Genesis GV60 review

It’s the Genesis GV60 – the South Korean firm’s first ever EV and now joined by electric versions of GV70 and G80. Those are electrified petrol cars, the GV60 is purely electric, built on the same, well-proven and popular underpinnings as the Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Kia EV6.

If you’re thinking it looks strangely familiar, that might be because there’s more than a hint of the wacky Pontiac Aztek in the design. Just look at that rear three-quarter section – the GV60 is an Aztek for the EV age. Hurrah!

Wait, what’s Genesis?

Ah yes. Genesis is still fairly new to our shores and there’s no doubt you’ll be asked this question regularly if you plump for a GV60 over its myriad rivals. Essentially it’s the posh branch of the Hyundai-Kia megacorp, much like Lexus is to Toyota and Infiniti is to Nissan (although that venture didn’t end so well in the UK). Genesis has been building standalone cars since 2015, but the company only made the decision to enter the European market in May 2021.

The first cars to arrive here were the G80 saloon and the GV80 SUV, although they were quickly followed by the smaller G70 saloon and GV70 crossover. Getting the hang of the naming structure already, aren’t you? Bigger numbers = bigger cars, V (for versatility, we presume) gets you a raised body.

The only Euro-specific car launched so far has been the fantastic-looking G70 Shooting Brake, and overall none of them really deserves to set the sales charts alight. There were overtones of Infiniti until the GV60 came along – this is the product that should have led the onslaught from the beginning.

Why’s that then?

Well it’s really very good. It would have also felt fresh and forward looking to launch with an EV and shown this is a brand here for the long-haul. At least Genesis has now announced that it’ll only launch electric cars from 2025.

Give me some GV60 stats, then…

There are three versions of the GV60: ‘Premium’, ‘Sport’ and ‘Sport Plus’. Genesis has only fitted the larger of the two battery packs that fit in the E-GMP platform, so it’s a 77.4kWh unit all round. Sport Plus is obviously the quickest of the bunch, with an electric motor on each axle delivering a combined 483bhp and a 0-62mph time of 4.0 seconds. We actually timed it to 60mph in 3.8s, and 100mph in 9.1s. Put it this way: you do not need or even want your GV60 to be this fast (or, at £67,505, expensive…).

Sport still gets two motors and all-wheel drive, but combined they deliver 314bhp and 62mph in 5.5s, while base Premium is rear-wheel drive only with a 226bhp single motor out back.

How far will they all go on a charge?

Because the battery is only feeding one motor, the lowest spec Premium trim actually gets the best WLTP range figure. That’ll do 321 miles on a charge, whereas Sport manages 292 and Sport Plus 289. All pretty respectable and efficient at 3.6mi/kWh. There’s ultra-fast 350kW charging too, so if you find a plug capable of those speeds (and can afford it) you can go from 10-80 per cent in 18 minutes.

How much does it cost?

Prices have taken a £5,000 jump lately, so the entry GV60 is now £53,905, Sport has risen to £58,365 and Sport Plus is £13,600 over the base car. The latter does get a 10-second Boost Mode function that’s activated via a steering wheel button though. Oh and yes, those are digital side mirrors. They’re a £1,240 option. There’s even phone-imitating facial recognition tech so you don’t need a key. More on that in the Interior section. Or at the link.

How many people can fit in it?

Only five but with reasonable room – just watch heads in the back due to that dipping rear roofline. Unlike the Tesla Model Y there won’t be a seven-seat option. This is designed to be a more luxurious EV rather than a family hauler.

The EV crossover market is approaching saturation. Just check out our 11-car mega-test video by clicking these blue words to see what we’re on about – that’s pretty much every one of the GV60’s rivals in one place for you.

It’s mightily impressive, though, the Genesis. We’d avoid the Sport Plus: it’s too quick and too expensive, and neither of those facets chime with the GV60s strengths in other areas. The longer range Premium is the one to go for, although its price aligns it with top-spec versions of the Ioniq 5 and EV6. Genesis will have to hope the aftercare services (see Buying section) live up to the hype.

It’s smooth, very quiet and refined. Approach it like that and you’ll find a lot to like. It’s swift and easy to drive, but don’t expect it to be as crisp or alert as a Ford Mustang Mach-E or the Polestar 2. The interior is soft and comfortable, although the shapes, patterns and pastel colour palettes might not be for everyone. This very much feels like the car that should have introduced Genesis to Europe. It’s a better anchor point for the brand to build off for the future.