Compare the2025 Kia EV9VS 2025 Lexus RZ

Both the EV9 and RZ 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 RZ’s 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 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 RZ doesn’t offer front seat center airbags.

In a Vehicle-to-Vehicle Frontal Crash Prevention 2.0 test conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), the Kia EV9 achieved a “Good” rating - the highest possible - for its performance in forward collision warning and automatic braking systems, demonstrating its excellent capabilities in preventing collisions. The Lexus RZ has not been tested.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the EV9 has standard Rear Cross-Traffic Collision Warning with Rear Cross-Traffic Collision-Avoidance Assist, systems which detect vehicles approaching from the sides and can automatically apply the brakes to prevent a collision. Only the RZ Premium/Luxury offers Parking Support Brake.

Both the EV9 and the RZ have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, 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, driver alert monitors and available around view monitors.

The Kia EV9 weighs 474 to 1563 pounds more than the Lexus RZ. The NHTSA advises that heavier vehicles are much safer in collisions than their significantly lighter counterparts.

The Kia EV9 has achieved the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s (IIHS) highest rating of “Top Safety Pick Plus” for the 2025 model year. This distinction is based on its exceptional performance in IIHS’ rigorous battery of safety tests. Specifically, it earned a “Good” rating in the latest, more stringent moderate overlap front crash test, a “Good” result in the updated side impact test, and a “Good” score in the revised pedestrian crash prevention test. The RZ has not yet been fully evaluated by the IIHS for 2025.

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 RZ’s 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 10,000 miles sooner.

Kia’s powertrain warranty covers the EV9 4 years and 30,000 miles longer than Lexus covers the RZ. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the RZ ends after only 6 years or 70,000 miles.

There are over 3 times as many Kia dealers as there are Lexus dealers, which makes it much 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 Lexus vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia fourth in initial quality, above the industry average. With 11 more problems per 100 vehicles, Lexus is ranked 8th.

The EV9 has more powerful engines than the RZ:

As tested in Motor Trend the EV9 GT-Line electric motors is faster than the RZ 450e electric motors:

The EV9 can travel longer on a full charge than the RZ on a full charge:

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

The EV9 stops much shorter than the RZ:

For better traction, the EV9 has larger standard tires than the RZ (255/60R19 vs. 235/60R18). The EV9 GT-Line’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the RZ (285/45R21 vs. 235/60R18).

The EV9 GT-Line’s tires provide better handling because they have a lower 45 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the RZ’s optional 50 series front tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the EV9 has standard 19-inch wheels. Smaller 18-inch wheels are standard on the RZ. The EV9 GT-Line’s 21-inch wheels are larger than the 20-inch wheels optional on the RZ.

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

The EV9’s drift compensation steering can automatically compensate for road conditions which would cause the vehicle to drift from side to side, helping the driver to keep the vehicle straight more easily. The RZ doesn’t offer drift compensation steering.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the EV9’s wheelbase is 9.8 inches longer than on the RZ (122 inches vs. 112.2 inches).

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the EV9 is 3.4 inches wider in the front and 3.5 inches wider in the rear than the track on the RZ.

The EV9’s front to rear weight distribution is more even (47.9% to 52.1%) than the RZ’s (54.2% to 45.8%). This gives the EV9 more stable handling and braking.

The EV9 GT-Line AWD handles at .87 G’s, while the RZ 450e Premium pulls only .83 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The EV9 offers optional seating for 7 passengers; the RZ can only carry 5.

The EV9 has 2.6 inches more front headroom, 4.7 inches more front hip room, 4.7 inches more front shoulder room, 1.1 inches more rear headroom, 5.3 inches more rear legroom, 6.1 inches more rear hip room and 5.7 inches more rear shoulder room than the RZ.

The EV9’s cargo area provides more volume than the RZ.

The EV9’s cargo area is larger than the RZ’s in almost every dimension:

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 RZ doesn’t offer automatic folding second row seats.

The EV9 has a 2000 lbs. towing capacity. The RZ has no towing capacity.

Standard Trailer Stability Assist (TSA) on the EV9 uses the Electronic Stability Control sensors to detect trailer sway, then uses individual brakes to counteract any swaying and help keep the tow vehicle and trailer steady. The RZ doesn’t offer electronic trailer sway control.

The EV9 uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The RZ uses a prop rod to support its heavy hood. It takes two hands to open the hood and set the prop rod, the prop rod gets in the way during maintenance and service, and the prop rod could be knocked out, causing the heavy hood to fall on the person maintaining or servicing the car.

A maintenance reminder system is standard on the EV9 to save the owner time and money by calculating maintenance intervals based on odometer mileage. This takes the guesswork out of keeping your vehicle in top condition and helps it last longer. Lexus doesn’t offer a maintenance reminder on the RZ.

The power windows standard on both the EV9 and the RZ have locks to prevent small children from operating them. When the lock on the EV9 is engaged the driver can still operate all of the windows, for instance to close one opened by a child. The RZ prevents the driver from operating the other windows just as it does the other passengers.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the EV9 has a standard rear wiper. The RZ doesn’t offer a rear wiper.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) conducts detailed tests on headlights for their range both straight ahead and in curves and to be certain they don’t exceed acceptable amounts of glare to oncoming drivers. The EV9’s headlights were rated “Good” by the IIHS, while the RZ’s headlights are rated “Acceptable.”

Manual rear side window sunshades are available in the EV9 to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The RZ doesn’t offer rear side window sunshades.

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 RZ doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats in the rear.

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 RZ.

Consumer Reports® recommends the Kia EV9, based on reliability, safety and performance. The Lexus RZ isn't recommended.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the EV9 first among upper midsize suvs in owner reported satisfaction. This includes how well the vehicle performs and satisfies its owner’s expectations. The RZ isn’t in the top three.

The EV9 was chosen as a Car and Driver’s “Top Ten” for 2024. The RZ 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 RZ has never been chosen.

The Kia EV9 outsold the Lexus RZ by over two to one during 2024.