Kia’s newest EV, the EV9 is close to hitting dealer lots. Before it does, Kia has opened up reservations for buyers who want to get ahead of things at the dealer, which anyone who tried to get an ungetable a Telluride early on will appreciate. The cost is a fully refundable $750. But before you part with that money you might want to read the fine print as it looks as if you actually aren’t reserving anything.
On it’s surface, the reservation tool for the EV9 looks simple enough. You go to Kia’s website where the first thing you’ll see is the EV9 with two links: “Meet the EV9” and “Reserve With Dealer”. You’re then taken to a list of participating dealers in your area you can reserve with. Clicking “reserve” takes you to the dealer site where you’re then met with a simplified version of a build and price tool. It lets you select your preferred trim and color, then shows you an MSRP before directing you to a reservation page for final payment of the deposit.
If you read though the fine print however, things get a bit confusing. The reservation disclaimer reads, emphasis mine:
By making a reservation request, if your reservation request is accepted by your selected retailer, you will have the opportunity to be presented with an offer for the purchase or lease of a Kia EV9 from your selected Kia retailer in the United States. You are not actually ordering, purchasing, or leasing an EV9 and the reservation payment does not guarantee the right to purchase or lease a specific EV9 or a specific trim or configuration. Reservations are offered on a limited-time, first-come, first-served, while supplies last basis. Quantities limited. The final price is set by the retailer and may differ from what is shown. Certain colors may be subject to an additional charge. The prices shown are not final. MSRP excludes optional packages, destination and handling, taxes, title, fees, licensing, and retailer charges.
That’s the short version of the terms and conditions; there’s a longer version as well. But what each is essentially saying is that you really aren’t reserving anything. What that $750 actually gets you is a chance to be one of the first customers to be offered to purchase an EV9 from the dealer. Another part of the terms and conditions reinforces the fact that this isn’t actually a reservation.
At the time you register for the Program on the Site, you will be asked to indicate your preferred paint color or potentially other options. However, model year, trim, exterior and interior color, Vehicle design, price, equipment and options are NOT guaranteed and are subject to change without notice. As indicated above, in the event a Vehicle is offered to you by Retailer for purchase or lease, the Vehicle may not reflect some or all of your preferences that you selected at the time you made your Reservation Payment.
So while Kia and the dealer are asking you which color and trim you’d like, it’s not certain you’ll actually get what you selected. The dealer can also back out of the “reservation” for any reason in which case they’ll just sell the EV9 to someone else. The same thing goes for when you’re offered a chance to go through with the purchase of the EV9 after the “reservation”. If you don’t go to the dealer within the specified timeframe they provide to complete the transaction, the EV9 goes to someone else.
I reached out to Kia to see whether or not the automaker would confirm that this isn’t really a reservation and will update this post when they get back to me. Just be aware though that if you find yourself in the position of wanting to reserve a Kia EV9, you’re not actually reserving one. Make sure you read the terms & conditions to know what you’re getting into.