Kia EV6 vs Polestar 4

The Polestar 4 costs £14,355 more than the Kia EV6. For that premium it adds 30 miles more WLTP range, 32 kW more power and a 1.5s quicker 0-62mph time. The Kia EV6 is not just cheaper - it also offers 58 kW faster peak rapid charging. On EVcarsguide's combined category scores, the Kia EV6 comes out ahead overall.

The Kia EV6 is £14,355 cheaper to buy. The Kia EV6 is cheaper to charge, roughly £160 a year versus £192 for the Polestar 4, at 8,000 miles on an off-peak home tariff. Add 5 years of charging and the Kia EV6 comes out roughly £14,515 cheaper overall. These figures cover list price and home charging only - insurance, servicing, tyres and depreciation will move the real total.

EVcarsguide estimates a real-world motorway range of about 301 miles for the Kia EV6 and 277 miles for the Polestar 4 - both below their WLTP figures, because sustained high speed is the hardest case for an EV. The Kia EV6 goes roughly 24 miles further between charging stops. A rapid charge to 80% takes around 18 minutes in the Kia EV6 and 30 in the Polestar 4, so the Kia EV6 loses less time at each stop. That makes the Kia EV6 the stronger long-distance car.

The Kia EV6 is the easier car for tight UK car parks: it is 118 mm narrower than the Polestar 4. In a standard 2,400 mm bay that leaves about 510 mm of total clearance for the Kia EV6 and about 392 mm of total clearance for the Polestar 4.

Over a 8-year ownership window EVcarsguide's degradation model projects roughly 89% battery health for the Kia EV6 and 84% for the Polestar 4. That gives the Kia EV6 a modest edge in retained real-world range. Both use NMC-type cells, so for daily use keep the charge limit near 80% to slow degradation.