Compare the2024 Kia EV9VS 2024 Volkswagen Atlas

For enhanced safety, the front and second-row seat shoulder belts of the Kia EV9 have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The Volkswagen Atlas doesn’t offer pretensioners for its second-row seat belts.

Both the EV9 and Atlas have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The EV9 has power child safety locks, allowing the driver to activate and deactivate them from the driver's seat and to know when they're engaged. The Atlas’ child locks have to be individually engaged at each rear door with a manual switch. The driver can’t know the status of the locks without opening the doors and checking them.

The Kia EV9 has a standard driver’s side knee airbag mounted low on the dashboard. The knee airbag helps prevent the driver from sliding under the seatbelts or the main frontal airbag; this keeps the driver better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. A knee airbag also helps keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Atlas doesn’t offer knee airbags.

The EV9 has a standard front seat center airbag, which deploys between the driver and front passenger, protecting them from injuries caused by striking each other in serious side impacts. The Atlas doesn’t offer front seat center airbags.

With its standard Forward Collision Avoidance Assist, the Kia EV9 is better at preventing collisions with pedestrians than the Volkswagen Atlas, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety:

The EV9’s driver alert monitor detects an inattentive driver then sounds a warning and suggests a break. According to the NHTSA, drivers who fall asleep cause about 100,000 crashes and 1500 deaths a year. The Atlas doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the EV9 and the Atlas have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning and available around view monitors.

The Kia EV9 weighs 430 to 1496 pounds more than the Volkswagen Atlas. The NHTSA advises that heavier vehicles are much safer in collisions than their significantly lighter counterparts.

The EV9 comes with a full 5-year/60,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The Atlas’ 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 10,000 miles sooner.

Kia’s powertrain warranty covers the EV9 6 years and 50,000 miles longer than Volkswagen covers the Atlas. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the Atlas ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

There are over 21 percent more Kia dealers than there are Volkswagen dealers, which makes it easier should you ever need service under the EV9’s warranty.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2024 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Kia vehicles are better in initial quality than Volkswagen vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia fourth in initial quality, above the industry average. With 78 more problems per 100 vehicles, Volkswagen is ranked 30th, below the industry average.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2024 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Kia vehicles are more reliable than Volkswagen vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia above average in long-term dependability. With 3 more problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, Volkswagen is rated below average.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2024 Auto Issue reports that Kia vehicles are more reliable than Volkswagen vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Kia 17 places higher in reliability than Volkswagen.

The EV9 Land/Wind’s standard electric motors produces 110 more horsepower (379 vs. 269) and 170 lbs.-ft. more torque (443 vs. 273) than the Atlas’ 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder. The EV9 GT-Line’s standard electric motors produces 110 more horsepower (379 vs. 269) and 243 lbs.-ft. more torque (516 vs. 273) than the Atlas’ 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder.

As tested in Motor Trend the EV9 GT-Line electric motors is faster than the Volkswagen Atlas:

On the EPA test cycle the EV9 gets better mileage than the Atlas:

The EV9 can travel with zero emissions for 230 to 304 miles (dependent on model). The Atlas can’t move without running its internal combustion engine.

Regenerative brakes improve the EV9’s fuel efficiency by converting inertia back into energy instead of wasting it. The Atlas doesn’t offer a regenerative braking system.

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Kia EV9 higher (10 out of 10) than the Volkswagen Atlas (3). This means the EV9 produces up to 36.3 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Atlas every 15,000 miles.

For better stopping power the EV9’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Atlas:

The EV9 stops much shorter than the Atlas:

For better traction, the EV9 has larger standard tires than the Atlas (255/60R19 vs. 245/60R18). The EV9 GT-Line’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Atlas (285/45R21 vs. 265/45R21).

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the EV9 has standard 19-inch wheels. Smaller 18-inch wheels are standard on the Atlas SE/Peak Edition.

The EV9 offers an optional automatic rear load leveling suspension to keep ride height level with a heavy load or when towing. The Atlas doesn’t offer a load leveling suspension.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the EV9’s wheelbase is 4.7 inches longer than on the Atlas (122 inches vs. 117.3 inches).

The EV9’s front to rear weight distribution is more even (47.9% to 52.1%) than the Atlas’ (55% to 45%). This gives the EV9 more stable handling and braking.

The EV9 GT-Line AWD handles at .87 G’s, while the Atlas 4Motion pulls only .84 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The EV9 GT-Line AWD executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.5 seconds quicker than the Atlas SEL 4Motion (26.4 seconds @ .69 average G’s vs. 27.9 seconds @ .61 average G’s).

For greater off-road capability the EV9 has a 1.5 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the Atlas (7.8 vs. 6.3 inches), allowing the EV9 to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

The EV9 is 3.5 inches shorter than the Atlas, making the EV9 easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The front grille of the EV9 uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The Atlas doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

The EV9 has 4.8 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Atlas (158.8 vs. 154).

The EV9 has 1 inch more front hip room, .1 inches more front shoulder room, 5.2 inches more rear legroom, 1.2 inches more third row headroom and .1 inches more third row shoulder room than the Atlas.

For enhanced passenger comfort on long trips the EV9’s middle and third row seats recline. The Atlas’ third row seats don’t recline.

Pressing a switch automatically lowers or raises the EV9’s optional second and third row seats, to make changing between cargo and passengers easier. The Atlas doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

The EV9 Land/GT-Line’s standard easy entry system raises the steering wheel and glides the driver’s seat back when the door is unlocked or the ignition is switched off, making it easier for the driver to get in and out. The Atlas doesn’t offer an easy entry system.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the EV9 has a standard rear fixed intermittent wiper with a full on position. The rear wiper standard on the Atlas only has an intermittent setting, so in a hard rain visibility isn’t as good.

The EV9’s standard rear and side view mirrors have an automatic dimming feature. These mirrors can be set to automatically darken quickly when headlights shine on them, keeping following vehicles from blinding or distracting the driver. The Atlas has an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

The EV9 has standard front air conditioned seats and the EV9 Land/GT-Line also has them in the second row. This keeps the passengers comfortable and takes the sting out of hot seats in summer. The Atlas doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats for the second row.

The EV9 GT-Line has standard massaging front seats in order to maximize comfort and eliminate fatigue on long trips. Massaging seats aren’t available in the Atlas.

The EV9 (except Light/Wind)’s optional Smart Parking Assist can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, starting, stopping and changing direction automatically. Remote Smart Parking Assist will park and retrieve your car remotely: press a button and watch it park itself. This is ideal for tight locations. The Atlas SEL Premium R-Line’s automatic parking system requires operating the brakes and transmission to safely park and it doesn’t offer remote control parking.

The EV9 was chosen as a Car and Driver’s “Top Ten” for 2024. The Atlas has never been chosen by Car and Driver in their “10Best” issue.

A group of representative automotive journalists from North America selected the EV9 as the 2024 North American Utility Vehicle of the Year. The Atlas has never been chosen.