Compare the2025 Jeep WagoneerVS 2025 Kia EV9

Safety
Warranty
Engine
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Towing
Ergonomics
Recommendations

Safety

© 1999 - 2025Advanta-STAR Automotive Research, all rights reserved. This vehicle comparison and all of the content in it are provided only by license from Advanta-STAR Automotive Research Corporation of America (“Advanta-STAR”). If you are not a legally licensed user of this vehicle comparison, it is against federal law to access it, copy it, forward it, or use it in any manner whatsoever. Any unauthorized use of this vehicle comparison is a violation of U.S. and international law and is punishable criminally and civilly. Removal of this watermark/notification without prior written license and approval received from Advanta-STAR is an agreement, understanding, and/or stipulation by the person(s), entities, agents, attorneys, and any other persons involved in the removal of this watermark/notification (including but not limited to Search Optics, LLC and any and all parent entities, sister entities, and subsidiary entities of Search Optics, LLC and/or any other entity, agent, attorney, and persons related in any manner to Search Optics, LLC) to: 1) an agreed upon amount of liquidated monetary damages of a minimum of $1,250,000.00 US Dollars in favor of Advanta-STAR; 2) the jurisdiction and enforcement of any legal claims associated with this matter asserted by Advanta-STAR in the United States Federal District Court in Portand, Oregon; and 3) service of process of any legal claims asserted by Advanta-STAR associated with this matter may be accomplished by First-Class Postage by the United States Postal Service or comparable service. LF4YT-NUQ7B 2a06:98c0:3600::103 2025/07/15

The Jeep Wagoneer has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags help prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The EV9 doesn’t offer a front passenger side knee airbag.

The Wagoneer has standard Active Headrests, which use a specially designed headrest to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the Active Headrests system moves the headrests forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. The EV9 doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

A passive infrared night vision system optional on the Wagoneer Grand helps the driver to more easily detect people, animals or other objects in front of the vehicle at night. Using an infrared camera to detect heat, the system then displays the image on a monitor in the dashboard. The EV9 doesn’t offer a night vision system.

The Jeep Wagoneer offers an optional 360-degree camera and it also offers an optional rear camera washer to make backing always safe, regardless of road dirt or grime, while the Kia EV9 doesn’t offer a camera washer, requiring manual cleaning.

Both the Wagoneer and the EV9 have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front 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, available all wheel drive, around view monitors and driver alert monitors.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Jeep Wagoneer is safer than the Kia EV9:

	Wagoneer	EV9
OVERALL STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	125	265
Neck Stress	195 lbs.	201 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	277/329 lbs.	273/407 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	219	267
Chest Compression	.4 inches	.8 inches
Neck Stress	114 lbs.	129 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	357/300 lbs.	462/471 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Jeep Wagoneer is safer than the Kia EV9:

	Wagoneer	EV9
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	20	25
Chest Movement	.5 inches	.5 inches
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Spine Acceleration	41 G’s	43 G’s
Hip Force	686 lbs.	728 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

Warranty

The Wagoneer’s 5 year corrosion warranty has no mileage limitations, but the corrosion warranty on the EV9 runs out after 100,000 miles.

Jeep pays for scheduled maintenance on the Wagoneer for 5 years and unlimited miles. Jeep will pay for oil changes, tire rotations, air filter replacements, cabin filter replacement, brake fluid replacement, inspections, and any other required maintenance. Kia doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the EV9.

There are over 3 times as many Jeep dealers as there are Kia dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Wagoneer’s warranty.

Engine

The Wagoneer has more powerful engines than the EV9:

	Horsepower	Torque
Wagoneer 3.0 turbo 6-cylinder	420 HP	468 lbs.-ft.
Grand Wagoneer 3.0 turbo 6-cylinder	540 HP	521 lbs.-ft.
EV9 Light Long Range electric motor	201 HP	258 lbs.-ft.
EV9 Light electric motor	215 HP	258 lbs.-ft.
EV9 Land/Wind electric motors	379 HP	443 lbs.-ft.
EV9 GT-Line electric motors	379 HP	516 lbs.-ft.

Brakes and Stopping

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

	Wagoneer	EV9
Front Rotors	14.9 inches	14.2 inches
Rear Rotors	14.8 inches	13.6 inches

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Wagoneer has larger standard tires than the EV9 (275/55R20 vs. 255/60R19).

The Wagoneer’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 55 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the EV9’s standard 60 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Wagoneer has standard 20-inch wheels. Smaller 19-inch wheels are standard on the EV9. The Wagoneer’s optional 22-inch wheels are larger than the 21-inch wheels on the EV9 GT-Line.

The Jeep Wagoneer’s wheels have 6 lugs for longer wheel bearing life, less chance of rotor warping and greater strength. The Kia EV9 only has 5 wheel lugs per wheel.

The Wagoneer has a standard easy tire fill system. When inflating the tires, the vehicle’s integrated tire pressure sensors keep track of the pressure as the tires fill and tell the driver when the tires are inflated to the proper pressure. The EV9 doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

The Wagoneer has a standard full size spare tire so a flat doesn’t interrupt your trip. A full size spare isn’t available on the EV9; it requires you to depend on roadside assistance and your vehicle will have to be towed.

Suspension and Handling

The Wagoneer offers an optional driver-adjustable suspension system. It allows the driver to choose between an extra-supple ride, reducing fatigue on long trips, or a sport setting, which allows maximum control for tricky roads or off-road. The EV9’s suspension doesn’t offer adjustable shock absorbers.

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Wagoneer is 1.7 inches wider in the front and 1 inch wider in the rear than the average track on the EV9.

For greater off-road capability the Wagoneer has a greater minimum ground clearance than the EV9 (8.3 vs. 7.8 inches), allowing the Wagoneer to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged. The Wagoneer Air Suspension’s minimum ground clearance is 2.2 inches higher than on the EV9 (10 vs. 7.8 inches).

Chassis

The Wagoneer uses computer-generated active noise cancellation to help remove annoying noise and vibration from the passenger compartment, especially at low frequencies. The EV9 doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

Passenger Space

The Wagoneer offers optional seating for 8 passengers; the EV9 can only carry up to 7.

The Wagoneer has 20.4 cubic feet more passenger volume than the EV9 (179.2 vs. 158.8).

The Wagoneer has .1 inches more front headroom, 4 inches more front hip room, 4.5 inches more front shoulder room, .2 inches more rear headroom, 5.1 inches more rear hip room, 5.2 inches more rear shoulder room, 5.8 inches more third row legroom, 9.7 inches more third row hip room and 9.4 inches more third row shoulder room than the EV9.

Cargo Capacity

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

	Wagoneer	EV9
Behind Third Seat	27.4 cubic feet	20.2 cubic feet
Third Seat Folded	70.8 cubic feet	n/a
Third Seat Removed	n/a	43.5 cubic feet
Second Seat Folded	116.7 cubic feet	81.7 cubic feet

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

	Wagoneer	EV9
Length to seat (3rd/2nd/1st)	24.8”/58.7”/93”	22”/51.1”/84”
Max Width	51.4”	52.3”
Min Width	51.3”	41.7”
Height	36.5”	32.3”

A standard locking glovebox and optional locking center console (which can’t be accessed with the valet key) keeps your small valuables safer in the Wagoneer. The EV9 doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

Towing

The Wagoneer’s minimum standard towing capacity is much higher than the EV9’s (6120 vs. 2000 pounds). Maximum trailer towing in the Kia EV9 AWD is only 5000 pounds. The Wagoneer offers up to a 10,000 lbs. towing capacity.

The Wagoneer 4WD with optional equipment can be flat towed on all four wheels (dinghy towed), allowing recreational vehicle owners to bring it with them on the road. When they reach their destination, the Wagoneer can be unhitched and driven around locally. The EV9 can’t be towed flat on the ground.

Ergonomics

Unlike the driver-only memory system in the EV9 Land/GT-Line, the Wagoneer Grand offers an optional passenger memory, so that when drivers switch, the memory setting adjusts the driver’s seat, steering wheel position, foot pedal distance, outside mirror angle and radio stations and the front passenger seat also adjusts to the new passenger’s preset preferences.

To help drivers avoid possible obstacles, the Wagoneer has standard cornering lights to illuminate around corners when the turn signals are activated. The EV9 doesn’t offer cornering lights.

The Wagoneer has a standard heated steering wheel to take the chill out of steering on extremely cold winter days before the vehicle heater warms up. A heated steering wheel is only available on the EV9 Wind/Land/GT-Line.

The Jeep Wagoneer has a standard Homelink wireless remote control system for garage door operation and device management, conveniently located on the driver’s visor. Homelink® eliminates the need for separate garage door openers and associated risks of losing, breaking, or having dead batteries. Kia charges extra for Homelink® on the EV9.

Recommendations

The Jeep Wagoneer outsold the Kia EV9 by almost three to one during 2024.

See Available Inventory