- The Kia EV9 has a starring role in a Super Bowl advertisement titled “Perfect 10.”
- The 70-second spot shows the electric three-row SUV shuttling a young girl from an ice-skating competition to her grandfather’s house in the snowy countryside.
- Not only did the EV9 win a 2024 10Best award, but its vehicle-to-load capability powered the lights so the girl’s wheelchair-bound grandpa could see her perform.
The 2024 Kia EV9 made Car and Driver’s 10Best list its first year out of the gate. Now the electric three-row SUV has a star turn in a heart-warming Super Bowl ad that features a young ice skater who needs a little help to perform for her wheelchair-bound grandfather who couldn’t make it to see her in competition.
Kia’s commercial airs during the fourth quarter of tonight’s Super Bowl matchup between the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers. The premise is pulled straight from the mind of someone who writes screenplays for the Hallmark Channel, so obviously it’s a real tearjerker.
We’ve already heaped praised on the multitalented EV9, and after watching the 70-second TV spot, we’re ready to give it another award, this time for outstanding supporting actor in a drama series. The millions watching had a chance to see the EV9 GT-Line model in action, with its distinctive boxy styling and useful features put on display. One example is the vehicle-to-load capability that allows it to share power from its 99.8-kWh battery pack to turn it into a giant mobile generator.
In the case of the girl in the commercial, the EV SUV was able to power the lights that let her grandfather see her perform, which he lovingly scored a perfect 10. And that’s a lighthearted reminder that the Kia EV9 is a perfect 10 according to us, too.
Eric Stafford’s automobile addiction began before he could walk, and it has fueled his passion to write news, reviews, and more for Car and Driver since 2016. His aspiration growing up was to become a millionaire with a Jay Leno–like car collection. Apparently, getting rich is harder than social-media influencers make it seem, so he avoided financial success entirely to become an automotive journalist and drive new cars for a living. After earning a journalism degree at Central Michigan University and working at a daily newspaper, the years of basically burning money on failed project cars and lemon-flavored jalopies finally paid off when Car and Driver hired him. His garage currently includes a 2010 Acura RDX, a manual ’97 Chevy Camaro Z/28, and a ’90 Honda CRX Si.