Kia – the brand that’s captured the electric vehicle market with its best-selling and award-winning EV6 – has revealed its new EV3 model targeting the lower-priced end of the market.
The smaller and cheaper EV3 will hit the compact SUV market as a spacious five-seater with ‘best-in-class battery range’.
Exact pricing is yet to be confirmed, but Kia’s targeting £30,000, which could see it become one of the most affordable family-sized electric SUVs in Britain when it lands here in November.
The Kia EV3 production model has been revealed, and it’s very similar to the concept car revealed last year
The EV3 will join the EV6 and flagship EV9 in Kia’s bespoke electric build programme, offering compact crossover versatility and style for around £30,000
The Kia EV3 is the third model in the Kia ‘EV’ line-up, using the same bespoke electric platform and ‘Opposites United’ design ethos as the larger, and more expensive, EV9.
In fact, the EV3 takes most of its styling and technology cues from the circa £65,000 massive electric premium SUV.
It’s sculpted, boxy and has a dominating upright stance, with the Kia ‘Tiger Face’ front and ‘Star Map’ lighting concept.
A lot of emphasis design-wise has also been placed on making the car as aerodynamic as possible to bolster range.
As such, the windscreen is raked and slopes away dramatically. And 80 per cent of the underbody is covered to reduce drag.
Under the body is the choice of two battery sizes: 58.3kWh or 81.4kWh.
The base model will come with the Standard Range 58.3kWh battery and an electric motor that produces 201bhp. It’ll cover 0 to 62mph in 7.4 seconds and offer a range of 254 miles.
The Long Range 81.4kWh battery also produces 201bhp but is slightly heavier and slower; 0 to 62mph in 7.7 seconds. But as it says on the tin, the range is much improved, providing up to 372 miles on a single charge.
A GT-Line has also been announced, and will join the ‘Standard Range’ and ‘Long Range’ options
Kia have modelled the EV3 on the EV9, keeping the very boxy look, the Kia ‘Tiger Face’ front and maximising aero dynamics for ultimate range performance
Both cars have ultra-rapid charging, with the Standard Range able to plug in up to 102kW and the Long Range up to 128kW.
What does this mean in basic English? Essentially, a 10 to 80 per cent charge can be delivered in just half an hour.
Really handily the EV3 has vehicle-to-load or bi-directional charging with V2L, V2H and V2G capability, so you can power all manner of electronic appliances from the car’s battery pack.
It has a mushroom interior (and we’re not talking about the colour)
Kia’s created four exclusive paint shades for the EV3 – Aventurine Green, Frost Clue, Terracotta and Shale Grey – among nine colourways in total.
The interior, according to Kia bigwigs, follows a ‘nature-inspired aesthetic to enhance wellbeing’ with a lot of focus on recycled and inventive materials – some of them grown from mushrooms and natural fibre weaves.
In total, Kia says there’s 28.5kg of recycled material. There’s even a QR code on the dash to scan and read about the Kia sustainability, if you so wish.
Tech is a big focus of the EV3, bringing a lot of it from the EV9. There are some buttons, but it’s mainly minimalist. There’s two 12.3-inch screens, as well as head-up display and ChatGPT voice assist
The interior is supposed to be a ‘living space’ with a centre console with two layers: It can storage a small backpack and the top bit is an extendable sliding tray that can double as a working table
Kia has prioritised sustainability: The cabin uses 28.5kg of recycled materials with reused plastic, fabric and biodegradable paint to name just a few materials
At 4,300mm long, 1,850mm wide and 1,560mm tall, there’s plenty of room for five people to fit comfortably. This makes it similar in size to the Volvo EX30 and Smart’s #1.
Kia says the cabin ‘exudes an appealing living-space ambience’ and you can customise it to your comfort by reclining the seats and extending the centre console which has a neat sliding tray that doubles as a table for working.
The lower area of the console is big enough to fit food and drink and even a small backpack, there’s a 25-litre froot (front boot) and 460 litres of rear load space.
The luggage board is adjustable with two tiers, with 140mm of height to play with which is ideal for family holidays.
The boot offers 460 litres of rear load space. The luggage board is adjustable with two tiers, with 140mm of height to play with which is ideal for family holidays
There’s a 25-litre froot (front boot) to fit the AC charging cable. The EV3 can DC ultra-rapid charge 10 to 80 per cent in around 31 minutes
The interior tech is typical Kia EV with minimal buttons – there are still some on the steering wheel, a couple on the centre console and on the doors cards – and the same 12.3-inch screen you get in the EV9.
It’s joined by a 5.3-inch climate control touchscreen, a 12.3-inch digital display, and a 12.3-inch head-up display too. Not to mention the inbuilt Netflix and Youtube apps – the first Kia to get these stream-while-you-charge options, which Tesla is already known for.
Kia wants the interior to be ‘technology-rich’ and it’s hard to see how they could have packed more in there.
It’ll even come with ChatGPT voice assist (although we’re not sure anyone will actually want to use that). And expect a list of safety assistance features as long as a driver’s arm.
Full specs are yet to be confirmed, but there’ll be a mid-range GT-Line which will join later (and probably a GT-Line S like the EV6 trim setup), along with full pricing and delivery times.
Currently, the MG ZS EV is the cheapest electric SUV you can buy in the UK priced from £30,495.
If the better-equipped and more stylish EV6 can undercut this Chinese rival, it could be onto a real winner.
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