Compare the2025 Kia EV9VS 2025 Volkswagen ID.BUZZ

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 ID.BUZZ doesn’t offer pretensioners for its second-row seat belts.

In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the EV9 are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The ID.BUZZ doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

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 ID.BUZZ doesn’t offer knee airbags.

Both the EV9 and the ID.BUZZ have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, front seat center airbag, 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 (Built after January 2024) achieved a “Top Safety Pick” rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) for the 2024 model year. This recognition was based on its impressive performance in the small overlap frontal crash test, updated side impact crash test, headlight evaluations, and pedestrian crash prevention testing. The ID.BUZZ has not yet been evaluated by the IIHS for 2024.

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 ID.BUZZ’s 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 ID.BUZZ. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the ID.BUZZ 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 GT-Line’s electric motors produces 44 more horsepower (379 vs. 335) and 4 lbs.-ft. more torque (516 vs. 512) than the ID.BUZZ’s optional electric motors.

As tested in Car and Driver the EV9 GT-Line electric motors is faster than the Volkswagen ID.BUZZ electric motors:

As tested in Motor Trend the EV9 GT-Line electric motors is faster than the Volkswagen ID.BUZZ (base engine):

On the EPA test cycle the EV9 gets better mileage than the ID.BUZZ:

The EV9 can travel longer on a full charge than the ID.BUZZ on a full charge:

The Kia EV9 has standard four-wheel disc brakes for better stopping power and improved directional control in poor weather. Only rear drums come on the ID.BUZZ. Drums can heat up and make stops longer, especially with antilock brakes that work much harder than conventional brakes.

The EV9 stops shorter than the ID.BUZZ:

For better traction, the EV9 has larger standard tires than the ID.BUZZ (255/60R19 vs. 235/50R20). The EV9 GT-Line’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the ID.BUZZ (285/45R21 vs. 235/50R20).

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 ID.BUZZ’s 50 series front tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the EV9 GT-Line has standard 21-inch wheels. The ID.BUZZ’s largest wheels are only 20-inches.

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

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the EV9 is 1 inch wider in the front and 1.6 inches wider in the rear than the track on the ID.BUZZ.

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

The Kia EV9 may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 350 to 900 pounds less than the Volkswagen ID.BUZZ.

The EV9 is 7.3 inches shorter in height than the ID.BUZZ, making the EV9 much easier to wash and garage and drive (lower center of gravity).

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 ID.BUZZ doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

The EV9 has .6 inches more front headroom, 3.9 inches more front legroom, 1.3 inches more front hip room, 2.5 inches more front shoulder room, 2.9 inches more rear legroom, .8 inches more third row headroom and 2.8 inches more third row shoulder room than the ID.BUZZ.

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

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 ID.BUZZ doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

Maximum trailer towing in the Volkswagen ID.BUZZ is limited to 3500 pounds. The EV9 AWD offers up to a 5000 lbs. towing capacity.

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 ID.BUZZ 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 ID.BUZZ doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats for the second row.

Compared to the Volkswagen ID.BUZZ, the Kia EV9 eliminates the need for separate garage door openers and associated risks of losing, breaking, or having dead batteries with its optional integrated Homelink® universal remote controlled from the rear view mirror.

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