WHAT CAR? AWARDS FOR KIA SPORTAGE AND EV9

Kia UK has won two awards at the 2023 What Car? Car of the Year Awards, including a major category win for the Kia Sportage.

Kia Sportage: Best Family SUV

The Kia Sportage was named ‘Best Family SUV’ by What Car? magazine’s judging panel, ahead of all other rivals in the most popular and hotly contested vehicle segment in the UK.

The judging panel for the awards, made up of the magazine’s team of expert road testers, commented: “We've group tested the Kia Sportage extensively in various guises over the last 12 months, and it's emerged victorious every time. But when you consider its competitive pricing, all of the equipment that you get as standard and how complete a car the Sportage is, it's easy to see why. It strikes a near-perfect balance between agility and comfort, which gets it off to a great start against any rival. Meanwhile the interior neatly blends practicality with style.”

Paul Philpott, President and CEO of Kia UK Limited, commented: “We’re proud to see the Sportage recognised by What Car? as the ideal family vehicle. As our best-selling model in the UK, it’s incredibly popular with buyers looking for a car that covers all the bases, at a range of different price points. Now offering hybrid and plug-in hybrid powertrains, the model perfectly represents our leadership in electrification and also gives customers greater choice.”

The most recent Kia Sportage model debuted at the beginning of 2022. It was the sixth best-selling new car in the UK last year, and UK shoppers will buy 29,655 of the well-liked family SUV until 2022. For the first time in the Sportage's five generations, hybrid and plug-in hybrid choices are available.

Kia EV9: Readers’ Choice Award

From a selection of 14 vehicles, we asked What Car? readers to choose the one that they are most anticipating. Each candidate received equal exposure on our website and on social media.

Nevertheless, the Kia EV9 won the competition after garnering more votes than twice as many as the secondplaced vehicle.

The EV6 had taken first place in 2021, making this Kia's second victory in three years. It will be genuinely exceptional if the EV9 turns out to be as good as the EV6.

The Kia EV9 is due to be revealed later in 2023, with UK deliveries set to commence towards the end of the year. The large electric SUV is the next EV due to be launched under the brand’s ‘Plan S’ long-term strategy for electrification leadership. It follows the Kia EV6 (named What Car? Car of the Year in 2022) and all-new Kia Niro EV as one of nine Kia EVs due to launch in the UK between 2021 and 2027.