Winter driving

Though the winter of 2024-25 turned out to be one of the least snowy on record for our Chicagoland environs, we still had enough of the white stuff to test how the EV9 handles snowy, slushy and icy surfaces.

We took the all-electric ID. Buzz and our EV9 on a cold-weather efficiency test to see how they performed in cold temperatures.

With snow now hitting the U.S. in places that aren’t used to it, here are our top four tips for getting through it safely and effectively.

Properly washing and cleaning your car in winter helps fight grime, such as salt and sand, which can lead to corrosion and rust.

When trying to get your car unstuck from ice and snow, avoid flooring the gas pedal and spin the tires until you smell rubber burning.

Wheel warming has gone mainstream, with the feature standard or optional not just on luxury vehicles, but on an increasing number of models with sticker prices of $40,000 or less.

The recommended tool for removing snow and ice from your car is a foam brush.

Check out our personal tips developed over years of extensive driving experience to help you survive the winter with rear-wheel drive.

Now that winter temperatures have set in, we wondered what type of range, efficiency and charging times we’d see with our long-term Kia EV9 on a Midwest road trip in subfreezing temperatures.

To keep your car in good shape, every two to three weeks is a good rule of thumb for how often you should drive your car.