KGM Torres EVX Review 2025

The KGM Torres is the first new car to emerge under the rebranding of the company we once knew as SsangYong. Here we test the Torres EVX, the all-electric version — it's a better car than its petrol equivalent, yet it's still rough around the edges. Find out why that makes it a hard sell against its rivals in our full KGM Torres EVX review.

Remember how Marathon became Snickers? Here's a renaming that's rather more significant — unless, of course, you're particularly passionate about the name of your chocolate bars. In 2023, SsangYong announced it would instead go by the name Korea Green Mobility, or KGM for short. We suspect most will opt for the latter, and we'll be doing so also. 

Currently, we're in a weird transition period in which the range consists of cars we once knew as SsangYong models that have been duly rebranded as KGMs, with a handful of all-new ones that have only ever been sold under the KGM banner.

The first was the petrol-powered KGM Torres that we've reviewed separately, followed by the focus of our attention here, the all-electric KGM Torres EVX.

The Torres EVX range is disarmingly simple, with only two trim levels and a single motor and battery option. It's not hugely powerful at 207PS and the driving range figure of 287 miles is nothing spectacular either. 

It's nicer inside than you might expect, at least until you start looking too closely, at which point you'll find cheaper bits of trim, while the exterior styling is distinctively chunky and SUV-appropriate. But it's so-so to drive and while we used to be able to rely on SsangYong models for undercutting rivals by a fair chunk, the Torres EVX isn't what you'd call a bargain.

To its credit, KGM has cut the price a fair bit since the car was initially launched in the UK and the standard level of equipment is excellent. But it's still a tough sell when there are so many alternatives from better-known brands.

KGM Torres EVX: Range

The KGM Torres EVX use what's known as a body-on-frame construction. In layperson's terms this means plonking the body shell on top of what looks like a giant ladder, rather than having the body double as the vehicle's structure. 

That's important to note when it comes to handling as it usually makes for something that's less stiff and has a tendency to shake and shimmy around over imperfections on the road surface. Sure enough, the Torres EVX isn't as refined as its rivals but it hides its more old-school DNA better than a lot of body-on-frame vehicles we've tried. 

It's generally quite unremarkable to drive, with a ride that ought to be smoother and a reasonable helping of body roll. The steering has a nice weight to it and although you do notice how much heavier the EVX is, it isn't unduly hampered by its extra mass in most driving situations. 

At cruising speeds, it's not great in terms of wind and road noise, made all the worse because there's no engine noise to drown out either.

Only one battery and motor combination is available in the KGM Torres EVX. It comprises a 77kWh battery made by BYD and a 207PS, 339Nm motor powering the front wheels. This compares to a much more modest 163PS and 260Nm of torque in the petrol-powered Torres, so although it's about 400kg heavier, the EVX is by far the quicker of the two. 

It completes the 0-62mph sprint in a very respectable 8.1 seconds, compared to a rather leisurely 10.8 seconds in the petrol Torres. The thing is, it makes quite a lot of fuss getting to that speed. While 207PS is far from a hefty output for an EV, the Torres EVX has trouble taming its modest motor. 

Put your foot down and the front wheels will spin, causing the traction control to step in and momentarily drop the power, before letting you get on with it once more, only for more wheelspin to arise and the traction control to get angry again. This makes getting anywhere quickly a scrappy, jerky experience.

There's even a bit of torque steer — a pulling sensation in the steering under full throttle — which you wouldn't normally expect from a car with this level of performance. 

Euro NCAP hasn't crash-tested either version of the KGM Torres just yet but standard-fit safety gear is decent, with the entry K30 coming with autonomous emergency braking, forward-collision warning, lane-keeping assistance, a driver attention monitor and a speed limit warning as standard.

Upgrade to the K40 and you also get rear cross-traffic alert, blind-spot assistance and a safety exit warning.

A note on that driver attention monitor — it's not great, seemingly struggling to detect your eyes if you're wearing sunglasses, leading to many errant warnings.

Just like the petrol-powered version, the KGM Torres EVX has a towing capacity of up to 1500kg. Just remember that the electric range will suffer significantly when hauling heavier loads.

There's one area in which the KGM Torres EVX does manage to shine. The boot is massive at 703 litres, making the normally impressive-sounding 585 litres available in the Skoda Enyaq seem weak by comparison. The Skoda does a bit better with its rear seats folded, which opens up a 1710-litre load space but the Torres  EVX isn't far behind with its 1662-litre offering. 

The boot opening is large and square but the protruding wheel arches might make things a little trickier when loading particularly bulky items. The rear seats only fold in a 60/40 split — 40/20/40 would have been our hope — and there's no ski hatch. 

Further forward, the cabin feels spacious, offering generous head and legroom. In the front, the driver's view is obstructed a little at the sides by some reasonably chunky windscreen pillars. 

There is a small storage area under the floor just about big enough for muddy boots or the Torres EVX’s charging cables but there’s no cargo netting, lashing points or sidewall-mounted hooks for the prevention of take-away curry slop.

Clutter is well catered for in the front, with a large storage area under the floating centre console, a bin under the armrest, a small tray in front of the gear lever, a decent sized glove box and big door pockets.

There are two USB-C sockets below the air vents and a wireless phone charging pad in K40 versions. The rear seats also boast generous door pockets and there are two further USB-C ports on the back of the front centre console.

When you first climb into the KGM Torres EVX it feels far more of a premium product than what you might expect from the company we used to know as SsangYong. There's a minimalistic dashboard design featuring a flat surface spanning much of the cabin that's coated in a textured, copper-effect material, topped by a single, large panel housing the infotainment display and digital instrument cluster. 

Look closer, especially in the lower areas of the cabin and that premium feeling dissipates somewhat. There are cheaper-feeling plastics at play but at the very least, everything seems fitted properly and there are no rough edges anywhere.

We have no complaints about the size of the KGM Torres EVX's infotainment system, which at 12.3 inches  — and matching the size of the digital instrument cluster alongside it — is on par with today's dimension standards. Sadly, it can be a bit laggy and it's a pain having to use it for the climate control's functions. 

The navigation system is okay but many will prefer to use their mapping app of choice by using Android Auto or Apple CarPlay, each of which is fitted as standard. We did have some connectivity issues initially but we were eventually able to link a phone reliably. 

On both the infotainment screen and the instrument cluster there are some odd phrases that pop up which seem to be the result of a translation issue. For example, using the throttle pedal while the cruise control is running causes the curious sentence "acceleration by the driver" to flash up. 

We're used to EVs being charged at a premium over their petrol and diesel-engined counterparts and that's half-true with the KGM Torres EVX.  

For the KGM Torres EVX K30 it's £36,995, which is a relatively modest £249 increase over the K30 petrol, while the EVX K40 is £39,295 — that undercuts the petrol K40 by £454. 

Thanks to the post-launch price reduction, the Torres EVX looks like good value considering its level of standard equipment. That said, the gap to the likes of the Skoda Enyaq and Ford Explorer isn't massive and we reckon they're worth the extra money. 

If you opt to have the KGM Torres EVX as a company car it'll be substantially cheaper than the petrol versions thanks to a much lower Benefit-in-Kind (BiK) tax rate — only 3% compared with a whopping 37% for the non-EV model. 

Electric cars no longer escape paying Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) so you'll need to pay £195 per year to tax the Torres EVX from the second year onwards. They're also now liable for the government's Expensive Car Supplement — often referred to as the premium car tax — which slaps an extra £425 annual charge from years two to six of ownership of any car costing £40,000 or over.

This includes optional extras, so although the range-topping Torres EVX K40 comes in under that figure, you might push it over in the configurator.

Extra-cost options on the KGM aren't abundant but any of the optional colours (only Grand White is free) will nudge it past the £40k threshold.

KGM Torres EVX: Range and charging

One of our biggest misgivings about the petrol-powered Torres is its poor fuel economy. The official figure is 33.2mpg but in reality, you'll struggle to get it over 30mpg. 

The Torres EVX will be significantly cheaper to run if you're able to keep it charged up at home, particularly if you're on a variable electricity tariff which is lower at certain times of day. Its 287-mile WLTP Combined cycle range is decent if not spectacular for a 77kWh battery — our testing suggests that in ideal conditions, the EVX should be efficient enough to achieve nearly 250 miles on a full charge. 

Should you need to stop at a public rapid charger, which is best avoided if you can as they're expensive, it'll take around half an hour for a 10%-80% charge thanks to its 145kW on-board DC charger. That's not bad but several rivals are better, with a Skoda Enyaq capable of taking up to 175kW, while the Kia EV6 and Hyundai Ioniq 5 cousins managing 238kW.

You won't have any trouble deciphering the KGM Torres EVX's trim line-up. Just like the petrol version, there are only two levels to choose from with K30 and K40 being the choices. The K30 grade is much more generous with standard kit than it is for the petrol model, though.

As such, the entry-level KGM Torres EVX K30 ticks most of the boxes in terms of standard equipment:

• 18-inch alloy wheels
• Keyless entry and start
• Artificial leather trim
• Heated and ventilated electric front seats
• Heated rear seats
• Heated steering wheel
• 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster
• 12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment system
• Cruise control
• Wireless phone charging pad
• Rear parking sensors

The range-topping KGM Torres EVX K40 adds:

• 20-inch alloy wheels
• Leather trim
• Powered tailgate
• Adaptive cruise control plus additional safety equipment