I’ve driven the Kia EV3 and it's one of the best electric vehicles for most people right now

Despite nan comparatively lethargic uptake of electrical vehicles, nan Kia EV6 is often considered arsenic 1 of nan starring lights successful nan industry. With a coagulated electrical range, extremist styling and plentiful in-car tech, it kickstarted Kia’s caller travel towards a afloat electrical line-up.

Last year, we were promised an full scope spanning EV2 to EV9, but person only seen nan second truthful far. An impressively ample seven-seat SUV that hit Volvo and Range Rover astatine its ain game, nan EV9 is besides nan astir costly car Kia has ever produced and is good retired of nan scope of galore normal, hard-working folk.

There person been cries from galore buyers for a smaller, much affordable action for months now and nan EV3, which starts astatine £32,995 successful nan UK (around $35,000 erstwhile it yet goes successful waste successful nan US successful 2026) answers that telephone pinch confidence.

Riding connected nan aforesaid level arsenic nan EV6 and nan sister company’s Hyundai Ioniq 5, but offering either 58.3kWh aliases nan larger 81.4kWh artillery packs, nan EV3 is almost 400mm shorter than nan recently-refreshed EV6. Bu you wouldn’t cognize it.

Where immoderate families mightiness find nan EV6 a small claustrophobic inside, pinch nan swooping roofline impeding taller drivers and occupants, nan EV3 is positively cavernous. It’s besides dripping pinch technology, offers immoderate of nan champion ratio of immoderate electrical conveyance connected waste coming and impresses pinch its laid-back, easy-to-live-with demeanor.

The electrical conveyance marketplace has been desperately seeking that ‘catch-all’ car that could 1 time summation nan notoriety of Volkswagen’s Golf and Ford’s best-selling Fiesta successful Europe, aliases nan likes of Honda’s CR-V and Toyota’s Rav 4 successful North America. The EV3 could good beryllium that car.

A stylish SUV

Karim Habib, Kia’s caput of world design, has helped propel nan marque into much luxurious territory pinch his team’s attack to exterior styling. Love it aliases dislike it, nan EV6 turned heads erstwhile it first arrived connected nan segment and nan monolithic EV9 cuts an imposing fig connected nan roadworthy today.

The EV3 is fundamentally a shrunken type of its larger SUV sibling, but it has a characteristic each of its own. Despite being smaller than nan EV6, it still feels for illustration a ample car, pinch capable futuristic creation touches (check retired nan beforehand and rear ray signature and squared-off instrumentality arches) to person pedestrians double-taking.

Decked retired successful a crisp achromatic and achromatic hue, nan trial car I drove astir nan bustling streets of Seoul had much than a hint of Stormtrooper astir it, pinch its crisp exterior lines ensuring it stood retired among a crowd of swooping South Korean saloons.

Inside, there’s a clever usage of cloth (made from recycled plastics) that covers astir of nan dash, while nan cardinal extendable wood effect arm remainder acts arsenic a spot to remainder a laptop (so you tin activity while charging) aliases a taco tray (so you tin eat while charging).

There’s plentiful caput and legroom for all, nan trunk aliases footwear is massive, and there’s other stowage abstraction successful nan ‘frunk’. Better still, nan seats are beyond comfortable, pinch adjustable and cushioned headrests pinched from nan EV9 that hit astir pillows for plushness.

Unlike nan EV6, which tin consciousness a small gloomy inside, nan EV3 is light, airy and welcoming, making it awesome for those pinch young kids. It’s easy to swivel astir successful nan beforehand seats and chat to those successful back. A afloat magnitude panoramic sunroof would amended nan airiness moreover further but it’s a bully spot to be.

Screen time

Kia isn’t awkward astir nan exertion it offers arsenic modular connected nan EV3, pinch nan infotainment strategy comprising 2 12.3-inch displays, arsenic good arsenic a smaller 5.3-inch sheet sandwiched in-between nan 2 that takes attraction of aerial conditioning.

It’s a mammoth integer offering, though nan ambiance power sheet is annoyingly located conscionable down nan steering wheel, making it difficult to spot and interact with. Spend a spot other and nan cars travel pinch a crisp head-up display, while nan constantly-connected quality of nan conveyance results successful smart mapping and routing, arsenic good arsenic a suite of downloadable apps, specified arsenic YouTube.

There’s besides nan afloat gamut of Hyundai’s latest integer assistant, which uses generative AI to pass and reply questions successful earthy language. It tin power astir of nan functionality wrong nan vehicle, but is besides unfastened to wider questions and queries. It useful well.

Even nan interior lighting is clever, pinch nan expertise to alteration nan hue to suit a mood. During nan trial drive, I noticed it flashed reddish erstwhile it detected that I was walking supra nan velocity limit (sorry, officer).

The smart adaptive cruise power is intuitive and very easy to use, moreover automatically adapting your velocity if it detects mean velocity roadworthy sections and it is capable to autonomously alteration lanes pinch a flick of nan parameter stalk.

It is each very clever worldly that’s mostly very elemental to use, while beingness buttons stay truthful nan screen-prodding is kept to a minimum. Above each else, nan tech (and interior arsenic a whole) feels approachable and not arsenic shouty arsenic different brands. Kia wanted to create a luxury location decor ambience and it has paid off.

The beforehand seats moreover characteristic a one-button, fully-reclined mode to assistance pinch catching immoderate zeds while charging. You can’t get immoderate much laid backmost and homely than that.

A premium EV acquisition

The EV3 won’t rustle immoderate minds pinch its driving performance, but that’s not its intention. The 150kW/204hp centrifugal recovered crossed nan full scope is tin of propelling nan car from a standstill to 62mph successful 7.5 seconds, which is plentifulness capable for most, but tame compared to different EVs.

Similarly, nan steering is ray and a breeze to usage astir municipality and nan driving dynamics lend themselves to regular use, alternatively than thrill-seeking connected state lanes. Perhaps much importantly, nan electrical scope of 372 miles successful nan larger artillery action (267 miles successful nan 58kWh variant) is decent capable for lengthy roadworthy trips.

The max charging velocity is 128kW for nan larger battery, meaning a 20-80 per cent top-up will return astir 30 minutes from a accelerated charger. That's down somewhat connected rivals, but still accelerated capable to make large distances possible.

The Hyundai Motor Group successful wide has immoderate of nan astir businesslike EVs connected waste coming and nan Kia EV3 is nary different. The scope that’s offered up by nan infotainment strategy is beautiful overmuch spot connected and nan built-in routing will assistance by delivering unrecorded charging readiness and way options that incorporated nan required charging stops.

Granted, nan EV3 isn’t nan ultra-affordable compact car immoderate sectors of nan buying nationalist person been demanding, but it isn’t designed to deed that brief. Hyundai has nan Inster to capable that void and Kia has promised its smallest astir affordable conveyance successful nan EV2, which is owed successful 2026.

Instead, nan EV3 is simply a awesome middle-ground, affording plentifulness of abstraction and tons of tech, while substantially undercutting a Kia EV6 pinch akin powerfulness output and wide range.

It’s fantabulous and Kia has seemingly done it again pinch different deed EV. It makes you wonderment if it’s worthy spending much successful nan EV5, which is connected waste successful Australia now but will beryllium released elsewhere adjacent year.

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