Is Kia's smallest electric model really the best affordable family EV on sale?

Kia EV3 review: smaller SUV shows big promise

November 10, 2024 Matt Allan

We find out if the Kia EV3 really is the best affordable family EV on sale

Kia has built a reputation as one of the leading brands in the electric car revolution thanks to models like the EV6 and EV9. They’re hugely impressive and capable cars, but they’re also on the large and expensive side, so Kia has set out to balance the books with the EV3.

It’s a compact SUV priced from around £33,000, and the Korean brand says it’s going to bring new levels of range, technology and versatility to the family car segment.

But every car maker makes similar bold claims, so we got behind the wheel to see if the EV3 really is something special in a field that includes cars like the Volvo EX30, Peugeot E-2008 and Smart #1 as well as family hatchbacks like the Volkswagen ID.3 and the Cupra Born.

Kia EV3 design, interior and technology

As with any new car, there’s a lot of design waffle around the EV3. Apparently, it’s a ‘geometric blend of purpose and emotion’.

What really matters is that it’s a modern, blocky looking thing that bears a close resemblance to the excellent EV9. Unlike the EV9, however, you can fit the 4.3m by 1.85m EV3 into a supermarket parking space.

The basic shape is defined by straight edges and sharp angles that wouldn’t look out of place in Minecraft, but softened by a mixture of different colours and materials, including elements such as the wheel arch trims, which are made from recycled industrial plastic. It’s possible to see shades of the Niro EV but elements such as the ‘star map’ LED lights and flush-fitting door handles, plus those boxy wheel arches, give the EV3 a character of its own.

There’s a slight ‘boat tail’ design that narrows the rear to aid aerodynamics and efficiency, and the overall effect is a car that wears its SUV identity proudly without being brash or aggressive.

Like the exterior, the interior has echoes of the EV9. That’s partly thanks to the massive three-screen dashboard array and partly thanks to materials and design shared between the models.

The overall design and layout is smart and (mostly user-friendly). The digital instruments are clear and configurable, the 12.3-inch main touchscreen is responsive and well laid out, and there’s a 5.3-inch panel dedicated to the air condition set between them. Thankfully, though, there are also still proper rocker switches on the dashboard to control the temperature, as well as other shortcut keys beneath the main screen. I’m all for shortcut keys but, like the EV9, these are effectively squishy sections of dashboard that require a firm prod to activate and give no feedback to let you know your input has been recognised.

The simple look and layout, along with big, easy to use buttons isn’t as cool as an EX30 or as showy as a Smart #1 but the construction and materials – again using lots of recycled plastics – feel top-drawer. Touches like the fabric dash facia and the slimline ambient lighting look great. But there’s a lot of grey plastic that reminds me of C&A loafers from the 1980s and is going to age badly.

The most impressive element of the interior is probably the space. Kia classes the EV3 as a B-SUV – a segment not famous for interior room. But even set up for a 6’ 5” driver, there’s more than enough space for a 5’ 8” adult (or teenager) to fit comfortably behind them. That puts it in the same sphere as the excellent but larger and more expensive Renault Scenic and not far off cars a full class above it.

Kia says the EV3 is the widest car in its class and it does feel pretty spacious up front. That’s partly thanks to the low, open centre console and big arm rest. However, it doesn’t feel so wide in the back, where the middle seat is really only for occasional use.

On the luggage front, a two-level boot offers up to 460 litres of storage, plus there’s a 25-litre frunk that’s big enough for a charging cable but not a lot else.

Kia is proud of the cutting-edge technology that’s filtered to EV3 down from its more expensive models. This includes those big screens, an optional head-up display and a phone-based digital key, plus plug-and-go charging and in-car payment for parking. There’s also Highway Assist 2.0, which includes lane changing assistance but takes so long to work that you’ll give up and do it yourself.

Exclusive to EV3 is the soon-to-arrive ability to download services such as Netflix and Disney+ so you can watch TV on the infotainment screen while you charge.

Battery, motor and performance

Kia has confirmed that there will be a performance-focused EV3 GT to rival the likes of the Abarth 600e and VW ID.3 GTX. But that all-wheel-drive version isn’t coming until 2025, so for now the EV3 comes with a single 201bhp motor matched to either a 58.3kWh or an 81.4kWh battery.

That latter is huge by any standards, especially the B-SUV segment, and offers a class-leading range of 375 miles. The smaller unit offers 270 miles – substantially more than the entry-level EX30 and more than alternatives like the Fiat 600e or Peugeot E-2008. Charging is capped at 107kW for the smaller battery and 127kW for the larger, allowing the EV3 to add up to 125 miles of range in 15 minutes, or go from 10-80% in around half an hour.

Kia quotes efficiency of 3.8 to 4.1m/kWh for the EV3 and I found that to be pretty spot-on. Our first drive, mostly on motorways, saw us achieve 4.1m/kWh. On a second longer route along a mix of mountain climbs and motorways the car still managed 3.88m/kWh. In both cases we were in GT Line trim with the larger wheels, which should hurt efficiency.

While that’s pretty impressive, the overall driving experience is unremarkable. Like so many electric SUVs there’s sufficient punch from the motor but the steering is largely lifeless. Body control also isn’t brilliant and the EV3 wobbles and leans more than I’d like. But the damping is brilliant at dealing with a variety of horrible road surfaces – from root-ravaged rural A roads to urban streets blighted by potholes.

The Air spec car perhaps rides slightly more sweetly on its 17-inch wheels but the difference between that and then 19s of the GT Line cars is surprisingly small.

Kia EV 3 price and specification

Which brings us conveniently onto the different trim levels of EV3. Like the EV6 and EV9, it’s a simple three-grade arrangement. Air spec is the entry level with the headline-grabbing price of £32,995.

That gets you the smaller battery — the 81.4kWh unit is an extra £3,000.

It also gets you LED lights all round, keyless entry and start, the three-screen dashboard, heated front seats and steering wheel, adaptive cruise control and a reversing camera, among a laundry list of other things.

It’s an attractive entry price and generous starting spec but Kia reckons most buyers will opt for the £39,495 GT Line spec, which comes as standard with the larger battery. This adds larger wheels, ‘small cube’ LED lights, powered door handles, gloss black body trim and tinted rear glass. Inside there’s two-tone upholstery, powered lumbar support for the driver and wireless phone charging, plus a sliding centre console topper, which I’m not sure is any more useful than the extra storage space in the Air.

For £42,995, you’ll get the GT Line S, which brings a powered tailgate, Harman Kadron stereo, electrically adjustable, ventilated ‘premium relaxation seats’ and a head-up display. The rear seats are also heated and there’s a 360-degree parking camera along with remote parking and blind spot cameras.

Frustratingly, unlike Renault, a heat pump isn’t standard on the EV3. Even more frustratingly, it’s only an option on top-spec GT Line S which in a climate like the UK’s is unforgivable.

Verdict

That spec-stupidity aside, Kia doesn’t seem able to put a foot wrong at the minute.

Its EV game has been getting stronger since the first e-Niro and the EV3 is yet another step on that progression, effectively burying the Niro EV in the process.

It’s not the most scintillating car to drive (but nor are its rivals) and the interior colour scheme is dubious but everywhere else it does exactly what it needs to.

The powertrain is punchy enough for a family vehicle and its large battery and excellent efficiency puts range anxiety in the rear-view mirror.

More than that, though, it offers hugely impressive levels of interior space and comfort along with advanced and useful technology that make it a convincing option for a one-car family.

And although the top-spec model may be straying into ‘luxury car tax’ territory, in Air or GT Line spec, it represents a seriously attractive all-rounder.