Four Kia vehicles are taking part in the 1,200-mile ‘e-tour’ of Scotland, with the new Kia EV6 and best-selling e-Niro proving the viability of fully electric road-trips.

Following the COP26 climate conference, the EV Rally of Scotland is a five-day drive around every corner of Scotland. The journey starts today on 8 November, and finishes on Friday 12 November, taking in many of Scotland’s most iconic landscapes, including sections of the North Coast 500, John O’Groats and the Isle of Skye. The e-rally is being completed exclusively on electric power, showcasing the range and charging capabilities of Kia’s latest and most popular EVs.

Drivers taking part in the challenge with Kia include former British and Scottish rally champion David Gillanders, reunited with his former rallying co-driver Graham Neish; and British Touring Car Championship ace Jack Goff. They are joined by Sam Clarke from the Gridserve charging network; Linda Grave, an entrepreneur in the UK’s burgeoning EV charging industry; Bob Murphy and Martin Symes from SWARCO Smart Charging UK Operations; Sara Sloman, Head of Future Mobility Partnerships at at Elmtronics; and journalists David Ward and Stephen McTaggart from The Herald and Paul Clifton from the BBC.

The EV6 is the latest all-electric Kia to be launched in the UK, and the first of 11 EVs due to make up Kia’s global EV line-up by 2026. The new EV6 is capable of driving up to 328 miles on a single charge (WLTP combined), while the e-Niro – Kia’s best-selling EV – has a driving range of 282 miles (WLTP combined).

So far this year, Kia has sold 11,762 electric vehicles in the UK, accounting for 14.4 per cent of the brand’s total sales this year. The launch of the new EV6 pushed Kia to the top of the UK’s EV sales charts in October.