Hi - brand new member. I have a lease expiring on my 2023 Kia EV6 GT in September but with the tariffs I’m starting to look a little early for my next option.

I love the Kia but it has had 12V battery issues and seems to know for recurring ICCU failures. Hence I don’t think I want to buy it out at the end of the lease. I’m thinking to buy this time so I want something that will be dependable too.

Thinking to buy a lightly used I4. The M50 looks similar performance wise to the GT. Any particular years or trims to avoid?

If there’s a good thread on this already feel free to point me to it. Thanks!

There hasn’t really been many changes to the i4 in the 3 years since they first came out, 24 model year, change of gear selecta, 25 model year, different lights and some colours, other minor changes. There has been no changes to batteries, motors or anything to do with main running of the car. As far as I can see the i4 appears to be one of the most reliable EVs and general ownership experience is really positive, like any car there can be some problems, after all it’s a car, most of us on here are very happy.

 

Isn't there a certain model year that has iDrive 8.5, while the older ones have iDrive 8.0?

 

Welcome Aboard!

 

Welcome to the forum, hope you find what you need in the community.

One of my best friends moved from an EV6 (not a GT) to an i4 and is very happy with the move, though he also felt the EV6 was excellent l.

Speaking as an m50 driver, you can hopefully find a low mileage one. Not sure what the chances of it being 'lightly used' are though its a car that eggs you on.

I would watch out for cars made during lockdown/parts shortage. In particular some lack adaptive suspension which, based on you driving an EV6 GT, I'm assuming you want a drivers car and the adaptive is a huge benefit to that. Otherwise there are not many threads on here with much in the way of recurrent issues, except maybe tyre wear.

 

I have both the i4 and EV6. Prefer the i4 as it is a driver's car and much more reliable so far. I am on my 4th 12v battery in 2 years in my EV6. Two ICCU recalls and steering wheel trim replaced due to fault in craftsmanship. IMO, go for the i4.

 

Thanks all - sounds very promising! Now I need to decide if I really need the high horsepower again and go for an m50 or go with the E/XDrive40.

 

I went with the eDrive 40 for the simple reason that the range drops significantly on the M50. For sure, the extra power would have been nice, but the eDrive 40 is really plenty quick enough for most people. I moved from a Tesla Model Y LR AWD so although the i4 is a little down on power compared to it, it still feels quick enough and it's a nicer car to drive overall.

I test drove an EV6 when I was looking for the Model Y replacement and actually liked it quite a lot. But it definitely had a "Korean" feel to it, especially in terms of the infotainment which I thought felt quite old-fashioned. The BMW isn't up to Tesla levels in this department, but overall I think it's more than acceptable. I also found the i4 to be quieter and better riding that the EV6 - but both are a step up on the Model Y in these areas.

 

Just be aware that some ‘22 and early ‘23 models had options removed due to supply chain problems. It depends upon how far back you are looking.

 

Lease an i4 now, and if you like it and it has no issues, then buy it.

Buying it outright keeps you from getting the 7500 off, and risks your buying one with the optional gremlins included.

 

Lease an i4 now, and if you like it and it has no issues, then buy it.

Buying it outright keeps you from getting the 7500 off, and risks your buying one with the optional gremlins included.

Excellent advice - thank you! You were 100% right about the $7500 rebate only being there for the lease.

 

we have a 2023 gv60 performance which I believe is similar to your ev6gt. I much prefer my 2023 m50 over my wife's gv60 performance for 2 people transport.

if our kids are home and coming with us, the gv60 wins on comfort.

 

All the good advice above - yes. You said you were looking for lightly used, but If you're at all interested in a lease on an i4, check out @IAC_Scott . <--- Click on his username over there and then "About" on that page (or just click "About" over there, it's a link now), there's a link on his bio to pricing. I am a very satisfied customer. I never thought I'd have a lease much less recommend one but he's amazing and well worth the money. You can see the pricing before you work with him so you can do all the math up front. No BS at the dealership. Amazing. No, I'm not paid.

Back when I was getting rid of my Tesla it was actually cheaper to lease and then buy out my i4 rather than keep the Tesla with what was average depreciation a year ago. YMMV, of course.

 

Welcome! I’m also contemplating a move, though leaning on waiting for the i3 since I own my EV6 outright.

I have not driven an i4 yet but the BMWs I have rented definitely feel more planted and have better interiors and infotainment. Luckily my 12V battery haven’t died yet. Fingers crossed.

 

Another option is to take over someone else's leash if you don't want to buy.

BTW, we considered the M50 and had it multiple times as wknd loaner to test drive but ultimately leashed the xDrive40 MSport for better (?) range and a lower cost.

 

Thanks everyone for your great feedback. I ended up leasing a 2025 XDrive40 this afternoon!

Got a really great deal (less than what I paid for the EV6 lease). This is a beautiful car and it drives as smooth as butter. Plenty of power - didn’t see a need for the M50. My last BMW was a 2007 335I - this car is so much more intuitive than that one was too (that was a great car too).

A few pics attached - you’ll understand my screen name now as well. It basically has all options outside of the self driving package. It has all of the M Sport options. Will post more details tomorrow.

Looking forward to contributing to this forum!

 

Congrats! Beautiful cars, both the i4 and the Trans Am.

 

Thank you!

 

Now those are some cool wheels! First time I've seen those. Congrats on getting the fastest color too.

 

You might want to read what I just posted. I'd be surprised if buying it would be a good option...my 2022 GT Line was waaaay underwater at lease end.

 

We’ll see if the tariffs keep the values up a bit better going forward. Who knows - worst case we’ll turn it in, in 3 years. If it doesn’t depreciate as quickly we’ll buy it (assuming we like it). Thought it was a risk worth taking.

 

So far we love the I4. One thing I appreciate about BMW is they don’t skimp on tires. The Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires are really fantastic. I’ve had them on one other car and was pleased to see them on the I4.

I imagine the Kia GT would handle a lot better if it had similar tires - it comes with mediocre Goodyears.

Not noticing that much of a drop off power wise.

I do think the surround view cameras on the Kia are better and the parking assistance is better on it as well. I like the blind spot camera that pops up in the dash on the Kia too when you put your signal on.

The I4 feels better built, more luxurious, rides nicer and handles nicer. But the Kia is a little higher off the ground too and it has a bit more of a sports car feel to it - you feel the bumps more.

The screens and controls on both cars have their pluses and minuses - the BMW screens look more sophisticated but the Kia so far is a tad simpler to me but that may change over time. I like the BMW voice recognition - works great so far - much better than the Kia.

The Harman Kardon stereo is much better than the Kia’s crappy Meridian stereo system. That’s one of the Kia’s worst aspects. The HK system isn’t quite as nice as the custom system I put in my Trans Am but it’s close.

When driving the BMW on the freeway I really feel like I’m going slower than I really am - didn’t notice that as much in the Kia.

The ability to back the Kia out of the garage with the key fob and ability to use it to power the house are also some items I lose with the I4.

The Kia is surprisingly good for being a Kia - it’s actually a great car but I think we’ll like the BMW slightly better. I think the I4 looks a bit better and our kids do too…but the GT isn’t a bad looking car for being a glorified station wagon.

 

The Harman Kardon stereo is much better than the Kia’s crappy Meridian stereo system. That’s one of the Kia’s worst aspects. The HK system isn’t quite as nice as the custom system I put in my Trans Am but it’s close.

I only had a short drive of the EV6, but I found the Meridian system to be pretty good, and certainly better than the HK at its default settings.

 

So far we love the I4. One thing I appreciate about BMW is they don’t skimp on tires. The Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires are really fantastic. I’ve had them on one other car and was pleased to see them on the I4.

I imagine the Kia GT would handle a lot better if it had similar tires - it comes with mediocre Goodyears.

Not noticing that much of a drop off power wise.

You shouldn't notice any power drop since the EV6 is the more powerful car...

I do think the surround view cameras on the Kia are better and the parking assistance is better on it as well. I like the blind spot camera that pops up in the dash on the Kia too when you put your signal on.

Well, I only partially agree with this. The self parking of the EV6 is a feature we don't have in the i4, but it is also something we never used. I mean, I wouldn't like to stop, get out of the car and park it with the fob on a public parking. It would feel awkward to do it, and would take a lot, and i mean A LOT longer, and if I or my wife can't park the car somewhere then that parking is no good (or we lost our ability to drive). Regarding the cameras, the i4 with the PAP is definitely better and more informative. It has the panoramic view, and car wash mode which the EV6 does not have, and which I love and use very often. The blind spot camera view is nothing I am interested in, or impressed about. In fact, I wish it was possible to switch it off. I don't know if my wife ever uses it, but we are used to use the mirrors. So yes, the EV6 has more parking assist features, but the i4 has more useful features.

The I4 feels better built, more luxurious, rides nicer and handles nicer. But the Kia is a little higher off the ground too and it has a bit more of a sports car feel to it - you feel the bumps more.

Yes, definitely true. I like the EV6 when it comes to height, both in terms of seat height, but also road clearance, but the i4 feels definitely more luxurious and better built.

When driving the BMW on the freeway I really feel like I’m going slower than I really am - didn’t notice that as much in the Kia.

That's because the Kia is noisier, so the same speed feels faster in the Kia.

The ability to back the Kia out of the garage with the key fob and ability to use it to power the house are also some items I lose with the I4.

Yes, I'd love to have the V2L in the i4. It is a useful feature, though we never yet needed that during the almost two years we had the EV6. Nevertheless, I would have been ready to pay extra for the i4 if it was an option to select V2L.

The Kia is surprisingly good for being a Kia - it’s actually a great car but I think we’ll like the BMW slightly better. I think the I4 looks a bit better and our kids do too…but the GT isn’t a bad looking car for being a glorified station wagon.

The i4 looks better for me as well, but the EV6 is the better car when you have kids, especially as they grow. It is more comfortable and there is more space in the car. I don't have that need, and we have the EV6 also, but if I could only have one car and would have kids living with me I'd definitely select the EV6 before the i4 since that is a better family car in my opinion.

 

You shouldn't notice any power drop since the EV6 is the more powerful car...


Well, I only partially agree with this. The self parking of the EV6 is a feature we don't have in the i4, but it is also something we never used. I mean, I wouldn't like to stop, get out of the car and park it with the fob on a public parking. It would feel awkward to do it, and would take a lot, and i mean A LOT longer, and if I or my wife can't park the car somewhere then that parking is no good (or we lost our ability to drive). Regarding the cameras, the i4 with the PAP is definitely better and more informative. It has the panoramic view, and car wash mode which the EV6 does not have, and which I love and use very often. The blind spot camera view is nothing I am interested in, or impressed about. In fact, I wish it was possible to switch it off. I don't know if my wife ever uses it, but we are used to use the mirrors. So yes, the EV6 has more parking assist features, but the i4 has more useful features.

Yes, definitely true. I like the EV6 when it comes to height, both in terms of seat height, but also road clearance, but the i4 feels definitely more luxurious and better built.


That's because the Kia is noisier, so the same speed feels faster in the Kia.


Yes, I'd love to have the V2L in the i4. It is a useful feature, though we never yet needed that during the almost two years we had the EV6. Nevertheless, I would have been ready to pay extra for the i4 if it was an option to select V2L.

The i4 looks better for me as well, but the EV6 is the better car when you have kids, especially as they grow. It is more comfortable and there is more space in the car. I don't have that need, and we have the EV6 also, but if I could only have one car and would have kids living with me I'd definitely select the EV6 before the i4 since that is a better family car in my opinion.

Thanks - agreed on pretty much all
of your comments. I think I do just need some time to adjust to the cameras. We’re aware that we lost some leg room but that wasn’t a huge concern. We never needed to use the V2L either but we had a transfer switch installed to leverage it. There are fairly cheap / small electric generators we may just get at some point instead.

 

I think there is no comparison. Happily out of a lease of a 2022 EV6 GTLine…after numerous 12 volt problems. Basically a good car but there ought to be a class action suit re the ICCUs in all three (Kia, Genesis, Hyundai). We would only drive it near home by the end of the lease, as I had no confidence that the latest recall (which took forever to schedule) would resolve the problems. Whatever, it’s gone. The i4 X Drive 40 M Sport is waaay better in many ways: materials inside and out; build quality; suspension, both handling and ride; HUD; controls; quietness; access to hatch; parking cameras; visibility outward; and most especially the agility….the Kia got around corners but it didn’t inspire confidence. I’d guess the shorter wheelbase is partly responsible but also just a much better sorted suspension. The i4 is certainly heavy, but handles the weight MUCH better. (BTW my sense is that a drawback of EVs is the skateboard batteries necessitate a relatively long wheelbase in most instances…perhaps the i4 and Polestar 2 are exceptions b/c they are ICE adaptations.). Downsides of the i4 compared to the Kia (GT Line, not GT) a shorter wheelbase is probably why the back seat is small, a trade off I’m fine with; it needs a less aggressive throttle setting than “eco pro”— like the Kia’s
”eco”— which would give it better around town range and not be so fast….I like to have more time to enjoy the ride!; charging is slower, although I almost always charge at home over night so not much of a concern; and the i4 is somewhat harder to exit, presumably b/c of ride height, although somehow the Kia didn’t seem that great. Will see how road trips go….I don’t like the idea of another 20 min or so to charge, but the reliability/availability of charging is more important — hope Tesla chargers are available soon. The last word on my comparison between the two is that, surprisingly, the lease rate is lower. Granted, I got the Kia when they were new and in vary high demand…I’m sure lease rates are much lower now. Still, for me, I got a demonstratively better car for less $$, with a shorter lease term, and the dealer covered the last two Kia payments so I could exit before Trumpet unleashed tariff Armageddon.

 

Yeah as mentioned above we also lost confidence in driving the EV6 as well. That was my main reason for switching to BMW. Our EV6 charged a bit faster however the charger port overheated a lot and cancelled the charging at the fastest setting.

I was also surprised that the lease is cheaper overall than the Kia too on a very loaded Xdrive40. I went to the dealer last week not expecting it to be in my price range.

 

I don’t know if this is karma or what but my Kia EV6 GT died today and flashed “pull over immediately- service the electrical system.” This is just 3 weeks after the first 12V battery was replaced at 11K miles (along with 3 recalls to supposedly fix the issue). It’s now at the Kia dealer and it appears to be the fried ICCU issue. It died as my wife was taking my daughter to school and freaked her out a bit.

I bought the BMW with 4 months left of payments as mentioned above and planned to just use it here and there over the next 4 months. We’re more confident in driving my nearly 50 year old Trans Am than the Kia right now. My wife said she’ll never drive the Kia again. Going to call Kia Finance tomorrow to see if they’ll be willing to refund the remaining lease payments. Doubt it but worth trying as I can’t see driving this car any more.

 

You must have had really rotten luck with your EV6. We haven't had any issues since the almost two years we have had ours. No 12V issues, no coolant leak, nothing. It was recalled once for the 12V charging issues some EV6 had, but ours was given back without any service, checked, and no service or parts replacement was needed. I keep track of the 12V battery in both cars, and both the i4 and the EV6 is fine. The coolant leak is common in i4, and we (the community) also had some drive train failure, 12V charging issues, and some other unwanted stuff, but apart from the coolant leak, I don't know about any global and large issues. Anyway, keep track of your coolant level, and hope you get some refund for the EV6.

 

n=1

Our gv60 has been in service for about 24 months and has about 30k miles on the clock. No battery issues of note.

My wife did report a heater issue after 40 minutes of highway driving in -20c temps,but it cleared itself after a few minutes. This was only once.

 

Dealer confirmed the ICCU was fried and stated that they’ve had several come in with similar issues even after 3 recalls.

The ICCU part is on major back order and they don’t expect the part for likely at least 2 months though they’ve stated some have taken 4 plus months. Dealing with Kia customer care now to get my remaining 4 months of payments back as I have a very large paper weight.

 

So far we continue to love the I4. I’ve been pleasantly surprised by the range. The eco mode has a lot more power than the GT’s eco mode so I don’t mind using it more often. My wife pretty much only is using that mode.

The EV6 GT has made itself very comfortable at the dealer now. Still no word on the ICCU replacement part. Waiting on Kia Customer Care to advise on next steps after they finally assigned me a case manager after 2+ weeks. I’ll file an arbitration case once I hit the 30 day mark if nothing has been done. Been there done that on a lemon law case and had the attorney basically take all of my $s I won back so I’m going it alone this time around.

 

I had a 2022 KIA EV6 AWD GT-Line for almost three years (Sep 2022 - May 2025) and kept up with all the recalls and software updates. The ICCU never failed on mine but I was always nervous if and when was going to happen. I used Chat-GPT and Gemini (both AI apps) to figure out how many of the EV6 ICCU have failed so far, and they could approximate that about 25% due to the number of ICCU parts being ordered by various dealers across the word compared with the EV6 sold.

In any case, I've been keeping an eye on all the other EV's out there since I usually change cars every three years or so, and Consumers Report has the BMW i4 as the best EV on the market currently. The EV6 used to be their best pick back in 2022 - 2023, but due to the ICCU failures and drop in reliability, it is not even recommended currently, sits somewhere middle of the pack of the EV's.

I've checked out the local and regional BMW dealers and took advantage of the current discounts and rebates and found the i4 xDrive40 with M sport package at a local dealer. Honestly the final price has been a little lower than what I paid on the EV6 three years ago. But for the first time ever I am leasing the BMW and not purchase it. I did trade in my EV6, the value has dropped wayyyyyy low, and my monthly lease on the i4 is very low as well.

Overall the i4 is definitely a much better product from any point of view. There are pluses and minuses when comparing the i4 to EV6 but when I draw the line I am happier with the BMW. Not to say that I did not enjoy the EV6 for almost three years. But for about two years I've driven the EV6 crossing my fingers that it would not break (ICCU) suddenly like it happened to so many others. Also to keep in mind, the BMW treats its customers much better than KIA and the service level is superior. My new BMW comes with complimentary service for three years, Electrify America 1,000 KW credit, Level 2 charger, awesome screen display and map, and a nice MyBMW app.

 

I had a 2022 KIA EV6 AWD GT-Line for almost three years (Sep 2022 - May 2025) and kept up with all the recalls and software updates. The ICCU never failed on mine but I was always nervous if and when was going to happen. I used Chat-GPT and Gemini (both AI apps) to figure out how many of the EV6 ICCU have failed so far, and they could approximate that about 25% due to the number of ICCU parts being ordered by various dealers across the word compared with the EV6 sold.

In any case, I've been keeping an eye on all the other EV's out there since I usually change cars every three years or so, and Consumers Report has the BMW i4 as the best EV on the market currently. The EV6 used to be their best pick back in 2022 - 2023, but due to the ICCU failures and drop in reliability, it is not even recommended currently, sits somewhere middle of the pack of the EV's.

I've checked out the local and regional BMW dealers and took advantage of the current discounts and rebates and found the i4 xDrive40 with M sport package at a local dealer. Honestly the final price has been a little lower than what I paid on the EV6 three years ago. But for the first time ever I am leasing the BMW and not purchase it. I did trade in my EV6, the value has dropped wayyyyyy low, and my monthly lease on the i4 is very low as well.

Overall the i4 is definitely a much better product from any point of view. There are pluses and minuses when comparing the i4 to EV6 but when I draw the line I am happier with the BMW. Not to say that I did not enjoy the EV6 for almost three years. But for about two years I've driven the EV6 crossing my fingers that it would not break (ICCU) suddenly like it happened to so many others. Also to keep in mind, the BMW treats its customers much better than KIA and the service level is superior. My new BMW comes with complimentary service for three years, Electrify America 1,000 KW credit, Level 2 charger, awesome screen display and map, and a nice MyBMW app.

Similar experience and opinion. Except my EV6 GT Line’s 12 volt crapped out multiple times and I was stranded several hours from home once. I had zero confidence by the end of the 3 year lease….would only drive it around town. Thought about the Genesis or Hyundai versions…but in reading the owner forums, they’re no better. The 3 are either too cheap to fix what’s wrong or they actually don’t know. Not sure which is worse. Whatever, my i4 X Drive 40 is a dramatically better car…and at an amazing lease price when I got it at the end of April. To the person with a EV 6 lease up in September….try to escape now….the BMW dealer covered the last two payments on the Kia as part of the deal.