- Kia’s EV lineup in the United States is seeting “customer cash” of up to $10,000 per model.
- The discounts apply to the Kia EV6, EV9 and Niro EV.
- Corporate cousin Hyundai has dropped its EV prices for some 2026 model-year cars, but it’s not yet clear if Kia will do the same.
We’ve consistently heaped praise on Kia’s lineup of electric cars, so much so that the EV9 three-row SUV was one of our Breakthrough Awards contenders last year and I put an EV6 in my driveway using my own dollars. But now, like every other automaker, Kia’s looking at a dip in electric sales with the EV tax credit no longer helping buyers secure up to $7,500 off a lease or purchase.
Without the tax credit at its disposal, Kia’s taking matters into its own hands. The automaker is now offering discounts of up to $10,000 on its trio of all-electric models in the U.S. You can search for these by ZIP code on Kia’s offers page.
First and foremost, the now-U.S.-built Kia EV6 qualifies for a “customer cash” bonus of $10,000 when it’s purchased. Kia doesn’t list any stipulations around which trim levels qualify for any of these deals, so in theory, this means you could get the EV6 Light Long-Range AWD model with 295 miles of range for $40,300 starting.
Photo by: Kevin Williams/InsideEVs
Or, the more nicely equipped Wind AWD for $44,300. And if you can live with a single electric motor, the Light RWD models drop to the mid- and low-$30,000 range. Considering the tech, performance, fast-charging, excellent range and now a Tesla-style North American Charging Standard (NACS) plug you get here, that’s a tremendous bargain.
Kia EV9 Nightfall Edition
Photo by: Kia
Need to upsize? Check out the Kia EV9. The large, electric SUV saw a $2,000 price cut for the 2026 model year already, but now it also qualifies for another $10,000 off in customer cash. That means you could get into an EV9 for as low as the mid-$40,000 range, or the low-$50,000 range for a nicely equipped trim like a Wind AWD. That’s not a bad deal for up to 283 miles of range, a NACS plug, three rows of seats abd better tech and luxury than you may think.
Kia Niro EV driverless taxi
Photo by: Sway Mobility and Mapless AI
But the real secret winner here may be the Kia Niro EV. Now that the Kia EV4 isn’t coming to America and the more modern EV3 continues to be MIA, the humble Niro EV picks up the slack. Though it has just 253 miles of range, that may be more than enough when $10,000 customer cash knocks the starting price under $30,000.
Meanwhile, Kia’s corporate cousin Hyundai has announced similar pricing adjustments, specificially to the EV6’s sibling the Hyundai Ioniq 5. That’s now $9,800 cheaper, meaning its base-model version now retails for as little as $35,000—making it possibly the best new EV deal in America. It’s unclear if Kia will adjust prices similarly to all its 2025 model-year EVs, but that’s worth keeping an eye on.
The lesson here is this: many automakers have made significant investments into EVs. Even if they’re projecting a short-term downturn, they won’t sacrifice those investments entirely and the smart ones need to play the long game. In making the EV6, EV9 and Niro EV more affordable, Kia’s doing exactly that—and the one who stands to benefit is you, as a car shopper.
Contact the author: patrick.george@insideevs.com
