New Kia EV3 Review
New Kia EV3 Review – Best New Electric SUV?
This is the Kia EV3—it's a new fully electric SUV that offers a big range, lots of space, and a low price. It could be one of the most significant new cars launched 2024.
Kia's Electric Legacy
So Kia has established itself as a leader in the electric car world. Most recently, we've seen excellent electric products like the Kia e6 and the Kia EV9 from the Korean manufacturer. But an EV9 can cost as much as £80,000, and even the cheapest Kia EV6 is still more than £45,000.
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The New EV3's Position
This new Kia EV3 slots in at the lower end of the lineup and hopefully will offer a similarly excellent electric package for a lot less cash. But doesn't Kia already have some smaller, cheaper electric options? Well, yes—there's the Kia Soul EV, but that is going off sale, and there's also the Kia Nero EV, which is similarly sized to this but actually still a bit more expensive. With the Nero, it's built on a different platform from the EV6 and the EV9. It doesn't really stand out as much as an electric option as those two other cars. This EV3, as we'll go on to explain, might just mean that the Nero EV doesn't really need to exist.
Exterior Design
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Now, on the outside, you can see the resemblance to the Kia EV9, can't you? It's got that same kind of blocky, chunk styling. It's got these vertical headlights. In fact, it just looks like an EV9 that's really far away. But while that car is a huge 7-seat SUV, this is significantly smaller—it's 5-seat only and it's about 4.3m long, which, for some general car context, is a little bit longer than a VW Golf. In the electric car world, this is a little bit shorter than a Hyundai Kona Electric. As a small electric SUV, this is going to be up against loads of rivals—not just the Kia, but also things like the Volvo EX30 and the Smart #1.
Boot Space
In terms of boot space, this is very, very good compared to those rivals that it's up against as small electric SUVs. So, in total, you have 460L of capacity in the back here, and that just about matches the Kona Electric and is loads bigger than rivals like the Smart #1 and the Volvo EX30. It is a little bit smaller than a Nero EV, though. You also get a front boot with the EV3, but at 25L, as you can see here, it is not particularly big. Still, it's better to have it than not at all. It is a shame, though, that, as with so many electric cars with front boots, to actually open this thing, you've got to open it as if it was a bonnet hiding an engine underneath. So you've got to dive into the footwell, then come around and unhook it at the front, and it's just a bit fiddly and inconvenient. It would be much better if you could open it with the key.
Boot Floor & Storage
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Anyway, back here you can see that you get a height-adjustable boot floor as standard, and in this highest position here, you have virtually no loading lip at the front. It also gives you loads of underfloor storage beneath it, and it's very easy to pop it out and move it into its lowest position as well to increase the overall capacity that you have back here. You've also got this parcel shelf, which does have a bit of an awkward gap between it and the rear seats, but if you want to maximize all of the space that you have, you can remove the parcel shelf. Unfortunately, there isn't anywhere specifically to store it in the boot itself. Lower down the rear seats, and there aren't any levers to release them back here, but it's very easy to reach forwards and throw them down from the boot itself, and they split-fold 60/40 rather than 40/20/40.
Rear Seats
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Now, these rear seats don't do anything particularly clever. You can't slide them forwards, you can't recline the backrest either, but the overall space that you're given back here, which arguably is more important, is really pretty good. So legroom, particularly, is very generous. Tall, long-legged adults will be absolutely fine back here. There's a decent amount of space for your feet under the seat in front, and you've got this nice flat floor as well, which just helps it feel a bit more open and spacious down here in the footwell. Headroom, though, is okay rather than brilliant because if you were over 6 feet and sitting bolt upright, you would probably find that your head was brushing against the roof lining here. So it's okay for most adults, but if you are tall and sat in the back of the EV3, you might feel a little bit cramped, even though you've got loads of legroom available to you.
Rivals & Practicality
There are some other small electric SUVs that have taller, boxier styling at the rear than the EV3, which are a little bit better when it comes to rear headroom. But still, really good boot, decent space in these rear seats—this, for a small electric SUV in particular, is clearly a practical choice.
Interior Design
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Now, the inside of the EV3 clearly takes inspiration from the EV9, and it's a similar story inside up front, where you can see you have virtually the same interior layout in the EV9 as you get in this EV3. So that means you've got exactly the same infotainment setup as well, which gives you this digital drive display. You've got a touchscreen infotainment system on the other side, and then in the middle, you've got this climate panel thing here. And again, just like in the EV9, this is baffling because it is permanently blocked by the steering wheel. There is no driving position or sitting position for the steering wheel or the seat that exists that allows you to perfectly see the digital driver display and this climate control panel here.
Infotainment & Comfort
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So it means if you want to see the screen, you've got to peer around the steering wheel to actually get a good view of it. But it's not the end of the world because pushing this icon at the top gives you a bigger, extended view of the climate controls into the touchscreen infotainment system. And then even better than that, you have physical rocker switches down here to control the temperature and the fan speed, and it's really great that you've got these. This would be significantly worse and even more frustrating if these didn't exist, but they do, so it's not all bad.
Interior Quality
The infotainment system itself is responsive, snappy, and has a pretty simple layout as well, so that is good. And of course, you get Apple CarPlay and Android Auto as well. This interior really is impressive in the EV9; that doesn't have a brilliant interior, but then in that car, you're spending £60,000, £70,000, maybe £80,000, and the interior that you get doesn't feel like it's particularly worth that high price tag. But to get virtually the same layout and pretty much the same materials for half the price means that, in this class, compared to the other rivals that this is up against, this is a really good interior with a nice mix of materials around. Yes, the surfaces are hard, but it all feels good quality and really solidly put together.
Storage
So compared to the EV3's rivals at this price point, especially at the lower end of the lineup, this interior is very good and can go toe-to-toe with pretty much any other electric SUV out there for similar money. Now, in terms of storage, this is okay. You've got fairly small door bins, but you've got this massive cubby area and storage compartment down here on the center console, and you can see with this armrest underneath it, you've got this flat tray that you can push out. The idea being you can rest your laptop on there to get some work done while you wait for the car to charge.
Trim Levels & Equipment
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But having this setup does mean that you don't have a cubby hole under the armrest, which is a bit of a shame. But overall, you get the EV9's interior for half the price. So up front, this is very good, and you don't have to go for an expensive, range-topping trim level to get a nice interior. Even the cheapest EV3 in Air trim gets the same layout and materials as more expensive versions. The main difference inside being a different steering wheel. Air also comes very well equipped with things like heated front seats and a heated steering wheel as standard. It's the easiest trim to recommend because it has loads of equipment and is the cheapest option.
Battery Options
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Mid-spec GT Line adds larger 19-inch alloys, sportier styling, and electrically adjustable lumbar support for the driver. And it is a shame that Air misses out on that, but nothing else it gets is a big miss. Then, the top-of-the-range EV3 GT Line S gets an upgraded 8-speaker Harmon Kardon sound system, a head-up display, heated and ventilated front seats, heated rear seats, and an electric tailgate to go with a choice of trim levels.
Battery Capacity & Range
There are two different batteries to choose from as well, and if you go for the standard-range model, then you get a 58.3 kWh battery. If you go for the long-range model, then you get a much bigger 81.4 kWh battery. Now, the official range in the standard-range model is 270 miles, which for an entry-level version of an electric car is very far indeed, and for most people, you'd imagine it would suit them just fine.
Charging Speed & Rates
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But if you go for the long-range model with a much bigger battery, you get a much longer range. It goes up by more than 100 miles to 375 miles. The maximum charging rate varies depending on which battery you choose. The standard-range model can charge at speeds of up to 101 kW, and the long-range model can charge up to 128 kW. That means charging from 10 to 80% takes about half an hour in either version if you use a fast enough charger. That maximum charging rate might not seem that impressive, but not many rivals at this price point can charge significantly faster.
Price Difference
Now, the difference in price between the two batteries is about £3,000, and really, it's up to you whether you've got the budget and the need to go from the standard-range model to the long-range one. But really, 270 miles is a very, very good official range for the cheapest version of this car. If you go for that version of the EV3, then the starting price is less than £33,000, which is very competitive indeed.
EV3 vs. Niro EV
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It makes you wonder why you would go for the Nero EV at all. Because yes, it's a little bit bigger, but it doesn't really have any other advantages over the EV3. And yes, we are now starting to see lots of new electric cars which are far cheaper even than the £33,000 starting price of this, but compared to those cars like the Citroën EC3, this is a different proposition altogether. The EV3 is a big small SUV—it's really, really nice inside, it's practical, it feels a lot more expensive than those cheaper cars.
Driving Experience
But is it good to drive?
So we've driven that green EV3, which is equivalent to a GT Line model in the UK. Now, we're in a nice blue entry-level Air EV3, and they've both come equipped with the long-range battery. But no matter which battery you go for in the EV3, you get the same electric motor. So it has 201 brake horsepower, it drives the front wheels, and the performance is actually really decent. If you go for the standard-range battery, then the 0 to 60 time is 7.5 seconds. It's a tiny little bit slower for the bigger batteries because they're slightly heavier.
On the Road Performance
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But still, off the line, this feels sharp. Even at motorway speeds, you've got enough flexible performance to be able to get a nice burst of speed very easily if you need to overtake a slow-moving lorry or something like that. But it's not the performance and the pace that stands out in the EV3 on the road, even though it is good. It's the ride comfort and it's the refinement, because this is a very smooth, comfortable, and quiet electric car on the road.
Ride Comfort & Handling
Things are on the firm side, but in a way that means everything's well controlled rather than feeling like all the impacts on the suspension are really harsh or uncomfortable. At low speeds, you do notice the impacts on the suspension a bit more. There is a little bit of fidget to the ride at those lower speeds, but not much, and really, it is still impressively comfortable. On the motorway, this is really unflustered, smooth, and it is really hushed in the interior as well.
Driving Dynamics
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Now, in terms of handling dynamics, this is not some hot hatch on the road, but really, Kia knows how to make an SUV that's pretty good to drive. The EV6 is itself a fairly big SUV, so massive hatchback, and in terms of handling, that car is pretty impressive. With this EV3, you've got a relatively firm suspension setup, and it means that, yes, there is some lean as you go around a corner because this is a tall, small electric SUV. But all the body movements still feel well-controlled, and the steering is really nicely weighted and it's accurate, so it gives you decent confidence in what the front wheels are doing.
Conclusion
But really, it is the ride and it's the refinement that stand out for the EV3. And because it is really comfortable, smooth, easy to drive, and quiet, it makes this feel really plush behind the wheel.
Verdict
So, the EV3 is expected to become Kia's biggest selling electric car in the UK, and the appeal is very clear to see. The battery options are fantastic, and so is the price. It's really, really nice inside, it feels like an expensive product, and of course, as with any Kia, you get a brilliant 7-year warranty as standard. So this is an outstanding new electric SUV.