THE Kia EV9 has achieved a dual victory at the 2024 World Car Awards claiming the car of the year and the best electric vehicle titles.

Revealed during an announcement at the World Car Awards ceremony at the New York International Auto Show, the EV9 was praised by a jury of 100automotive journalists representing 29 countries.

The World Car Awards highlighted the Kia EV9's innovative design, spacious seven-seat interior, and competitive price point with the all-electric model priced from £65,025.

Based on Kia's E-GMP platform, the EV9 is the first vehicle from the Korean car maker to feature fourth-generation battery technology for improved performance.

Established in 2003, the World Car Awards have become renowned globally as a premier standard for automotive excellence and leadership, celebrating remarkable accomplishments within a rapidly changing automotive industry.

Prior to the 2024 event, Kia had already claimed three wins at the World Car Awards - the Telluride as World Car of the Year and the Soul EV as World Urban Car in 2020, along with the Kia EV6 GT taking World Performance Car of the Year in 2023.

"We are hugely honoured that the 2024 EV9 has been named the World Car of the Year and World Electric Vehicle. This triumph is a testament to our unwavering commitment to pushing the boundaries of technology and design excellence. The Kia EV9's continued success will drive us to keep delivering exceptional vehicles that redefine the driving experience for customers around the world," Ho Sung Song, president and CEO of Kia said.

Two wins in the World Car Awards add to an already impressive haul of accolades for the Kia EV9. Since its introduction as Kia's first dedicated three-row EV SUV, the EV9 has collected a number of prizes, including winning Family Car of the Year at the 2023 TopGear.com Awards, overall Car of the Year and Best Premium Electric Car at the 2024 DrivingElectric Awards and most recently being named UK Car of the Year 2024 by a panel of 30 of the UK's top automotive journalists.

The EV9 beat off competition from the Volvo EX30 and BYD Seal for the overall title as well as from the BMW i5 and the Volvo in the electric vehicle contest.

However, the Volvo EX30 didn't miss out completely and was voted World Urban Car of the Year while the Toyota Prius carried off the Design of the Year.

The BMW 5 Series was named World Luxury Car of the Year and the World Performance Car of the Year was Hyundai's Ioniq 5 N.

Motorsport engineer Adrian Newey - now working with the Red Bull team - was named World Car Person of the Year.