The Tesla Model Y is one of the most popular EVs on the market, thanks to its generous size, support for Tesla’s excellent charging infrastructure, and more. But these days, the Model Y has plenty of competition — like the Kia EV6.
Tesla is taking the competition seriously though. Recently, the company unveiled a new, redesigned version of the vehicle, codenamed the Tesla Model Y Juniper. The Model Y Juniper was first launched in China, where it’s currently available in both all-wheel drive and rear-wheel drive variants. In the US, however, only a special edition all-wheel drive Model Y Juniper, called the Launch Edition New Model Y, is available right now.
But ultimately, which EV is better? We put the Kia EV6 and Tesla Model Y head-to-head to find out.
Design
Perhaps the most immediately obvious difference between the cars is their exterior designs. One of the biggest differences between the Model Y Juniper and the previous generation Model Y comes down to exterior design. The new version of the vehicle has a three-part light bar for the front headlights, along with a light bar on the back for the taillight. That sets it apart from other Tesla models, including the also newly refreshed Model 3 Highland. That said, the vehicle does still share DNA with other Teslas and still looks much like other Tesla models, except, of course, the Cybertruck.
The Kia EV6 is a modern-looking vehicle too, though. It sports angular lines and a sporty silhouette, along with a sloped nose at the front. The EV6’s design does differ a little across models, with higher-end versions of the vehicle, like the EV6 GT, offering more aggressive touches like green brake calipers.
Ultimately, of course, design is subjective, so this category is a tie.
Winner: Tie
Interior and tech
Tesla has always been all-in on minimalism in its cars, and the Tesla Model Y is no different. The car offers a spaceship-like interior, with a large horizontal display at the front. Tesla has been criticized for using somewhat cheap-feeling materials in the interior of its cars, but if you like the minimalistic look, you’ll appreciate the Model Y. For the Model Y Juniper, Tesla has added things like additional accent lighting, and a secondary display for the second-row passengers.
The EV6’s interior looks a little more traditional on the inside, but there are still plenty of modern features and touches. The seats are comfortable and feel relatively premium. Unlike the Telsa, you’ll find some dedicated controls, instead of everything being located in the touchscreen. But many of those controls are still capacitive, so they still feel like touch displays and lack a physical click. The EV6 also has an instrument display for the driver, unlike the Model Y, which sticks to one sole display. The EV6 only comes in a two-row option, and offers 24.4 cubic feet of space behind the second row.
Tesla offers a well-designed user interface with intuitive controls. Not everyone loves controlling things like climate control through a touch screen, but at least Tesla’s software is better-designed and easier to navigate than almost anyone else’s. The EV6 is a little more traditional, but Kia (and parent company Hyundai Motor Group) has put a lot of effort into improving its infotainment experience. Right now, the EV6’s software is pretty easy to navigate, with an app-like layout. Unlike the Tesla, the EV6 also supports CarPlay and Android Auto.
This category is a tie too — do you prefer a minimalistic look, or access to more controls outside of the screen?
Winner: Tie
Performance
EVs are known for their quick acceleration, and both the Model Y and the EV6 are great examples of that. Both of these cars offer incredible acceleration and responsive steering, making each of them pretty fun to drive.
That said, performance is also where things get slightly complicated for the Model Y Juniper. We know how fast the all-wheel drive Model Y Juniper being sold in the U.S. is (it accelerates from 0 to 60 mph in 4.1 seconds), but in China, cars are rated form 0 to 100 kilometers per hour, which equates to 62 mph. As such, while we know that the rear-wheel drive Model Y can reach 100 km/h in 5.9 seconds, the numbers will likely be slightly different when the car comes to the U.S. That’s not to mention any Performance variant of the Model Y Juniper — which hasn’t been released in any region.
The Kia EV6 is pretty quick too though. The rear-wheel drive versions of the vehicle hit 60 mph in 6.5 seconds, while the all-wheel drive models can do it in 4.5 seconds. The EV6 GT is the fastest, able to hit 60 mph in only 3.2 seconds. That’s super fast.
The EV6 is faster than the Model Y Juniper, but the caveat there is that we don’t know the specs of any Model Y Juniper Performance, should it be released. As such, while Kia wins this category, that could change.
Winner: Kia EV6
Range and charging
Of course, a big part of any discussion about EVs is always battery and charging. It’s also a slightly complicated topic for the Model Y Juniper. The AWD Launch Edition New Model Y has an EPA-estimated range of 320 miles. The RWD Model Y has a range of 593 kilometers (368 miles), however that’s as rated by the China Light-Duty Vehicle Test Cycle, or CLTC. The CLTC is much more lenient than the EPA in the U.S., so estimated range for the RWD Model Y Juniper will likely be much lower once the vehicle comes to the U.S.
The EV6 varies a little more in range. The base model of the 2025 EV6, the EV6 Light, has a range of 240 miles. The other models have a larger battery, which can give the RWD EV6 models 319 miles, and the AWD models 295 miles of range. The highest-performance Kia EV6 GT has a range of 231 miles.
Most models of the EV6 have a lower range than the Model Y, but thankfully the EV6 charges quickly. All EV6 models support charging at up to 350kW, which means you can charge from 10% to 80% in only 18 minutes — though you’ll have to find a charging station that supports those speeds. The Model Y supports charging at up to 250kW. Kia has given the 2025 EV6 the NACS port too, which is handy.
Basically, the EV6 can charge faster, but the Tesla Model Y has a longer range than most EV6 models. This one’s a tie.
Winner: Tie
Price and availability
The price is another point of differentiation between these two vehicles. The 2025 Kia EV6 isn’t available just yet, and the only version of the Model Y Juniper you can get in the U.S. is the more expensive Launch Edition New Model Y, which still won’t ship until March. It costs $59,990.
Pricing for the 2025 Kia EV6 has yet to be revealed, but it likely won’t be all that much different than the 2024 model. That would put the vehicle at a starting price of $42,600.
There’s too much we don’t know about pricing and availability of these two cars to really award a winner.
Winner: Tie
Overall winner: Kia EV6
This comparison is a bit tricky, and the only winner of any category is the Kia EV6 in performance. Everything else is a tie — though that could change as we learn more about the vehicles. Ultimately, we can expect that the Model Y will likely offer a better range overall, while the EV6 will boast more physical controls and support for things like CarPlay.
