5 Things You Should Know About The Kia EV3

‘Best EV Crossover’, ‘Car of the Year’, and ‘Best Small Electric SUV’ are all awards the Kia EV3 has secured from various publications. I found the EV3 spacious and attractive while boasting a decent range when I reviewed it last year.

But before you scramble for your credit card, here are five things you should know.

1. The Kia EV3 Is Efficient

My EV3 ‘Air’ press loaner was a prime example of how you don’t need to spend big to get great efficiency. I drove this car over 150 miles in one week, and it returned a 3.6mi/kWh average in ‘Eco’ mode. On longer journeys, this stretched to 4.0mi/kWh.

The entry-level ‘Air’ features a relatively small 58.3kWh battery, which showed around 270 miles when fully charged, although this was closer to 200 miles in real-world running.

Buyers can also opt for the 81.4kWh option if the above isn’t enough. This gives an official 372-mile range, but I’d anticipate between 250- to 312 miles, in reality.

2. The Kia EV3 Has Lots Of Interior Space

It’s like the Tardis from Doctor Who. The EV3’s exterior design reminds me of a Martian buggy because of its sharp edges and fancy LED lighting. Two six-footers won’t struggle for space up front thanks to the Kia EV3’s roomy front seats. Likewise, there’s enough room between the seats to avoid those awkward shoulder rubs.

The Mini Aceman and Volvo EX30 are more spacious in the rear, but again, two six-footers will fit. There’s lots of knee and head room and all models come with integrated USB-C ports in the front seatbacks. It doesn’t have clever sliding rear seats, but these do fold 60/40 to extend the cargo area.

Pop the trunk, and you’ll find a 460-liter area. This matches the Hyundai Kona Electric and offers more than the Mini Aceman. It also has a handy 25-liter ‘frunk’, which is just enough to stow the charging cable.

3. The Kia EV3 Has Annoying ADAS

Beep, bop, bing and bong. It’ll do this constantly. You can turn this off via a setting buried in the EV3’s touchscreen, but it’ll reactivate once you restart the car.

These ADAS systems are EU mandated, so it’s not Kia’s fault, and may be something U.S. models will lack.

4. The Kia EV3 Is Cheap Yet Costly

There are cheaper electric city cars available, but the entry-level Kia EV3 costs £33,005 ($44,024). This gets you a 58.3kWh Sunset Orange car with 17-inch alloy wheels, a 12.3-inch touchscreen, heated front seats and steering wheel, a reverse camera, and heaps of driving assists. The larger battery costs an extra £3000 ($4000).

The mid-level GT-Line trim costs £39,405 ($52,556) and adds 19-inch alloys, GT-Line styling, flush door handles, driver lumbar support, LED headlights and a wireless phone charger.

Those needing a heat pump will need to spend £43,905 ($58,558) for the range-topping GT-Line S. Like the non-heat pump guise, this gets heated rear seats, a 360-degree camera, ventilated front seats, a power tailgate, memory seats, a sunroof and a heads-up display.

5. The Kia EV3 Is Quiet And Comfortable

Every EV3 is comfortable over ruts and potholes, but the ‘Air’ edges ahead with its 17-inch alloys. It’s incredibly refined even at low speeds, something some manufacturers can’t master.

Once on the highway, my sound device recorded 66dB at 70mph. An impressive result that puts the Kia EV3 on par with the Volkswagen Tayron PHEV.

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