Can You Charge A Kia EV At A Tesla Charger?
"It’s just so interesting to me because I’m so used to gas. I’ve never had an electric car before."
A 2026 Kia EV9 owner documented her difficulties in using a Tesla Supercharger for the first time. TikTok user Cindy McNicol (@thenpmcnicols) recorded herself sitting inside of her new electric SUV after figuring out how to sufficiently power her vehicle via Tesla’s quick charging stalls.
McNicol begins her video by speaking directly into the camera. “I just got a brand new 2026 Kia EV9, and I don’t know how to charge it outside of being home. So apparently I can use the Tesla chargers. Which I shouldn’t say, apparently,” she says.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t sound like she had been suitably informed on how use a Tesla supercharger on her EV9. “I didn’t know how to use it, so I just kept backing it up, but there’s no leeway to plug it in. So I kept backing it up and then I finally plugged it in. And then you have to do it through the Tesla app. It’s just so interesting to me because I’m so used to gas. I’ve never had an electric car before. And now it looks like this,” she says before flipping her camera’s orientation to showcase the EV9’s dashboard.
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The vehicle’s display indeed depicts that the car is at 71% charging capacity. “So it’s charging pretty fast. I’m so surprised because at home it’s not this fast, obviously. So I’m interested to see how long it’s gonna take. I’m on my break right now. Hopefully I can get somewhere in the next 20 minutes, from 70% to something, so that I can just charge the rest at home. I haven’t gotten the other charger at home, the super, better charger. I’ve just got the generic one they gave us with the car.”
In the caption for the post, she said that despite these initial hiccups, her first ever away-from-home charging experience ended up easier than she had initially anticipated. “It went better than I thought but good thing I did the first charge ever when I’m not in [sic] rushing,” she wrote.
NACS Charging Standard
Kia and several other EV manufacturers in the United States have adapted the North American Charging Standard (NACS) outlet on their vehicles. This is the same plug that has been outfitted to Tesla vehicles, meaning McNicol doesn’t need a special adapter to use Tesla chargers. However, to use widely available J1772 chargers, which have had a strong foothold in the EV charging market, newer vehicles will need an adapter. Furthermore, if folks want to use the many CCS chargers available at fast-charging stations like Electrify America, they may want to invest in a CCS to NACS adapter as well.
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However, since NACS is now the standard, expect more fast-charging terminals to be outfitted with these plugs. Companies like Ionna Rechargery also provide stalls that come equipped with a slew of different charging cables, doing away with the need for add-ons to one's charging arsenal.
Kia EV9 Dealership Fail?
While McNicol was able to take advantage of Tesla’s decision to open its supercharging network to non-Tesla vehicles, her story speaks to a larger issue with EV adoption. A recurring complaint for those interested in transitioning to electric vehicles is that dealers don’t know how to adequately sell them, or educate owners about how they work.
The frustration has been reflected elsewhere. Auto enthusiast and YouTuber Nicolas Raimo released a 13-minute video delineating why he believes “dealers know nothing about electric cars.” CleanTechnica published a piece stating that “about half of car dealers in America have little to no interest in selling electric cars and have not put any effort into training their sales staff to do so.” This assertion was corroborated by Green Car Reports, which highlighted post-buying analytics from EV buyers. The outlet stated that following new car purchases, electric vehicle owners said they were much less satisfied than gas-powered vehicle consumers when it came to their dealership experience. More gripes over the lack of knowledge and adequate information from EV sales reps were echoed in this Reddit post, which contends, “Drivers are interested in electric cars [but] dealers don’t know how to sell them.”
Judging from McNicol’s fledgling attempt at supercharging her EV9 at a Tesla stall, it appears that she wasn’t properly prepared for what to expect. Tesla’s charging cables are relatively short when compared to other solutions, and throngs of folks like McNicol have lamented having to take up multiple parking spots to get the right angle to charge up their vehicles. Furthermore, had McNicol been informed that she’d need to use the Tesla mobile app beforehand, her first foray into away-from-home charging may have been more pleasant.
At-Home Charging
Another issue the TikToker mentions in her clip is that she hadn’t installed a Level 2 charger in her home yet. Numerous EV owners would advise against purchasing an all-electric car if consumers cannot reliably access Level 2 charging at home. For instance, this Tesla owner strongly urges folks to have NEMA 14-50 outlets installed in their home if they don’t have one already. Not only is it a more cost-effective option than constantly relying on external charging terminals, the ability to fully charge one’s battery overnight or add a significant amount of juice after a few hours is much more convenient than potentially waiting in long lines for a fast charger.
McNicol’s video doesn’t seem to indicate that she was informed of any of this prior to purchasing her EV9. Level 1 trickle charging may work in a pinch or in specific use scenarios, but it may not be a viable solution for many folks who are constantly on the go.
InsideEVs has reached out to McNicol via TikTok comment for further information.
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