Genesis GV60 Premium long-term test: a great EV, if you can afford it
Final report: did our upmarket EV impress us more than its ‘lesser’ siblings?
Verdict
There’s no denying that the Genesis GV60 is a relatively expensive way into an EV, but given the quality, tech and equipment on offer even in this, the cheapest variant, I think it’s a car that many more people could aspire to.
- Miles: 3,390
- Efficiency: 3.5 miles per kWh
It’s no secret that Genesis is the posh brand in the Hyundai-Kia empire, so when I started out with a GV60 last August, the big question was whether it could justify the extra cost over the excellent equivalent models from its mainstream sister brands.
However, if you’ll forgive me cutting to the chase, six months later I’m convinced that the GV60 is a very effective upmarket brother to the Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Kia EV6. It’s like choosing Pizza Express over Pizza Hut, or Waitrose over Tesco – you’re getting something similar, but just a bit classier.
That impression is reinforced as soon as you set eyes on the GV60; I loved parking something so smart and distinctive on my drive. Thanks to its badge, plenty of people thought it was a Bentley – a mistake my inner snob was reluctant to correct.
Once inside, the cabin only reinforced the impression of class and quality. True, a few bits felt a little plasticky – on the doors, for instance – but almost everything I touched, felt or looked at daily was impressive.
Used - available now
That includes the light-coloured artificial leather trim. I had been very wary about this when I took delivery of the car, not least because my daughter is a keen footballer, so once a week that upholstery faced an onslaught from muddy kit and post-match snacks. But, while they did leave their mark, the trim wiped clean every time. The only parts that looked less than pristine after six months were the floor mats – there was no hiding the scars from a wet, muddy winter.
Otherwise, whether it’s tech or space, I can’t fault the interior. We’re a three-person family, and the Genesis was more than big enough for us – despite the coupé-like roofline. In its final month, the GV60 coped with half-term trips to both Cambridge and Ikea. My daughter had plenty of room in the back seat, while the boot took all our luggage for the mini-break and, later the same week with one side of the 60:40-split rear seat folded, plenty of flat-pack furniture.
Perhaps the elephant in the room is the tech because, as keen readers will have spotted, this is the Genesis that was soundly criticised in our best car infotainment systems test. And while I accept much of what was said – taking five presses to turn off the speed-limit warning at the start of each drive was a constant irritation – I did become used to the system’s quirks over time.
Plus, there were plenty of good points. I appreciated having a separate touchscreen and buttons to operate the climate control, for instance, as well as being able to customise various buttons on the steering wheel and fascia to perform regularly used functions.
I also liked the head-up display (part of the Innovation Pack), being able to operate several driver-assist systems from the steering wheel, and the high-definition displays. Finally, as the test said, the Genesis smartphone app is brilliant – a lesson to other brands in how to do it. My only irritation was that the Apple CarPlay function wasn’t a wireless set-up, and trailing a cable across the cabin seemed at odds with the elegant interior.
It was a similar story on the road: mostly good and occasionally great, but with some drawbacks. On the plus side, the electric powertrain is wonderfully smooth and the car’s refinement excellent; I also never had any complaint about the performance, and the ride was very good on the motorway. But – and it’s a big but, given my suburban life – the firm ride elsewhere took the smile off my face, and the large turning circle made the
car hard to manoeuvre in tight spaces.
My average efficiency of 3.5mi/kWh over almost 3,500 miles was also a little disappointing, but the bulk of my driving was over the winter. I was getting 4.0mi/kWh easily in August and September.
On the other hand, even in the depths of winter, I could rely on 250 miles of range, and I was always able to fully top up the car from my home wallbox overnight.
Genesis GV60 Premium: third fleetwatch
Sub-editor Andy Pringle's family love the Genesis GV60's heated seats, comfort and practicality
Given that the Genesis GV60’s primary role is as a family car, I asked my family what they think of it, and first to reply was my 11-year-old daughter. She said: “I’ve been in a few cars, but this one is unusual because it has a heated seat in the back, which I love. There is also plenty of storage space, which I use for snacks, games or soft toys, and there is even soothing music built into the car, which I find really helpful on long journeys.”
Genesis GV60 Premium: second report
Practicality rules the roost with our Korean executive SUV
- Miles: 2,036
- Efficiency: 3.7 miles per kWh
Speaking as a father, if there’s one thing I need in a car these days, it’s practicality. And the good news is that the Genesis GV60 provides plenty for my family.
To be honest, this head-turning electric car gives us more than we really need, because my wife and I decided to stop expanding our family after just one child, and none of our daughter’s hobbies require us to lug around masses of stuff. When she goes to football matches, she has only a few bits of kit to carry; most drama rehearsals need nothing more than a script and a few snacks; and when we go away, there’s no problem fitting a couple of suitcases and a scooter in the boot.
It’s true that the sloping roofline restricts the ability to carry really tall items, but that’s never been a problem. Instead, I like the fact that the luggage-area floor is level with the boot lip, which makes loading and unloading easy, and that the charge cables can be kept out of sight in a neat under-floor compartment.
Our daughter, meanwhile, really appreciates that, as an only child, she usually has the back seat to herself – or herself and a specially invited soft toy. That means there’s never any squabbling over space, and instead she can unfold the armrest and settle down with a bottle of something chilled in one of the handy cup-holders, and – more often than not on a long journey – an audiobook played through the stereo via Apple CarPlay.
Even in her child seat, she has plenty of legroom – although she wasted no time in finding one of the GV60’s neat party tricks: a set of controls on the side of the front passenger seat that allow the rear occupants to adjust it from the back. This means our daughter can increase the amount of legroom available to her – albeit at the expense of her mother’s legroom (and also her sense of humour) in the front seat.
Given how much luxury there is in the back – including heated seats – it’ll come as no surprise that things are even more pampering up front. There’s a huge range of adjustment on the driver’s seat and steering wheel – all electrically operated, of course – which makes it possible to fine-tune the driving position to exactly the way I like it.
As the icing on the cake there’s also a massaging function, and it’s set up to automatically start doing its thing after I’ve been driving for an hour. It sounds like a gimmick that no one asked for, but I’ve come to really appreciate it on my regular trips to see family in Sussex.
Another thing I’m a fan of – indeed, I use it on every journey – is the array of parking-assistance systems. These include front and rear sensors, and an around-view camera.
The latter, in particular, has been a godsend on many occasions, helping me squeeze what is quite a large car into tight parking spaces.
I’ve also been impressed with how most of the trim in the car has stood up to the challenges of both winter and a young footballer who loves crumbly snacks. Yes, there are a few muddy scuff marks here and there, and there’s no hiding the dirt on the floor mats, but the pale upholstery still looks in remarkably good nick.
Genesis GV60 Premium: second fleetwatch
The Genesis GV60 's classy cabin is somewhat tainted by cables for phone connectivity
It’s no secret that Genesis is part of the Hyundai empire and its cars share much with plenty of Kia and Hyundai models. But it’s important that a Genesis looks and feels more upmarket than, say, an Ioniq 5 – and I think the GV60 generally does, with its large infotainment screen and classy materials. So I’m surprised that wireless Apple CarPlay isn’t available, especially when there is a wireless charging pad. I reckon that trailing a cable across the cabin cheapens the overall effect.
Genesis GV60 Premium: first fleetwatch
Posh Genesis GV60 EV impresses with incredible economy
One of the things that has impressed me most about my Genesis GV60 has been its economy. It’s averaging almost four miles per kWh, which is pretty much the same as the BYD Dolphin I ran previously. However, a trundle through suburbia one Sunday evening showed just how good it could be. I was returning from a visit to the in-laws in South London, three-up and with both the stereo and air-con turned on, and the Genesis returned nearly 6.0mi/kWh. I was genuinely shocked – in a good way!
Genesis GV60 Premium: first report
Premium electric SUV joins our fleet for six months
- Miles: 856
- Efficiency: 3.9 miles per kWh
You don’t need to be eagle-eyed to notice that there’s something very different about my appearance in the photos on these pages. Gone is my usual uniform of jeans and black T-shirt, replaced by something altogether smarter.
The reason is my latest car from the Auto Express fleet, a Genesis GV60. I’ll be running it for the next six months and it’s certainly a step up the automotive social ladder for me. Hence, I’m taking some pride in it, dressing accordingly and keeping the badge gleaming.
In fact, that badge has already been the cause of much confusion, because friends and neighbours keep complimenting me on my new Bentley. I can understand their confusion, and I imagine it’s not lost on the Genesis design team that their badge bears more than a passing resemblance to the renowned British luxury brand’s.
Still, those designers clearly deserve a pat on the back, because no one has ever accused me of sticking a fake badge on something undeserving. In other words, to the untrained eye, this all-electric Korean SUV looks like a proper Bentley. It clearly appeals to our neighbour’s cat, too, given that he has taken to sunning himself on the rear spoiler.
Perhaps most importantly, the GV60 is also going down well with me and my family. I’m only a few weeks into the loan, but the high quality is what has impressed me most so far. Although Genesis is a brand owned by the Hyundai Group, the interior could easily pass for something from a prestige German brand. And that’s despite the fact that this is the entry-level version of the car.
Open the door – neatly, the flush exterior handles pop out when the driver walks up to the car with the key in their pocket – and the first thing you notice is the bright upholstery. It’s artificial leather, but it does a very decent job of impersonating the real thing.
I’m also delighted to report that the grey/white colour scheme is bearing up well in the face of occasional assaults from my 10-year-old daughter, who loves nothing more than a football match followed by a pack of Mini Cheddars on the way home. The GV60’s Saville Silver paintwork (a £740 option) is also coping well with muddy football club car parks and the generally awful weather lately.
Equally impressive is the on-board tech, which is very user-friendly; the main display is a touchscreen, but it can also be operated via a clickwheel on the centre console. Plus there are several easily used controls on the steering wheel, along with a few buttons that I can programme as shortcuts.
The positive news continues when I look at more practical elements of the car. Firstly, it has more space than our three-person family really needs – not that I’m complaining, especially with seats as comfortable as these. And secondly, the GV60 is proving a very comfortable companion on my regular trips to visit family on the Sussex coast. That 160-mile round trip isn’t even close to troubling the official range of 300+ miles, and average efficiency of 3.9 miles/kWh seems good.
However, there are a couple of negatives. The ride around town is a little too firm and the relatively large turning circle makes the car harder to manoeuvre than I’d like.
Overall, though, life with the Genesis is good and I’m looking forward to smartening my act up even further in the coming months.
| Model: | Genesis GV60 Premium |
| Rating: | 4.0 stars |
| On fleet since: | August 2024 |
| Price new: | £53,300 |
| Powertrain: | 77.4kWh battery, single e-motor, 226bhp |
| CO2/BiK: | 0g/km/2% |
| Options: | Saville Silver exterior (£740), Innovation pack (£2,810), Bang & Olufsen audio (£990), Sunroof (£1,120), Vehicle-to-load pack (£880), Auto-dimming door mirror (£80), Copper caliper colour (£280) |
| Insurance: | Group: 40 Quote: £999 |
| Mileage/efficiency: | 3,390 miles/3.5 miles/kWh |
| Any problems? | None so far |
*Insurance quote from AA (0800 107 0680) for a 42-year-old in Banbury, Oxon, with three points.
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