger-nose grille and dual adaptive LED headlamps.
Inside, the Sportage offers a spacious interior cabin built around your convenience with the latest technology for seamless connectivity, and an impressive 1,780 litres of boot space with rear seats folded down.
Always efficient, the Kia Sportage offers two different driving modes – Sport and Eco – allowing you to tailor your drive even further. Whether it’s to lower your emissions or prioritise performance.
The Kia Sportage was the UK’s sixth best-selling car last year, with the latest model only released at the beginning of the year.
The model sold 29,655 units alone throughout the year, a real testament to its family-friendly versatility. It is also the first generation Sportage to offer hybrid and plug-in hybrid options.
Kia EV9 – Readers’ Choice Award
Bagging the title of Readers’ Choice Award was the Kia EV9. An up-and-comer from Kia, the model is due to be released later in 2023 and has already been named the most highly anticipated new car of the year.
Describing the award, judges commented:
“We asked What Car? readers to name the upcoming model that they’re most excited about from a 14-car shortlist, with each of the contenders given equal promotion via our website and social media channels.
But despite this, the Kia EV9 emerged victorious after attracting more than twice as many votes as the second-placed car.
This is the second time in three years that Kia has won this award, with the EV6 taking top spot in 2021. If the EV9 turns out to be as good as that car, it will be truly special.”
The large electric SUV is part of the brand’s ‘Plan S’ electrification strategy following the launch of the EV6 and Niro EV, as one of nine electric Kia models due to launch between 2021 and 2027.
The Kia EV9 concept model reveals a bold, forward-thinking SUV geared exclusively towards modern motoring.
With third-row capability, a built-in solar panel in the bonnet, and sustainable materials used throughout the interior, the EV9 promises to be different in all the right ways.
It’s set to feature a rugged, muscular profile with proportions creating a three-row SUV footprint, and an angular profile guaranteed to draw eyes on the road.
Inside, the pop-up steering wheel and ultra-wide 27” display screen give a fresh, contemporary feel with an interior centred around mindfulness and practicality. A panoramic sunroof also makes the interior light and airy, creating a relaxed, calming atmosphere.
It features the reinterpreted tiger-nose grille with geometric lines and coach-style doors showing the EV9’s focus for clearly defined space, originality, and convenience for all the family.
For more Kia EV9 updates, keep an eye on our newsroom.