After 5,000 Miles, Kia EV9 Proprietor Says His Kumho “EV Tires” Are Sporting Out Quick Whereas His Ford Mustang Mach-E’s Cheaper Excessive-Load Tires “Look Model New,” Calling the EV Tire Premium a “$700 Racket With Zero Noise or Vary Profit”

Spend any time in an EV9 homeowners group, whether or not within the ready lounge at a Kia service division or scrolling by way of social media on a Tuesday evening, and you’ll ultimately hear the identical query rise above the hum of kilowatts and cost charges. What precisely are you paying for if you purchase EV-specific tires? The advertising and marketing is obvious. Additional vary, further quiet, purpose-built for heavy, high-torque electrical machines. The tales from homeowners tending actual autos in actual locations are much less tidy. A type of tales belongs to Jeff Bader, and it begins with a easy A/B take a look at between the Kia EV9 in his driveway and the Ford Mustang Mach-E parked subsequent to it.

“So I did a bit of experiment with tires. When the tires wanted to get replaced on the EV9, I purchased the very same Kumho EV tires that have been on it, and my Mach-E additionally wanted new tires. I purchased normal higher-load tires (non-EV) to see if I may discover a distinction. I checked out three elements: tread life, noise, and vary.

EV tires are touted to have an additional noise-reducing layer inside them as a result of there is no such thing as a engine noise to drown out the highway noise on normal tires, and the EV tires are additionally marketed to enhance vary between costs over an ordinary tire.

I put in the Kumho tires on the EV9 round July 4, 2025, and I had the usual tires put in on my Mach-E the identical week. After nearly 4 months and 5,000 miles of use on the EV9 and 4,000 miles on the Mach-E, listed below are my conclusions.

I name BS on the EV tire racket. I used to put in tires (mounting and balancing) many moons in the past, and I observed zero variations between the EV tires and common tires when doing a visible inspection. The additional sound absorber that ought to have been on the within of the tire (based mostly on movies I watched and illustrations within the movies)? I noticed zero proof that there’s something completely different within the EV tire know-how.

They cost a crapton more cash for a similar tires and simply put an EV label on them.

Noise: I observed zero distinction in noise ranges in my Mach-E after switching to an ordinary tire. In truth, the usual tires have been quieter than the EV tires I eliminated (most likely as a result of they have been worn out and I wanted an alignment).

Journey: The non-EV tires are easy and deal with higher than the tires I eliminated. I anticipated this to occur as a result of, once more, the outdated ones have been worn out; nonetheless, the brand new tires experience higher than my outdated ones did at any time throughout the 16k miles I drove them earlier than making the change.

Vary: If there’s a distinction right here, I’ve not observed it. That is affected by the seasons and outdoors temperature anyway, so it’s inconceivable to inform for certain, however I by no means actually noticed any drop-off in vary that I used to be anticipating. Not scientific in any respect, simply my commentary.

Tread life: The Kumho tires on the EV9 are considerably worn after simply 5,000 miles. The rear tires are worn far more than the entrance tires (I’ve an AWD Land mannequin, however I do know the RWD engages far more usually than the entrance drive). I’ll doubtless get about 15k miles or much less from these tires (we obtained 16k+ from the primary set).

The tires on the Mach-E look model new. I used to be anticipating them to have proven extra put on up up to now, however they haven’t. I’ve not taken any measurements, however they nonetheless look new.

I simply had the EV9 tires rotated, and the dealership tried telling me the tires should be changed. They’re smoking some low-cost crack, and so they declare the rear tires have been right down to 4/32 of tread. I discover this tough to imagine at this level, however they’re positively worn greater than anticipated.

My conclusion is that if you will put money into tires, don’t let the gross sales pitch of shopping for an EV tire at $500–700 extra per set, as a result of they’re “particular tires for EVs”, idiot you. Purchase an excellent set of high-load tires as an alternative, and don’t fear about increased noise ranges and shorter vary, as a result of you’ll doubtless by no means discover the distinction anyway.”

Strip away the Fb formatting noise, and what stays is a tidy little driveway experiment. Similar family, two trendy EVs, one on EV-branded Kumho rubber and one on non-EV high-load tires. Jeff seems at three issues any proprietor cares about greater than brochure copy. Highway noise, vary, and tread life. 

Kia EV9: Electrical Tires & Grip vs. Effectivity

• The EV9’s EV-specific tires are constructed to deal with its substantial weight and torque, utilizing bolstered constructions and specialised rubber compounds to take care of stability with out losing power.
• These tires scale back rolling resistance by utilizing lower-grip compounds and streamlined tread patterns, extending the EV9’s driving vary in contrast with conventional higher-grip tires.
• EV9-optimized tires are engineered to remain cooler below heavy masses, enhancing effectivity throughout acceleration and freeway cruising.
• In contrast with efficiency tires, EV-specific designs commerce some cornering chew and supreme grip for quietness, sturdiness, and most vary effectivity.

In his expertise, the EV9 eats its EV tires rapidly and doesn’t appear quieter or extra environment friendly due to them, whereas the Mach-E on standard high-load tires feels smoother, quieter, and appears nearly untouched after a number of thousand miles. His language is colourful, his conclusion blunt, however the core criticism is easy. He doesn’t really feel he’s getting a transparent, measurable profit that justifies a premium of 5 to seven hundred {dollars} per set.

On one facet, you’ve got Rick Isenberg, who reminds everybody that subjective impressions should not the identical as managed testing. He notes that some EV tires actually are constructed with completely different compounds and constructions aimed toward decrease rolling resistance and, in sure fashions, further sound deadening contained in the carcass. A few p.c enchancment in effectivity isn’t one thing most drivers can see with out instrumentation, but it’s the type of incremental achieve that reveals up in formal assessments from organizations like Shopper Experiences and the U.S. Division of Power over giant information units (Supply: Shopper Experiences, “EV Tires Defined,” 2023; U.S. Division of Power, Car Applied sciences Workplace, 2022). From that vantage level, the EV label represents actual engineering decisions, not only a sticker.

On the opposite facet, Jeff stays unconvinced. He has his fingers on the tires, his bank card on the counter, and Western Pennsylvania below the tread. He sees fast put on on the rear axle of an All Wheel Drive EV9 that weighs north of 6,000 kilos, and he sees a Mach-E on normal high-load tires that seems barely damaged in. To him, precise possession expertise issues greater than any chart. Then there may be Brian Sherwood, who calmly stories roughly 35,000 miles out of his unique Kumhos on a 2024 Gentle Lengthy Vary EV9 earlier than switching to Michelin Defender 2 tires, with no apparent change in noise or vary. Brian’s outcome stands in stark distinction to Jeff’s 15,000-mile expectation and is a reminder that geography, highway floor, alignment settings, and driving model can multiply or divide tread life all by themselves.

Heather Liberadzki provides yet one more voice, planning forward to suit non-EV all-season tires on her GT-Line when the originals are spent and estimating she will be able to coax maybe one other 5,000 miles from the manufacturing facility set if she behaves with the accelerator. Her place isn’t anti-EV and positively not anti-Kia. It’s sensible. If high-quality, high-load tires ship acceptable noise, grip, and vary at a decrease value and with longer life, they’re price severe consideration. Taken collectively, the thread feels much less like a revolt and extra like a maturing proprietor neighborhood beginning to query whether or not the EV label on a sidewall is an absolute requirement or just one possibility amongst a number of for a heavy electrical SUV.

Behind the opinions sits actual physics. EVs just like the EV9 and Mach-E are heavy, torque-rich machines. They want tires with excessive load scores to hold the burden and strong building to handle immediate torque with out deforming excessively. Many EV-marketed tires chase low rolling resistance by way of stiffer tread blocks, specialised rubber blends, and narrower tread patterns, which might certainly assist prolong vary by decreasing the power wasted because the tire flexes. The flip facet is that a few of these designs will be extra delicate in heavy rain. A more durable compound and fewer, shallower grooves can, in sure patterns, evacuate water much less successfully at freeway velocity, which makes hydroplaning extra doubtless than on an aggressively siped, softer compound tire. That doesn’t imply EV tires are inherently unsafe. It means they’re a compromise amongst effectivity, grip, noise, and life, simply as each tire has at all times been.

The EV9 provides one other complication. Its curb weight and three-row mission imply the tire is working exhausting even earlier than you pile in youngsters, gear, and winter climate. It completely requires correct high-load or HL-rated tires, whether or not they carry an EV marking or not. That’s the place Jeff’s expertise turns into genuinely helpful. He’s not suggesting individuals ignore load scores or run underspec passenger automobile tires to avoid wasting a number of {dollars}. His conclusion is narrower. Should you match the load score accurately, a well-engineered non-EV high-load tire can, in his expertise, meet or beat the consolation and sturdiness of the Kumho EV tires that got here on his Kia, and not using a noticeable penalty in vary or noise.

So what ought to an EV9 proprietor do when the manufacturing facility rubber wears away? The Fb thread suggests a rational guidelines. First, respect the fundamentals. Load score, velocity score, and measurement should match the automobile’s necessities. Second, be trustworthy about how and the place you drive. Jeff’s hilly, stop-and-go Western Pennsylvania routes will at all times be more durable on tires than Brian’s presumably flatter, extra constant miles. Third, weigh the tradeoffs. EV-specific tires could supply slight features in effectivity and generally quieter building. Excessive-quality non-EV high-load all-seasons could last more and value much less, on the doable expense of a really small hit to vary which may be troublesome to understand in day-to-day driving.

The EV tire label represents a set of design priorities that may be helpful, particularly for engineers attempting to eke out each mile in official vary testing. What Jeff Bader and the opposite homeowners spotlight is that, as soon as the automobile leaves the showroom and rolls into the numerous mess of actual life, these paper benefits don’t at all times present up as clearly on the driver’s seat or within the checkbook. EVs just like the Kia EV9 and Ford Mustang Mach-E are spectacular machines on any tires constructed to deal with their weight and torque. The good transfer is to deal with EV tires as one software within the field, not a sacred requirement, and to let tread put on, consolation, security, and value by yourself roads determine whether or not that further seven hundred {dollars} is cash nicely spent or just a premium you’ll be able to skip.

Picture Sources: Kia Media Middle

Noah Washington is an automotive journalist based mostly in Atlanta, Georgia. He enjoys protecting the newest information within the automotive business and conducting critiques on the newest automobiles. He has been within the automotive business since 15 years outdated and has been featured in distinguished automotive information websites. You may attain him on X and LinkedIn for ideas and to comply with his automotive protection.