Kia EV6 vs Subaru Uncharted

On a public ultra-rapid charger the EV6 wins clearly. Its 800-volt architecture draws up to 258kW and refills 10 to 80 per cent in about 18 minutes, where the 400-volt Uncharted peaks at 150kW and needs about 30. On a long drive that gap is real minutes back on the road. At home the order flips: the Uncharted accepts 22kW three-phase AC against the EV6's 10.5kW, so if your house has three-phase power the Subaru tops up faster overnight. Most buyers charge mostly at home and fast-charge occasionally, which is why both figures matter when you choose.

The EV6 claims more range across the board. The rear-drive Air leads at 582km WLTP, the GT-Line RWD does 560km, and the dual-motor GT-Line AWD manages 522km, which is exactly the figure Subaru quotes for the Uncharted. The 478kW GT trails the family at 450km. So if range is the priority, a rear-drive EV6 simply travels further between stops than the Uncharted. Step up to all-wheel drive in the Kia and the two are line-ball on paper. Real-world figures sit below WLTP for both, especially on the highway and in the cold, so treat the claim as a best case.

The Uncharted is the cheaper way into an electric SUV here, at $65,420 drive-away against roughly $78,277 for the entry EV6 Air, close to $13,000 apart. It also loads everything in as standard, where the EV6 asks you to climb from the Air to unlock the sunroof, head-up display and heated seats. The catch is what the money buys: the EV6 is a size larger, with a bigger boot and longer range, so judged on space and touring ability the premium does real work. If you want the most car for the least outlay, the Subaru wins; if you want the most car, the Kia does.

At the money the Uncharted has the edge. Its single dual-motor grade makes 252kW and 437Nm through all-wheel drive, comfortably ahead of the cheapest EV6 Air, which makes 168kW and 350Nm to the rear wheels and takes 7.7 seconds to 100km/h. But the EV6 range keeps climbing where the Subaru stops, through the 239kW GT-Line AWD to the 478kW GT that clears 100km/h in 3.5 seconds. So the Uncharted beats the EV6 you can actually park next to it on price, while the EV6 holds the outright performance ceiling if you spend up to the GT.

The EV6 is the roomier choice. It carries 490 litres in the rear-drive Air against the Uncharted's 403, and its 2,900mm wheelbase, 150mm longer than the Subaru's, frees up more rear-seat space. Both seat five and both hold a five-star rating, so neither is a compromise for a family. The Uncharted's coupe-styled body looks sharp and parks easily at 4,535mm long, but the shape and the shorter wheelbase cost it room in the second row and the boot. If you regularly carry people and gear, the EV6 is the more practical of the two.

Both wear a maximum five-star ANCAP rating, and both carry the full active-safety suite as standard. The suite includes autonomous emergency braking, lane-keep assist, adaptive cruise and blind-spot monitoring. They were tested in different years and trade the detail scores: the EV6 is stronger on safety assist at 88 per cent to the Uncharted's 82, while the Uncharted protects vulnerable road users better at 80 per cent to the EV6's 64. One thing to know on the Kia: the performance GT is listed by ANCAP as unrated, so the five stars cover the Air and GT-Line grades rather than the flagship.

It is a split decision. The EV6 carries a seven-year, unlimited-kilometre vehicle warranty against the Uncharted's five years, so the Kia backs the whole car for longer. The Subaru answers on the battery, which it covers for eight years and 160,000km to the EV6's seven years and 150,000km. Service intervals match exactly, at 12 months or 15,000km for both. On energy the two are line-ball, with the EV6 Air rated at 159Wh/km and the Uncharted at 160, so neither will cost meaningfully more per kilometre to run. Choose on which cover matters more to you.

The Uncharted is the one built to leave the tarmac. It rides 211mm off the ground against the EV6's 160mm, runs Subaru's Symmetrical all-wheel drive as standard, and adds X-Mode with hill-descent control for loose surfaces. The extra 51mm of ground clearance is the difference between scraping and clearing a rutted track. The EV6 is rear-drive in its cheaper grades and only picks up all-wheel drive from the GT-Line AWD up, and even then it sits low with a road-biased focus. For dirt roads and campsites, the Subaru is the clear pick.

Buy the EV6 if you drive long distances or carry a lot. Its 800-volt charging, up to 582km of range and 490-litre boot are built for the open road, and the range runs all the way to a 478kW GT. Buy the Uncharted if you want to spend less and still get everything, or if you head off the bitumen. It lands well under the EV6 on price with flagship equipment standard, keeps 211mm of clearance and Subaru all-wheel drive, and backs its battery for eight years. The Kia is the more complete car; the Subaru is the smarter buy for town-and-trail owners who do not need the size.