THE CAT OR THE CREAM?

The Kia EV6 is a class-leading new electric SUV, but for slightly less, you could have a used version of Jaguar's desirable I-Pace. So, which is the better buy?

NEW

Kia EV6 RWD GT-Line

List price £47,195

Target Price £47,195

Our 2022 Car of the Year is one of the most well-rounded electric cars you can buy, offering a long range and lots of kit for a fair price

IT WASN'T SO long ago that anyone in the market for an upmarket electric vehicle (EV) that offered not only a great range but also a desirable badge could buy a Tesla or nothing. Things have moved on, though, with the launch of the Jaguar I-Pace in 2018 sparking a revolution. The question has become not "Do I want to buy a luxurious EV?" but "Which one shall I have?"

The I-Pace was enjoyable to drive, stylish and opulent, with a long range-plus it was an SUV. It wasn't long before other premium brands such as Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz started to offer electric SUVs of their own.

The problem is that to buy any of these cars new requires a great deal of money. But a solution is to go for a used I-Pace; buying a three-year-old model will save you around £25,000.

Here, we're pitching just such an example against one of our favourite new EVs: the Kia EV6. Indeed, we like the EV6 so much that we crowned it our overall Car of the Year for 2022. Brand new, as tested here, it actually costs slightly more than the used I-Pace.

So, can the EV6 cut it against its more upmarket rival?

DRIVING

Performance, ride, handling, refinement

In a straightforward drag race, the 395bhp, four-wheel-drive I-Pace wins handsomely, sprinting from 0-60mph in just 4.3sec, whereas the 226bhp, rear-wheel-drive EV6 requires 7.2sec. However, that still makes the EV6 quicker than some hot hatches, and the sheer responsiveness of both cars to accelerator inputs means they never leave you wanting for performance on public roads.