Genesis GV60 electric car review

The GV60 is one of a trio of new Genesis EVs and is built from the ground up as an electric vehicle (the Electrified GV70 and G80 are adaptations of petrol models). It shares its architecture with the Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Kia EV6 (Genesis is part of the Hyundai Group).

Despite its fun and funky design there’s serious pricing, which kicks off at about $113,000 drive-away for the AWD or about $120,500 for the Performance AWD tested here. Owners can also choose between a five-year Chargefox subscription (for free charging) or having a wallbox installed at their home. There’s also five years of free servicing.

It’s spacious

The Genesis GV60 is officially a small SUV, but there’s more space than most would expect. That’s because its bespoke EV design means components such as the battery and electric motors could be ideally located. While three adults across the rear would be a stretch, two will appreciate the generous back seat legroom.

Those upfront are well catered for with good headroom and generous storage, including a handy binnacle beneath the centre console. The compact boot has some partitioned underfloor storage for charging cables but there’s no spare wheel; there’s also a tiny covered binnacle under the bonnet.

There’s a focus on tech

The GV60 has no shortage of technology, including fingerprint recognition that allows different drivers to customise seat and infotainment settings. Dual 12.3-inch screens sprawl across the dash and there’s a 17-speaker Bang & Olufsen sound system. The driver’s seat has a massage function and its bolsters can tighten for additional support. There’s also a vehicle-to-load function to power 230V devices – or plug in another EV. If you don’t like silence then dial up the fake engine revving for familiarity. There’s also occasional gimmicks, such as the Crystal Sphere that glows before rotating on start-up to reveal the forward-reverse selector.

More pocket rocket than city slicker

The GV60 has an 800V system that is among the fastest charging in the country; 300-odd-kilometres of range can be added in 18 minutes. It’s quick to accelerate, too. Dual motors provide 320kW and 700Nm that comes on in a strong surge. There’s also a Boost button to up that peak power to 360kW – about the same as some European turbocharged V8s. It’s a cute addition although less intuitive than squeezing the accelerator. The throttle response is also super sensitive in Sport and Boost modes, leading to jerkiness that shows the GV60 occasionally lacks finesse.

There are no wing mirrors

The GV60 is the first car to come standard with cameras instead of wing mirrors. One benefit is reducing aerodynamic drag, which ekes a few more kilometres of driving range. But it also widens the field of view so you don’t have a blind spot. There are genuine benefits in the wet, too. Rather than droplets peppered across the display (as you’d get with a mirror) ours gave a clear image with no water on the lenses. They do take some getting used to, though, especially having to change your focal length to look at the screens.