Kia EV3 starts 2025 with win at the Women’s Worldwide Car of the Year awards
The Kia EV3 has won the Compact SUV category at the 2025 Women’s Worldwide Car of the Year (WWCOTY) awards.
The South Korean manufacturer’s latest EV stood out to the 82-strong judging panel with its value for money, driving appeal, technology, and comfort.
Launched towards the end of 2024, the Kia EV3 offers a segment-leading range of up to 375 miles when specced with the 81.4kW battery. This configuration can be charged from 10 percent to 80 percent in 29 minutes, and comes with 400V fast charging technology.
Other contenders in the Compact SUV category included the BMW X2, Alfa Romeo Junior, the Mini Countryman, and the Volkswagen Tiguan.
The EV3’s success at WWCOTY marks Kia’s second consecutive award-winning year at the event. Kia’s full-sized SUV, the EV9, was voted by the jury as the World’s Best Car in 2024. In 2025, the overall winner will be announced on 6 March, ahead of International Women’s Day on 8 March.
Pricing for the Kia EV3 starts at £32,995 for the Air trim level. The flagship GT Line S has a £43,895 price tag. The entry-level Standard Range Air comes with a 58.3kW battery, while the rest of the range is powered by the 81.4kW unit.
The 2025 WWCOTY awards saw the introduction of two new categories for Best Tech, and the Sandy Myhre award for the most pro-female brand, both of which went to EV-focused brands.
BYD took top spot in the former for its Blade Battery technology, while Volvo scooped the latter thanks to its large number of female employees, its use of ‘pregnant’ dummies in crash tests since 1995, and its 2023 partnership with Girls Who Code; an organisation that seeks to eliminate the gender gap within the tech sphere.
