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Kia ev6 cop car

Hot Pursuit! Australian Police Reportedly Tapping Kia EV6 for New Cop Cars


Forget checking your rear-view mirror for a Holden VF Commodore – The next time you get pulled over by the cops, chances are they’ll step out of a new Kia EV6. The Australian Police force has reportedly confirmed that several fleets are currently testing the pure-electric vehicles for potential fleet roles, suggesting the slimline SUV could soon become the favoured mode of transport for the nation’s law enforcement officers.

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Kia ev6 gt line awd rear end

Kia EV6 GT Line AWD | Image: KIA

A new report from CarsGuide has revealed that Kia’s GT-Line AWD has been the main focus, however, the GT is also expected to do the rounds. Importantly, the fleet overhaul will see the current stable of aging fleet cars replaced with fast new EVs, providing a more seamless driving experience. The EV6, as you might know, comes with single and dual motors with both RWD and AWD. The top-end AWD cars are being considered for their superior performance and better handling, which we found to be especially true when we hit the track in it late last year. As for its propensity for capturing assailants, that remains to be seen, however, the specifications are on the Police’s side

The much-loved Kia EV6 GT hits 100km/h in a supercar-bothering 3.5 seconds. Even the GT-Line AWD performs the same task in a rather brisk 5.2 seconds. Of course, with an EV, the range on offer is also as important as the acceleration figures and here both the GT and the GT-Line AWD will comfortably top 400kms plus per charge.

Kia EV6 GT Line AWD | Image: KIA

Kia EV6 GT Line AWD | Image: KIA

As we noted in our review back in September, the battery size on the Kia EV6 is about average for most EVs today at 77.4kWh. That architecture, which was developed in collaboration with Hyundai for its ioniq 5, gives the EV6 GT-line AWD an AER range of around 484km, which is about 20km less than its rear-wheel-drive counterpart thanks to the extra energy used by the front motor. While that’s hardly world-beating, it should be enough to do the trick on urban roads, but more regional areas would prove to be a challenge, particularly with Australia’s public charging infrastructure and maintenance.

Do keep in mind that with the suspension of the GT tuned to suit our roads, the EV6 could prove to be the perfect police car. Its ample ground clearance would allow it to sail over roads (or no roads), while also having the power to capitalise on the fast lanes. In terms of technology, the EV6 comes with V2L, an Augmented reality heads-up display, a 12.3-inch digital dash cluster, heated and ventilated seats and 800V ultra-fast charging.

In the police fleet, the EV6 GT and GT-Line AWD could be the icing on top of the cake. The law enforcement body already boasts fleets of Sorentos deployed across the federal police and in every state/territory but not only that, Tasmanian police have a Niro EV as well. Whether or not the Kia EV6 police car dream becomes a reality is still anyone’s guess, but it’s safe to say that the South Korean brand has fast become a favourite for our police forces.