Long-Term 2024 Kia EV9 Ownership Update: How Efficient Is Our EV9 After 15,000 Miles?

Key Points

• We’ve been charged more than $2,000 for charging our 2024 EV9 since we bought it in 2024, but thanks to 1,000 kilowatt-hours of complimentary charging from Kia and Electrify America, our total charging bill is closer to $1,700.
• Our average efficiency is steady at 2.6 miles per kWh, same as it was at the 10,000-mile mark.
• Fast-charging the EV9 has averaged roughly 30 minutes per charging session.

We last updated you on our long-term 2024 Kia EV9’s efficiency in January 2025, when we crested 10,000 miles on the odometer just a few months after hitting the 5,000-mile mark. It took quite a bit longer to reach our next mileage milestone, however, but how are things with our all-electric family hauler after 15,602 miles? Let’s dig in.

Related: Long-Term Kia EV9 Update: What We’ve Learned After 10,000 Miles

Average Efficiency Holds Steady

• Our observed average efficiency has remained steady at 2.6 miles per kWh, the same as it was at our 10,000-mile update.

We track our EV9’s efficiency in the form of miles per kWh. Our EV9, an all-wheel-drive Land trim with the long-range battery, has EPA-estimated efficiency of 41 kWh per 100 miles, or approximately 2.4 miles per kWh; our last update had our average at 2.6, and after 5,000 more miles, we’re still averaging 2.6 miles per kWh.

How Much Does Charging an EV9 Cost?

• Before factoring in complimentary charging, all charging has cost at least $2,195.22, with $1,916.94 going to DC fast charging.
• Factoring in complimentary charging, we’ve actually been billed closer to $1,705.38, of which $1,427.10 was for DC fast charging.
• Public DC fast charging has accounted for more than 80% of our known charging costs.

Our tracked financial outlay for charging costs also reached a new milestone: the $2,000 mark. We would’ve paid at least $2,195.22 to put electrons back into the EV9’s battery pack (we say “at least” because we aren’t able to track the cost of every charging session due to the reporting limitations of some chargers) if it weren’t for our 1,000 kWh of complimentary DC fast charging at Electrify America charging stations. The true cost of charging over 15,000-plus miles is closer to $1,705.38, and of that amount, $1,427.10 went to DC fast charging — almost 84%. Over our 15,602 miles thus far, that translates into roughly $0.11 per mile — but, again, our true cost is somewhat higher.

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What Else Have We Learned While Living With a Modern EV?

• DC fast charging still takes some time, even with our EV9’s 800-volt architecture and fast-charging speeds, and having access to a Level 2 home charger makes life with an electric vehicle much easier.

We keep track of our charging experiences to some extent, as well, and what we’ve experienced reinforces our EV ownership advice. When using public DC fast chargers, we’ve spent an average of 30 minutes per charging session to add around 157 miles of range, at an average cost of $29.95 per session not counting complimentary charging or $21.96 when we factor in the perk. Only the cost compares favorably to filling up a gas-powered car at a gas station.

The better option remains installing Level 2 home-charging capability. While we’ve spent over eight hours per Level 2 charging session, many of those have taken place overnight. Rather than trying to plug in at a busy or not fully operational public charging station, where there may not be much to do while you wait for 30 minutes or more, with overnight home charging, our EV9 is ready to go the next morning — and while you wait, you’re at home (can you tell I’m an inside cat at heart?).

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