It certainly looks like a 21st century electric car
Those striking looks haven’t changed a great deal since Kia unveiled the EV3 concept in 2023. The Kia design motifs are all present and correct: signature ‘star map’ front and rear light units, chunky wheel-at-each-corner stance, ‘floating’ roof layout, flush door handles, deeply creased flanks and geometric alloy wheels. There’s no external bright metal or chrome finish, just matt plastics and composites complemented by two new colours: Terracotta and Aventurine Green.

‘We’re still in this transition phase between combustion and electric,’ says David Hart, Kia’s creative manager for the EV3’s exterior. ‘We should offer something a little bit more unique and a little bit more advanced from everything else to show that the customer is really getting more from it. Being an EV, it’s probably likely to cost more than something with an engine, so we should reflect that in how it’s designed.’

The EV3 is lower and shorter than the Niro, but check out its wheelbase: at 2680mm, it’s exactly the same as the larger Sportage – and that translates into much more cabin space, akin to the roominess of a bigger car, helped by the absence of an engine. Front and rear occupants have plenty of room in all directions, while the 460-litre boot is generous for a car of this class, and expands to 1250 litres with the rear seats down. There’s also a handy 25-litre ‘frunk’ under the bonnet to accommodate your charging cables.

Kia clams the EV3 is its most Europe-friendly EV to date. It’s targeting buyers who would otherwise be driving the Volvo EX30, Smart #1, Volkswagen ID. 3 and Cupra Born.

It looks a bit chilly in the photos… did you get lost?
To find out what the EV3 is like to drive, we joined its development team as they finalised the EV3 during its last cold-weather test session at the sprawling Colmis proving ground near Arjeplog in northern Sweden, 26 miles outside the Arctic Circle. Why here? With range still being a huge worry for potential buyers, Kia’s engineers have invested a great deal of time and brainpower squeezing more miles out of the EV3’s batteries across a wider range of temperatures, rather than resort to using expensive and heavy larger batteries. Range can be hit hard by cold weather – hence our drive in Sweden’s sub-zero north.

The EV3 will arrive in Kia showrooms with the choice of two battery sizes: the Standard Range model has a 58.3kWh pack for a 255-mile range, while the Long Range’s bigger 81.4kWh pack means a massive 372 miles between charges, if WLTP figures are to be believed. These fourth-generation batteries have a less powerful 400-volt recharging system (half that of the EV6 and EV9) but the roughly 30-minute charge time from 10 to 80 per cent full is competitive, and vehicle-to-load, vehicle-to-home and vehicle-to-grid capabilities are baked in.

How have the engineers improved the EV3’s range?
Adopting a two-pronged strategy, they focused first on improving the overall efficiency of the battery packs themselves; this was followed by a new approach to the design of the EV3’s HVAC (heating, ventilation and air-conditioning) system to deliver optimal cabin heating and cooling without using vast amounts of battery power.

The EV3’s batteries are warmed by a new thermally efficient sheath heater with multiple maps for low- and high-temperature charging. Enabling the batteries to automatically self-heat at temperatures down to -35°C significantly lowers recharge times and avoids efficiency-killing precipitation on the battery’s lithium ion cathodes. The system is also linked to the car’s sat-nav, using its Battery Conditioning mode to optimise battery temperature when heading to a fast-charge station. This can also be manually activated on demand. The EV3’s fourth-generation multi-valve heat pump further increases range by drawing in ambient heat from the outside air and combining this with recovered waste heat from the electric motor; Kia claims this solution is a world-first.

The all-new HVAC is not only fiercely efficient – I could have driven the EV3 in shorts and a T-shirt to be honest – but also significantly more compact to increase cabin space. ‘HVAC efficiency in our BEVs is critical because of the wide range of use cases,’ explains Richard Peiler, Hyundai and Kia’s HVAC guru. ‘On a short low-speed drive in low temperatures you need to deliver instant warmth without heavy battery drain, whereas on a longer high-speed trip in mild conditions you need to focus on maximising range while dealing with highly variable outside temperatures.’ Tricky, in short, and it’s proved challenging for all car makers.

The key objective was to create the most effective one-touch set-and-forget system where energy consumption is at its lowest and driver comfort is at its highest. ‘If our customers are unaware of the HVAC operating then we have successfully done our job,’ says Peiler. The new system is a packaging miracle – despite nailing its efficiency and comfort goals, it’s 33 per cent shorter that the unit it replaces and with significantly fewer parts is lighter and more compact, creating more usable cabin space.

Kia claims these incremental enhancements collectively increase range by 10 per cent without having to resort to larger and costlier batteries. The one slight snag is that not every version gets a heat pump (which improves battery efficiency) as standard, though we’ll have to wait for UK specs to find out which versions benefit.

But what’s it like to drive?
Our time at the wheel of Kia’s development prototype was focused on snow-covered rinks on a frozen lake that form part of the extensive Colmis testing facilities. From a driver’s point of view, the fundamentals of the EV3’s cabin are sound. Visibility is excellent, the pedals are correctly positioned, and the combination of a very comfortable and supportive seat and a multi-adjustable steering wheel means the ideal driving position is easy to find. Room in all directions for everyone on board is exceptionally generous, and the sense of space is enhanced by the large sunroof and that slim dashboard.

The majority of the cabin on our pre-production car was swathed in black camouflage fabric, but neat driver-orientated touches abound: flicking on the indicators brings up a rear camera view in the instrument panel, and all the touchscreens have a matt finish, with no shiny reflections and fingerprints visible.

Official images of the completed car have subsequently been released, and they confirm that it’s a stylish, roomy interior that punches above its weight in terms of innovation and desirability.
The interior is completely leather-free, with 28.5kg of recycled plastics in every car. There’s a QR code etched into the dashboard so you can find out where the materials were previously used.
That vast infotainment screen comes unchanged from the EV9, ensuring the smaller EV3 swings with a big tech punch. And the EV3 will feature a generative AI voice assistant.

It’s difficult to explore the full extent of the EV3’s ride and handling characteristics while only driving anti-clockwise on ice, but it rides and handles just the way you’d hope. It feels planted and stable, going about the business of stopping, starting and turning in a smooth, relaxed and composed manner.

That long 2680mm wheelbase plays a key role here. The steering is direct and quick enough for rapid changes in direction, and the brakes bite early and strongly with consistent pedal feel.

Kia has solid form when it comes to engineering cars that feel polished and composed on our roads, as EV6 and EV9 owners will confirm, so we’re confident the EV3 will ride and handle with a compliant and easy-going nature that’s in keeping with its family transport remit.

Is it supercar quick like most electric cars seem to be these days?
No, but it’s more than quick enough to meet its family-orientated remit. Even on ice, which has the traction control earning its keep, it’s quick off the mark, and acceleration is smooth and linear. Kia quotes a 0-62mph time of 7.4 seconds for the 58.3kWh version and 7.7 seconds for the heavier 81.4kWh model. Both have a105mph top speed. That’s perfectly adequate performance for a compact car, and pretty startling for a five-seat family hatchback that weighs around 2000kg.

There are four selectable drive modes – Eco, Normal, Sport and My Drive – that give you a good spread of choices. Eco does everything possible to boost range and kill driving engagement – it softens throttle responses, and puts the gigabrains that control the battery and HVAC into overdrive to maximise driver comfort and minimise battery consumption. Normal makes sense for most driving. Sport sharpens the throttle response and adds heft to the steering but not feel. My Drive allows you to play about and configure the variables.

EV6 and EV9 drivers will recognise the regen paddles on the left and right of the steering column, which provide a welcome bit of driver involvement.

So, another winner from Kia?
It’s clear that Kia is not losing its nerve, and is taking the EV3 down the same brave design and technology road pioneered by the EV6 and EV9. The EV3 is a highly compelling combination of bold looks, real-word versatility and plenty of intelligently deployed technology. The relaxed and comfortable driving experience further enhances its real-world appeal. The EV3 will play a central role in achieving Kia’s goal of a 28.5 per cent increase in its European BEV sales by 2030.

That’s ambitious. But when it goes on sale in the UK in the autumn, it will do so with an appealing combination of concept-car looks, excellent range and generous helpings of savvy technology. Pitched deep into Europe’s most competitive sector with these aces up its electric sleeves and its anticipated sub-£35,000 price, it will make its Volvo, Smart, VW and BYD rivals seem expensive, short on range and frumpy.