Kia's EV range (EV3, EV5, EV6, EV9 and Niro EV) is built on Hyundai-Kia's E-GMP 800V platform, which means class-leading DC fast charging and native V2L on every model. Type 2 AC + CCS DC across the board. If you've bought a new Kia EV in the UK, V2L is one of the genuinely useful features your car has that most others don't.
Connector spec by model
- EV3 (2024+): Type 2 AC + CCS DC. 11kW AC. V2L 3.6kW.
- EV5 (2025+): Type 2 + CCS. 11kW AC. V2L 3.6kW.
- EV6 (2021+): Type 2 + CCS. 11kW AC. V2L 3.6kW. 800V architecture (350kW DC).
- EV9 (2023+): Type 2 + CCS. 11kW AC. V2L 3.6kW. 800V (350kW DC).
- Niro EV (2018+): Type 2 + CCS. 11kW AC. V2L on post-2022 facelift.
- Soul EV (Mk1, 2014-2018): Type 1 AC + CHAdeMO DC. Legacy.
- Soul EV (Mk2, 2019-2023): Type 2 + CCS. 7.4kW AC.
- e-Niro PHEV: Type 2 AC, 3.3kW max.
V2L: Kia's killer feature
Every modern Kia EV (EV3, EV5, EV6, EV9, post-2022 Niro EV) supports V2L through the Type 2 charge port at 3.6kW output. Plug a V2L adapter into your Type 2 port and you have a 3.6kW UK 3-pin socket on the side of your car, power tools, kettles, fridges, lighting, EBike chargers, even another EV (slowly).
Use cases:
- Camping / overlanding: fridge + lights + laptop chargers off the car battery for several days.
- Garden / DIY: power tools at the bottom of the garden without trailing extension leads.
- Power outage backup: keep a fridge and a few lamps running through a UK winter outage.
- Emergency boost to another EV: slow but possible in a pinch.
The car reserves enough battery to drive home (set the threshold in the car's V2L menu, 20% is a sensible default).
800V architecture and DC charging
The EV6 and EV9 (and shared-platform Hyundai Ioniq 5/6) are some of the few production cars with 800V architecture. On a 350kW DC ultra-rapid (Ionity, Tesla Supercharger V4, BP Pulse 300kW), they peak around 230-250kW, adding 200 miles of range in ~18 minutes. Other EVs on the same charger top out at 150kW.
800V doesn't change AC home charging: Kia EV6/EV9 cap at 11kW AC like every other modern EV.
AC charging speed at home
- 11kW three-phase: ~45 miles/hour. 80kWh battery refills 10-100% in ~6.5 hours.
- 7.4kW single-phase: ~25-30 miles/hour. Same battery in ~10 hours overnight.
Length and pairing
EV6/EV9 charge port is at the rear-right. EV3/EV5/Niro EV is at the front-right. Pick a cable length that gives slack regardless of how you park. Most UK Kia owners are best served by a 7.5m or 10m Type 2 cable.
Soul EV Mk1 owners
Mk1 Soul EV (2014-2018) is Type 1 + CHAdeMO. Different cables entirely. See Type 1 cables for AC and CHAdeMO cables and adapters for legacy DC service.
Smart-tariff integration
Kia Connect is functional but not deep on dynamic tariffs. Pair a Kia EV with a smart wallbox: Ohme for Octopus Intelligent depth, MyEnergi Zappi if you have solar, Hypervolt for design + tariff balance.