How much does Kia EV9 servicing cost?

Here’s the warranty and servicing details for the 2024 Kia EV9 upper large electric SUV in Australia.

Released locally in late 2023, the Kia EV9 marks the return of a proper seven-seat large electric SUV and the South Korean carmaker’s new flagship model.

But how does its vehicle and warranty coverage compare, and is it cheaper to service the EV9 than a traditional diesel SUV?

NOTE: Warranty details and servicing costs are accurate as at the time of publication for the 2024 model-year Kia EV9, but subject to change.

FULL REVIEW: 2024 Kia EV9 review: Made for Australia?

How long is the warranty?

The Kia EV9 is covered by a seven year, unlimited kilometre vehicle warranty and a seven-year/150,000km battery warranty.

The latter is lower than the industry average (eight years/160,000km) – but Kia guarantees the lithium-ion type battery won’t degrade by more than 30 per cent in the warranty period.

Otherwise, a repair or replacement is available to restore back up to at least 70 per cent capacity.

How much does it cost to service the Kia EV9?

Servicing is required every one year/15,000km (whichever occurs first) for the 2024 Kia EV9.

That’s unlike sibling company Hyundai which only needs maintenance every two years/30,000km for its EVs. For Kia, every two checkups are major services and therefore costs more, but are offset by relatively low-priced minor logbook services.

Servicing prices are capped up to seven years/105,000km.

Kia Australia strangely doesn’t publicly list capped-price servicing for its electric car models – but has confirmed to The Connected that it costs $1351 to maintain the EV9 after the first five visits (or $1998 in total for the seven capped-price services).

This averages to about $270 per service for the first five checkups.

2024 Kia EV9 capped-price servicing prices:

Interval time/distance (whichever occurs first)	Capped-price servicing cost
1 year/15,000km	$97
2 years/30,000km	$509
3 years/45,000km	$100
4 years/60,000km	$542
5 years/75,000km	$103
6 years/90,000km	$541
7 years/105,000km	$106

Servicing prices are the same for all EV9 variants including the single-motor Air, dual-motor Earth, and flagship GT-Line.

Additionally, roadside assistance is included for up to eight years, which is renewed every year after each logbook service.

Kia Connect services and the remote smartphone app are included for the first seven years – which will become paid thereafter with no cost announced yet in Australia.

The company also claims some issues can be fixed via an over-the-air (OTA) software update – which covers “more than half of the vehicle’s onboard controllers” – without requiring a service visit.

Does pre-paid servicing save you money?

Kia Australia offers pre-paid servicing plans for the 2024 Kia EV9. However, paying in advance doesn’t save owners any money.

The following plans are available:

Three years: $706 (= no saving)
Five years: $1351 (= no saving)
Seven years: $1997 (= $1 saving)

Unfortunately, unlike other car brands, pre-paid servicing packages don’t offer any savings compared to standard pay-as-you-go capped-price servicing – unless a $1 saving for paying for seven years worth of maintenance counts.

The only potential advantage: it’s set-and-forget and, if owners sell their EV9 before a pre-paid service plan expires, this may be a reason to hold the resale value better.

Is it cheaper to service the Kia EV9 than diesel cars?

The 2024 Kia EV9 is substantially cheaper to maintain overall than a conventional diesel engine-powered family SUV.

While every second major service for the EV9 may seem expensive, it’s offset by low-priced minor checkups.

For comparison, the similarly-sized diesel Hyundai Palisade costs $2445 after the first five visits, with the same one-year/15,000km intervals.

This means the electric Kia EV9 is $1094 (or about 45 per cent) cheaper to maintain overall after five years/75,000km.

Similarly, the Kia Carnival people mover costs $2607 to service after the first five scheduled visits – so the EV9 is $1256 (or about 48 per cent) cheaper to maintain after five years/75,000km.

Electric cars are cheaper to maintain as they contain about 90 per cent fewer moving parts than a petrol- or diesel-engined vehicle, resulting in theoretically better reliability and less labour needed with fewer areas that need attention.

However, EVs still share many ‘consumables’ that need routine maintenance including tyres, brakes and suspension components, in addition to checkups for the battery pack health, 12-volt electronics battery, cameras and sensors, and other technology and software.

About the Author.

Henry Man is an independent content producer passionate about the intersection of technology and transportation.

The former automotive journalist is focused on producing critically-detailed vehicle reviews, and unique short-form content. Learn more.