Here’s How Much It Costs To Charge Kia Plug-in Hybrids And EVs

Summary

• Kia’s electric car range boasts low running costs and high energy efficiency, making them an attractive option for environmentally conscious consumers.
• The Kia EV6 and EV9 feature varying charging times and costs, with faster charging available for higher prices in more costly regions.
• The Kia Niro EV and PHEV models offer decent range figures and efficient charging costs, making them practical choices for everyday use.

Kia currently has one of the most expansive electric car catalogs in the USA, with products ranging from fully electric vehicles to gasoline-electric plug-in hybrids. The South Korean brand leverages the Hyundai Group’s technology to create some stylish, practical, and powerful offerings. Its electrified portfolio exclusively consists of crossovers and SUVs as a response to the surging demand for high-riding cars.

There are lots of benefits that come with electric car ownership, with one of the more noteworthy aspects being the low running costs. Kia’s electric car range benefits from some of the best energy consumption and highest range figures. If this is enough to get you to consider buying one, this feature will inform you about all the possible costs involved when recharging.

In order to give you the most up-to-date and accurate information possible, the data used to compile this article was sourced from various manufacturer websites and other authoritative sources, including Kia, the EPA, and the U.S. Bureau of Labor And Statistics.

How Much It Costs To Charge A Kia EV6

The Kia EV6 is the brand’s oldest fully electric car offering, which was introduced in 2021. It’s based on Hyundai’s E-GMP chassis, meaning it shares the bulk of its parts with the Hyundai Ioniq 5. This means that it features the same 580kWh standard range and 77.4-kWh extended range battery packs, with a combination of single-motor rear-wheel drive and dual-motor all-wheel drive options.

The EV6 Light 167-horsepower rear-wheel drive is the only trim that features the smaller battery pack, while the larger one extends across the range, including the flagship GT performance derivative, which produces 576 horsepower. The extended-range rear-wheel drive models feature an increased 225-horsepower output, while adding a second motor to the front axle increases power to 320 horsepower.

The Kia EV6 Takes 68 Hours To Charge

The base 58-kWh battery pack featured on the Light trim boasts a 232-mile EPA estimated range claim and 117 MPGe combined energy consumption estimate. It takes 51 hours to fully recharge using a Level One household plug point. A Level Two, 240-volt rated at 11 kW reduces this time to around six hours and is really necessary to have if you drive a lot. The 77.4-kWh battery pack returns varying mile estimates, with the most efficient model being the rear-wheel drive Light Long Range, returning 117 MPGe and 310-mile range estimates. The least efficient of the lot is the GT, with a 218-mile estimate and 83 MPGe energy consumption claim.

Range And Charging Time

(Specifications sourced from Kia)

According to Kia, both battery packs need 18 minutes to recover 10 to 80 percent of charge when using a Level Three DC fast charger at full capacity. A 50-kW fast charger recovers the same capacity in 50 minutes. Real-world charging tests indicate the 77.4 kWh battery recovers 10 to 90 percent of charge in 26 minutes with a 152 kW average and 235 kW peak charging rate.

The Kia EV6 Costs $37.80 To Charge

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor And Statistics, the average cost of electricity in the country sits at 17 cents per kWh. You’ll find the cheapest energy in states like St. Louis and Seattle, where one kWh of energy costs about 13 cents, but you’ll be paying up to 42 cents in areas like San Diego and San Francisco. These rates are slightly lower during off-peak hours, which are typically between 11 PM and 6 AM when most people charge.

(Pricing sourced from the U.S. Bureau Of Labor And Statistics)

Using these rates, we can deduce that the smaller battery will cost $7.54 to charge in cheaper cities and $24.36 in more costly regions, with an average charging cost of $9.86. The larger 77.4 kWh battery costs $10.06 in lower-rate cities and $32.51 in more expensive areas. There are several DC fast-charging suppliers located across the USA. Kia EVs have access to almost all of these firms, including Tesla’s Supercharging network, which charges 50 cents per kWh during low-congestion times, and a full dollar per kWh when its Supercharging locations are busier than usual. That means the 58 kWh battery will cost $29 to fast charge, and the 77.4 kWh battery, $37.80.

How Much It Costs To Charge A Kia EV9

The Kia EV9 is the newest arrival in the South Korean manufacturer’s electric arsenal, bringing with it a robust exterior and chic interior design. It also introduces two new battery packs. The standard range models feature a 76 kWh battery, while extended range models benefit from a larger 96 kWh unit. SK Innovations supplies both of the EV9’s battery packs. The EV9 mimics the EV6’s range with a base Light rear-wheel drive trim and flagship GT-Line all-wheel drive.

There are five available trims for the EV9. Only the base model features the standard range battery, while the rest employ the extended range pack. The Light rear-wheel drive produces 215 horsepower, which reduces to 201 horsepower if you fit the extended battery. The rest of the range features the brand’s dual-motor configuration, producing 379 horsepower.

The Kia EV9 Takes 85 Hours To Charge

The Light long-range rear-wheel drive model is the most efficient model, boasting an 89 MPGe combined consumption estimate and 304-mile range claim. The standard range follows it with an 88 MPGe estimate, but its smaller battery means it gets 230 miles on a charge. The GT-Line is the least efficient model with an 80 MPGe combined energy consumption estimate, but it returns a 270-mile range claim.

Range And Charging Time

(Specifications sourced from Kia)

The 76 kWh battery takes 65 hours to charge using a Level One plug point and seven hours when using a 240-volt Level Two plug. DC fast charging covers 10 to 80 percent of the battery in 20 minutes. The larger battery takes 85 hours to recharge when using a 120-volt Level One plug and nine hours via a Level Two system. DC fast charging takes the battery from 10 to 80 percent in 24 minutes.

Kia EV9 Charging Costs

The EV9’s smallest battery costs $9.88 to charge in lower-rate cities, while the most expensive regions will have you paying $31.92 for a full charge. The average cost to charge this battery will be around $12.92. The larger 96 kWh battery costs $12.48 in less expensive regions, but you can expect to pay around $40.32 in costlier areas. On average, you’ll be paying $16.32 to charge it across the country.

Charging Costs

(Pricing sourced from the U.S. Bureau Of Labor And Statistics)

The 76 kWh battery costs $38 to fast charge during less congested times and $76 when stations are busier than usual. The 96 kWh costs $48 during lower-rate occasions and $96 when the stations are overcrowded.

How Much It Costs To Charge A Kia Niro EV And PHEV

Kia offers the Niro as a fully electric car or a gasoline-electric plug-in hybrid. The former employs a 64.8 kWh battery sourced from CATL and a single electric motor driving the front wheels with 201 horsepower. The PHEV employs a combination of the brand’s naturally aspirated 1.6-liter four-cylinder gasoline engine and a single parallel electric motor, working together to produce a combined 180 horsepower.

The electric motor sources power from a compact 11.1 kWh battery, producing 83 horsepower when operating independently. The ICE produces 104 horsepower and drives the front wheels using a six-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission.

The Kia Niro Takes 60 Hours To Charge

The Niro EV’s 64.8 kWh battery boasts an EPA-estimated 253-mile range figure, while the entire system returns a 113 MPGe combined energy consumption estimate. This EV runs on a much lower 358-volt architecture, so its charging times are relatively longer than its more modern EV counterparts. It’ll take 60 hours to recover the full charge using a Level One system. A Level Two charger cuts this down to six hours, while DC fast charging, limited to 85 kW, so it takes 43 minutes to recover 10 to 80 percent.

Range And Charging Time

(Specifications sourced from Kia)

The PHEV earns a 113 MPGe combined energy consumption estimate from the EPA. The electrical system also boasts a reasonable 33-mile range claim when commanding full driving function. The smaller 11.1 kWh battery takes eight hours when using a household plug and three hours via Level Two charging. The system does not accommodate DC fast charging.

Kia Niro Charging Costs

The Kia Niro PHEV’s smaller battery makes it a more affordable car to charge. In low-rate states, the 11.1 kWh battery costs just $1.44 to recharge, while more expensive cities will return a higher but still competitive $4.66 fee. On average, you can expect to be paying $1.88 across the country. The fully electric model costs $8.42 in cheaper regions and $27.22 in cities with the highest energy costs. The national average charging cost of its battery sits at $11.02.

Charging Costs

(Pricing sourced from the U.S. Bureau Of Labor And Statistics)

The Kia Niro is compatible with Tesla’s Supercharger, but it’s limited to an 85 kW charging speed. Despite this, you still have to pay the same rate, meaning the 64.8 kWh battery will cost you $32.40 for a full charge during quiet times and $64.80 when the stations are busier than usual.

How Much It Costs To Charge The Kia Sportage And Sorento PHEV

The Sportage and Sorento PHEVs feature the exact same gasoline-electric hybrid system, which consists of a turbocharged 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine and a parallel permanent-magnet electric motor fitted to a six-speed automatic transmission. It produces a combined 261 horsepower and 258 pound-feet to all four wheels. In isolation, the ICE churns out 177 horsepower and the electric motor 89 horsepower.

The Sportage is available in X-Line and X-Line Prestige trims, while the Kia sells the Sorento exclusively in SX Prestige trim. All of these models benefit from the same fuel consumption and range estimates.

The Kia Sportage And Sorento Take Up To 10 Hours Charge

The Sportage and Sorento feature a 13.8 kWh lithium-ion polymer battery pack running on a 360-volt architecture. This means it only benefits from Level One and Two charging speeds. The Sportage benefits from an EPA-estimated 43-mile range when operating on electricity only, and brings in a combined 84 MPGe energy consumption estimate. The Sorento doesn’t fare as well because of its larger proportions, resulting in a 32-mile range estimate and 79 MPGe consumption figure.

Range And Charging Time

(Specifications sourced from Kia)

Using a Level One charger at 120-volts, the Sportage and Sorento’s battery will recover a full charge in 10 hours. Level Two systems completely replenish the battery in a little over three hours.

Kia Sportage And Sorrento Charging Costs

Like the Niro PHEV, the Sportage and Sorento are not going to have dramatic charging costs. In low-rate cities, you’ll be paying around $1.79 for a full charge, while the more expensive locations will set you back $5.80.

Charging Costs

(Pricing sourced from the U.S. Bureau Of Labor And Statistics)

As per the EPA’s estimates, you’re expected to spend $1,150 on gasoline and electricity every year when operating the Sorento, and $1,100 when driving the Sportage. The Sorento has a bigger gas tank at 12.4 gallons, compared to the Sportage’s 11.1-gallon tank.