So, Rishi Sunak has done a handbrake turn and told us that we can buy new petrol and diesel cars until 2035 instead of 2030.

The car manufacturers must be tearing their hair out. They went into full panic mode when the 2030 deadline was announced, and now they’re faced with a buying public who no longer have a sense of urgency. The value of used electric cars is slumping and sales have of new models have also taken a dive.

However, the genie is out of the bottle and there’s no turning back. Battery powered cars are still the future whether we like it or not.

The electric charging infrastructure is lagging behind, but all credit to the car manufacturers because in a short space of time, they have come up with some stunning cars.

Take this Kia EV6 GT for example.

It shows the importance of developing electric cars from the ground up. Taking an ICE model, ripping out the engine and gearbox and installing a battery driven electric motor, usually means you end up with a mishmash of car.

The Kia EV6, even in its standard form, is brilliant, blending crossover, SUV styling with family holdall. It also has a seriously premium feel to it. Kia wants to move upmarket and it’s definitely working.

To be honest, the £45,245 entry level EV6 is adequate enough for most people with 226bhp giving you a 0-60mph time of 7.3 seconds and rear-wheel drive to boot. However, if you really want to frighten the life out of the BMW iX, Ford Mustang, Merc EQS, Audi e-tron and Porsche Taycan drivers, then head for the one you see here, the EV6 GT.

Power climbs to a thumping 557bhp and the 0-60mph time drops to just 3.5 seconds. Top speed is 167mph and a front axle-mounted motor delivers 215 bhp while a rear-mounted motor produces 362bhp. Add them together and you have an all-wheel drive supercar.  

The downside to all of this power is that your range will drop quite markedly. The standard EV6 will manage - according to Kia - 326 miles before the battery dies. The GT drops that decent total to 263 miles. Thankfully you can charge the car up to 80% in 18 minutes if you can find a 350kW rapid charger. I got nowhere near the 263 miles - probably around 200 - because I spent most of the time on motorways and conducted my test in the first really chilly spell of winter. Those two factors are the enemy of the electric car range.

Another downside is that the price jumps to a staggering £62,645.

The shove of acceleration is intoxicating. There are various driver mode options, but if you want to give the car full beans, you hit a bright green tab on the steering wheel. This wakes up the horses and launches you to the horizon. As soon as you press the button, you actually feel the car twitch. The throttle becomes feather-light. You’ll probably only do it now and again and it certainly impresses any passengers. However, after a while, you’ll do like I did and revert to Eco mode to make sure that you can reach your destination comfortably.

Look away from the performance figures and you end up with a terrific, long-legged cruiser which looks like nothing else on the car market. The exterior is smart and distinctive and still draws glances.

The interior is less shouty but still has some really smart touches and has a genuine up-market feel to it. If you’ve not sat in a Kia over the last, say, five years, you need to do a refresher course. They’re some of the smartest cars on the road. The interior will easily cope with five adults and the seats are comfy too.

The dashboard is dominated by a pair of 12.3-inch screens. They look good and work well but sometimes it takes ages to find what you’re looking for. Altering the climate takes a bit of fiddling, although perhaps greater familiarity will make it all a little more slick. On the plus side, the graphics on the sat nav are terrific. I won’t list the amount of kit you get with the GT version but needless to say, there’s everything you really need.

Driving is simplicity itself. Press the start button, twist the gear selector and away you go. Bearing in mind the sort of performance which is available, the ride is remarkably cushy. The EV6 GT tips the scales at almost 2.2 tonnes so the suspension has got its work cut out. If you choose your power at the right time you can even get a bit of oversteer.

Okay, there’s a weighty price premium between the entry-level EV6 and this GT model, but the big difference is the GT’s character. The little green button on the steering wheel keeps winking at you saying, ‘press me if you dare’. As I mentioned earlier, if you’re cruising on something like a holiday trip, you’ll be more interested in preserving your range, but if you’re on a daily commute and need to continually find a gap in the traffic, exit a slip road or roundabout, or fancy a bit of fun away from the traffic lights, then the Kia EV6 GT will give you oodles of enjoyment. Hurtling from a standstill in almost complete silence is something that never ceases to excite me and, because it’s electric, your conscience is clear. 

What’s not to love?

Words: Graham Courtney
Pictures: Kia