Kia EV3 review

Kia is losing its Soul – but not in the way you might think. You see, this is the new Kia EV3 and it’s here to replace the Soul EV as the South Korean manufacturer's small electric SUV. 

The new EV3 sits below the similarly sized Kia Niro EV, the Kia EV6 and the seven-seat Kia EV9 in the car maker's range. In fact you can see a family resemblance between the EV3 and EV9 inside and out.

With a pedigree like that, the EV3 should certainly be off on the right foot, and things only get better when you look at the numbers. Its list price compares well with that of other electric SUVs and the version with the longest official range can, on paper, go further than a Tesla Model Y.

Kia EV3 video review

It sounds like the new Kia EV3 is a winner – but does it do enough to beat its best electric car rivals, ranging from the Hyundai Kona Electric and Jeep Avenger Electric to the Smart #1 and Volvo EX30? Read on to find out...

There are two battery choices for the Kia EV3 – 58.3kWh (with a 55kWh usable capacity) in the Standard Range model and 81.4kWh (with a 78kWh usable capacity) in the Long Range model.

Whichever you go for it has 201bhp, and in the Standard Range that's enough for a 0-62mph time of 7.5 seconds, which is quicker than any Hyundai Kona Electric. The EV3 Long Range's time is a tiny bit slower, at 7.7 seconds, due to the heavier battery it’s hauling around.

Now, while we suspect you won’t be drag racing away from every traffic light in the EV3, that swift acceleration is really useful, making it easy to overtake slow traffic and get up to motorway speeds with ease.

The EV3 feels more softly sprung than other electric Kia car model but there's still a slight firmness to the ride. It's far from uncomfortable though, and the suspension set-up means body movements are well controlled and bumps are absorbed impressively well.

The softer Hyundai Kona Electric deals better with imperfections at slow speeds but the EV3 is more settled during motorway cruising. The 17in alloy wheels offer the most comfortable ride, and even on the 19in alloys that come with higher trims the EV3 is far more comfortable than the fractious Tesla Model Y.

While the EV3 handles perfectly well at the UK national speed limit on a country road, with light but accurate steering, it won’t give you any thrills. Indeed, it doesn’t take much to find the limits of front-end grip in the wet.

Refinement is pretty impressive, with the EV3’s lack of engine noise (or, indeed, an engine) not revealing any noticeable road or wind noise. It’s as hushed at a cruise as a Hyundai Ioniq 5 or Kia EV6 and quieter than a Kia Niro EV.

So how far can the EV3 travel on a charge? Well, it obviously depends which battery you choose. The entry-level (58.3kWh) version has an official range of up to 270 miles, which is more than the Kona Electric but less than a Niro EV. The larger (81.4kWh) battery increases that to as much as 375 miles, beating rival electric SUVs including the more expensive Tesla Model Y Long Range.

"If you pull and hold a paddle behind the steering wheel, you can put the EV3 into a one-pedal driving mode called i-pedal, so that when you lift off the accelerator the car can bring itself to a stop without you using the brakes. I found it made driving around town even easier." – Doug Revolta, Head of Video

As with its exterior, the Kia EV3’s interior takes inspiration from the Kia EV9 electric seven-seater. In fact, the two models have the same infotainment system.

That means you get a 12.3in digital driver's display, a 5.3in climate-control screen and a 12.3in touchscreen (now with ChatGPT AI voice control, so you can ask it questions). Annoyingly, like in the EV9, the climate control screen is hard to see because the steering wheel is in the way.

Things are better when it comes to the main infotainment touchscreen. It's high definition, giving you plenty of clarity, and responds quickly to all your prods. There are plenty of features too, including wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay smartphone mirroring.

While you control the infotainment mainly through the touchscreen, we appreciate that you still get some physical shortcut buttons below the screen and physical rocker switches to adjust the interior temperature. The switches make the ill-thought-out placement of the climate control screen a little less damaging to the EV3's overall usability.

If you read our Kia EV9 review you'll see we weren't that impressed with the interior. The EV3 offers virtually the same layout and material quality, but costs not far off half the amount of money as the EV9. That means in the EV3, against electric SUVs costing similar money, the interior is a strong point for the car.

Indeed, the overall interior quality is quite good, with an appealing mix of materials across the dashboard and the hard surfaces given some texturing to help lift the aesthetic. It feels as though it's been put together well and should stand the test of time.

As with the Kia Niro EV, the EV3’s driving position isn’t all that high by SUV standards but you still sit higher up than in, say, a Tesla Model 3. You’ll find it really easy to get comfortable behind the wheel, thanks to every EV3 getting a good amount of driver’s seat and steering-wheel adjustment. It’s a shame, though, that the entry-level car doesn’t get electric lumbar support adjustment for the driver.

The EV3’s slightly elevated driving position means you have a good view out over the front of the car and out at junctions. Looking over your shoulder, large rear windows give you a pretty good view of what’s around you, but the large rear pillar means that your view is still slightly impeded. In fairness, it’s no worse than in a Hyundai Kona Electric or Smart #1. 

Luckily, you won’t have any struggles when it comes to parking, because every EV3 comes with front and rear parking sensors, and a rear-view camera. To make things even easier, going for top-spec GT-Line S trim adds a 360-degree camera.

"It’s good that the EV3 still has some physical controls but the climate control display is really quite annoying. No matter how I set the steering wheel, it’s covered by the rim, causing you to dip and dive around to get a better view." – Dan Jones, Senior Reviewer

Two six-footers will have no issues fitting into the front of the Kia EV3, with plenty of head and leg room on offer. The interior is pretty wide so even a pair of broad adults won’t find that their shoulders are anywhere near rubbing.

In terms of front storage, you’ll find fairly small door bins, but the various trays, cupholders and cubbies within the centre console somewhat make up for that. You also get a slide-out tray under the central armrest, which would make a great place to use a laptop or prop a tablet computer while the car charges.

As has been the case with almost all of Kia’s electric cars, you’ll find that people sitting in the rear have loads of leg room (more than you’ll find in the Jeep Avenger Electric for example), and plenty of space under the front seats for their feet. There’s just enough head room for a six-footer to get comfortable but not as much as in most of the EV3’s electric SUV rivals.

You’ll fit three people in the back of the EV3 but, like in its rivals, shoulder room will be pretty tight. That said, the lack of a central tunnel means the middle-seat occupant will have nothing to straddle and plenty of foot space.

The rear seats don’t do anything particularly interesting – such as sliding fore and aft, like in the Smart #1 – but they do fold completely flat in a 60/40 configuration. That’s not as versatile as rivals with 40/20/40 split-folding rear seats, and the EV3 doesn’t even get a ski hatch behind its rear centre armrest.

At least you get lots of boot space, with the EV3’s 460-litre boot just about matching the Hyundai Kona Electric and proving bigger than what you’ll find in the Avenger Electric (380 litres), Peugeot e-2008 (434 litres) and Smart #1 (273 litres). A height-adjustable boot floor comes as standard. If you need even more space, consider the Kia Niro EV (475 litres).

For a little extra space, the EV3 also has a 25-litre frunk under the bonnet, giving you space to just about squeeze in a charging cable and saving some space in the main boot.

"While rear head room is a little tight for those over six feet tall, I’m pretty sure you’ll be able to fit a car full of people in the EV3 quite comfortably. Indeed, we filled the car with myself, two camera people and all their gear, and had room to spare." – Dan Jones, Senior Reviewer

As a cash purchase, the entry-level 58.3kWh Kia EV3 is very competitively priced against its rivals. While it costs a little bit more than the smaller Smart #1 (which has a significantly worse range than the EV3) it undercuts the Hyundai Kona Electric and Kia Niro EV, and is considerably cheaper than a Tesla Model Y.

Even if you spring for the larger 81.4kWh battery, the EV3 will cost around the same as rivals that cover less distance on a charge, including the much more expensive Model Y Long Range.

It’s worth noting that experts predict that the EV3 will depreciate slightly faster than those rivals, which can have an effect on PCP finance rates. Before you buy, make sure you check for the best offers on our New Car Deals pages.

Despite its keen pricing, every EV3 comes really well equipped as standard. Indeed, even the entry-level Air version comes with heated front seats, a heated steering wheel, automatic LED headlights, automatic air conditioning, keyless entry and start, cruise control and lots of other kit. It's our recommended trim. 

For a few more luxuries, check out mid-spec GT-Line, which adds larger 19in alloy wheels, sportier styling, automatic flush door handles, wireless phone-charging, rear privacy glass and electrically adjustable driver lumbar support. 

The top-of-the-range EV3 GT-Line S gets an upgraded eight-speaker Harman Kardon stereo system, a customisable head-up display, electrically adjustable heated and ventilated front seats, heated outer rear seats and an electric tailgate.

GT-Line S is also the trim you’ll need to go for if you want the optional EV heat pump (for better efficiency when heating the interior). That said, in our testing we’ve found that heat pumps in electric cars don’t usually improve efficiency to a significant degree in real-world conditions.

The maximum charging rate varies depending on which battery you choose. The 58.3kWh can charge at speeds up to 101kW, matching the Hyundai Kona Electric, and the 81.4kWh at up to 128kW. In the real world, that means charging from 10-80% in 29 and 31 minutes respectively if you use a fast enough public EV charger. That’s not bad, but the 150kW-capable Smart #1 can charge up more quickly.

We don’t have reliability stats for the EV3 yet because it’s too new, but Kia as a manufacturer finished in 11th place out of the 31 car makers in the 2024 What Car? Reliability Survey. Better still, the EV3 benefits from Kia’s seven-year standard warranty – one of the best in the industry. 

Likewise, the EV3 has yet to be tested by the safety experts at Euro NCAP. Even so, you can take peace of mind from the fact that every EV3 comes with automatic emergency braking (AEB), blind-spot collision avoidance, a driver attention warning system and lots of airbags.

Top-Spec GT-Line S cars add more equipment to that list, including blind-spot monitoring cameras and parking collision avoidance.  

"Price has long been an Achilles' heel for many electric cars so I'm impressed that the EV3 comes with loads of standard kit but still manages to undercut most of its rivals." – Dan Jones, Senior Reviewer

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