A decade ago it seemed that these two manufacturers, Tesla and Kia, were two parallel lines that would never meet. What about an automotive startup from Silicon Valley that is trying to figure out how to build the Model S so that all its panels fit properly, and an automotive giant like Kia with huge production volumes, a huge model offering, worldwide distribution and what not. An example that will put this gap into proportion for you: in 2013, Tesla produced 22,477 cars – this is less than what Kia produced in one weak month at the factory in Slovakia.
And yet, here we are after a decade, and we still have two manufacturers with very large production, supply, deployment and sales gaps – only one of them is responsible for the biggest change in the last hundred years in the automotive industry – and the other is Kia. One is quickly closing the sales gap with the big and old manufacturers, the other is trying to close the gap in selling electric cars. In 2022, Tesla has already sold 1.3 million cars, all electric, and Kia has sold 2.9 million, of which about 150,000 are electric.
But with all due respect, once the big car giants got their hands on it and set their sights on the electric world, that gap that Tesla was able to open in a decade of research, development, creativity and thinking outside the box? It is already shrinking. This test proved to us how much.
Design: Tesla Model Y is the crossover version with a raised chassis based on the Model 3. Its design is immediately recognizable as a Tesla, there is not a second of hesitation. Its high prevalence on the roads makes its appearance less unusual than it was at first. And if Tesla kept the familiar, clean and high-tech look, Kia went all the way with a multi-curved sporty hatchback design and surface games. If in the Ionic 5, its sister to the electric platform, Hyundai only followed straight lines, in the EV6 it’s as if the designers were forbidden to stretch a straight line of more than 10 cm.
Passenger cabin: the gap widens in the Kia with textures, colors, combinations of materials and invested but not excessive wealth. Model Y is the antithesis of this show: a steering wheel with two multitasking wheel buttons, a huge screen that centralizes all control and information, and a wooden strip that divides it into two parts like the people you meet – these find it incredibly simple, and the other half see it as a marvel of simplicity. We are here to tell you how it works.
Kia is very easy to find its way around, every button has an address, every function has a button (and also an interesting solution of a dual-use control panel, which switches between controlling the climate control and the audio system at the push of a button). This greatly shortens the period of adaptation and ongoing operation. In Tesla, the centralization of all control on the screen and from sub-menus allows for a huge variety of parameters for direction and control, but it also means that things that are at the tip of the finger in Kia, require two or three more clicks here. Yes, you can get used to it, no, it’s not a good plan to begin with.
In both cars the driving position is good and forward visibility is sufficient, in both cars rearward visibility is limited due to the high tail in the Tesla and due to the low roof in the Kia. For those who like to sit high, the Tesla will give more, and thanks to its large window area, the entire cabin is more airy. It is also slightly warmer due to a panoramic sunroof without a curtain.
The rear seats in both offer a lot of space for the feet and knees. The Tesla one offers a better fit for seating a trio (barely) in terms of structure, it’s easier to get in and out of and the headroom is better. The Kia has a superior appearance and quality of materials, and if there are only two passengers – the seats themselves are better in the Kia. Both have air conditioning ports and charging sockets – in the Tesla in the center, at the back of the console; In Kia, the air conditioning vents in the back of the middle beam and the charging sockets on the sides of the front seats – an arrangement that saves tangled cables on the floor.
Trunk: Model Y gives EV6 a brutal knockout. These are not only its 854 liters compared to the Kia’s 520, nor the additional 117 liters it has in the front compartment compared to 20 in the Korean. These are also superior key and depth, a lower threshold height and even an option for a lower compartment that produces a depth of 77 cm from its bottom to the shelf. Both cars do not come with a spare wheel. Do you have a puncture beyond the capabilities of the repair kits? Walk, it’s healthy.
Tesla Model Y, Kia EV6 (Photo: Kenan Cohen)
Accessory: Both are very well equipped, so the decision here is mostly a matter of preference. Are Apple and Android connectivity in Kia what will decide, or is the integral navigation system in Tesla that calculates expected battery percentages upon reaching the destination is the feature you must have? The seat ventilation in Kia or the Sentry system that records everything that happens around the vehicle in Tesla? A 220-volt socket in the trunk of a Kia or the ultra-super-fast charging network of Tesla?
Also in regards to safety, the bar in both is very high. Both with 5 Euroencap crash stars, both with all the usual safety systems, but the Kia scratches a few more points with rear cross traffic warning including braking, warning from opening a door in an unoccupied lane, prevention of lane departure by detecting a vehicle in a dead zone and a warning system against forgetting a child in the back seat.
Performence: Both come in versions with two engines and dual drive. In Kia the declared power is 325 hp, and Tesla does not declare the power, but according to various publications it is about 380 hp. On the road in a Tesla the feeling is of a distinctly lighter vehicle. Although the weight differences between them are negligible, the power delivery in the Y model is immediate and strong. While in the EV6 the business is more linear and increases, even when the Kia switches to sport mode which improves the response, the American is significantly sharper.
Kia EV6 (Photo: Kenan Cohen)
At this acceleration from a standstill, it is the Kia that opens a slight gap up to the 70-80 km/h area, so the Tesla reduces the distance. At intermediate accelerations, on the other hand, which simulate overtaking in real world conditions, the Model Y has an overwhelming advantage with a quick response and a continuous drive even at very, very high speeds.
Power consumption and range: The EV6 finished the test day with a combined power consumption of 19.9 kWh per 100 km, the Y model finished with the same figure – 20 kWh per 100 km. the meaning? Test range in Kia of 390 km and in Tesla of 377 km due to the difference in battery size. Kia’s with 77.4 kWh, Tesla 75 kWh. It should also be noted that the Tesla achieved consistently lower consumption in the highway driving segments. There the Kia recorded 21.2 kWh per 100 km while the Tesla was satisfied with 17.9 kWh.
We will emphasize: These are data from a test drive that also includes dynamic sections, and in this case of a comparative test, both repetition of the same sections and several acceleration tests. In real world conditions, you can add 60-70 km of range to this figure.
Comfort and behavior: When it comes to comfort, the Kia’s advantage was clear. Its suspensions knew how to better handle all road conditions. The Tesla was very stiff, which causes it to “judge” over imperfect asphalt surfaces. This stiffness is accompanied by a cabin that is noisier than the Kia’s, both in terms of resonance and road noise that penetrates inside. In order not to leave it in the realm of sensations, we performed two noise measurements using two apps, on the same road section, in two rounds at a speed of between 50 and 80 km/h when the device was placed at the same point in the car. In both measurements, the EV6 was quieter.
Both sin with 45-section tires, the Tesla with a 19-inch rim, and the Kia makes the situation worse with 20 inches. In the Kia, although it is not a particularly comfortable car, it is evident that the shock absorbers do a better job in terms of buffering between what the wheel grabs and what the butt gets.
Both offer excellent regenerative braking systems. This in Tesla has three levels, while in Kia you can choose between four modes and an i-pedal mode that allows, like the maximum mode in Tesla, driving with one pedal. Both are excellent. The Kia has some bonus points for the simple operation from levers behind the steering wheel (in the Tesla the selection from a sub-menu on the screen).
Both are very fast on a winding road, but not very fun. Their steering wheels are sharp and precise, the Tesla’s with less delay in turning in, but none of them provide feedback at the level of a really good steering wheel. It is not certain that their owners will look for the decision in this section, and for those who are still interested, both have a very high level, but in the Kia the business worked a little better due to the low seating “inside” and not “on” the car, and the ability of the brakes to better control the chassis and its movements . These two combine to a car where there is more confidence to push towards the limits.
Tesla Model Y (Photo: Kenan Cohen)
The bottom line: Tesla is nothing less than a sensation. Elon Musk managed to gather to him brilliant people who did not find themselves in the conservative car industry, broke down the concept of the car into its elements and asked about every convention “Yes, but why?”. The result was breaking tools and rules in the field.
It enjoyed this gap for quite a few years and to this day it is a leader in the fields of performance, crash tests, remote updates and more. And the “big” car industry takes time to react, but when it does it and does it well, its ability to deliver an accurate product down to its smallest details is higher, thanks to the resources and experience.
And all this to say the bottom line in this test. The Tesla Model Y is an excellent, advanced, electric crossover with excellent performance, very good mileage and yes, it has to be said, the sentence “I drive a Tesla” will generate more interest than “I have a Kia”. Its discount from NIS 330,000 to NIS 270,000 made it an interesting deal that expanded the customer base.
At NIS 300,000, the Kia is more expensive, but by all objective measures, if you put performance aside and are willing to compromise on the trunk, it is simply a better car. If a gap of NIS 30 thousand is not a “deal breaker” in this price range, then not easily and against an excellent competitor, the EV6 is the winner of this test.