The electrification of the automobile is quickly becoming more accessible as the months roll on by, offering the masses and blue-collar workers a chance to grab a piece of the future. Granted, it doesn’t change the fact that many EVs remain out of reach for most, but that’s on the verge of changing. Helping to make an all-electric dream come true, Kia has trickled down much of the fancy flagship features that you’d get in its top-of-the-line EV9 onto the affordable EV3. It will first launch in South Korea in July 2024, but a European unveiling is to come soon, too.
The vast, award-winning EV9 SUV made a strong impression, and Kia hopes to translate much of that success onto the compact-sized EV3. But, despite being a smaller vehicle overall, that’s not to say that Kia had to compromise on the things that made the EV9 great. Built on Kia’s E-GMP electric architecture, the EV3 is front-wheel drive and adopts Kia’s fourth-gen battery design. Two trim levels of the Kia EV3 will be available at launch… The Standard trim will be offered with a 58.3kWh battery, while the Long Range trim comes with a 81.4kWh battery.
Big Dreams In A Smaller Package
If you’re concerned about performance, worry not, as both trims will be powered by the same 150kW motor, with 283Nm of torque. This should enable you to sprint from 0-100km/h in a respectable 7.5 seconds; not bad for an SUV. The top speed, meanwhile, is 170km/h. I reckon speed isn’t a vital factor for the would-be buyer who’s cross-shopping a Kia EV3, so it’s good to know that it excels in the EV-ness aspect of electric cars. Range anxiety begone, as the Long Range trim of the new EV3 ought to provide a really impressive range of 600km (WLTP).
A huge contributor to this ground-breaking range – particularly considering that the EV3 is a more affordable model – is the amount of work that Kia’s done to maximise aerodynamics. The new EV3 has a superbly low drag coefficient of 0.263Cd, quite an achievement among the more budget-oriented end of the EV price spectrum. Plus, the built-in battery management system and the battery cell monitoring unit ensure that those batteries run as efficiently as possible. And, once those batteries empty out, a 10% to 80% charge could be done in just 31 minutes.
Downsizing, In The Best Way Possible
Aside from the muscular, bold, assertive design, much of the EV9’s large form factor has been downsized into the compact EV3. Yet, Kia remains clever about the EV3’s packaging. The cabin has been maximised to offer a lot of interior space, and it even has smart design elements, like how the centre console functions as both a sliding table or tray, as well as a large storage area. You get a pretty sizeable boot capacity, as well – a 25-litre frunk at the front, and a gargantuan 460-litre rear boot space. In fact, the EV3 has the largest luggage capacity in its class.
Further in the front, you get nearly 30 inches of combined usable display, between the central infotainment screen and the digital gauge cluster. You can even play games on that screen, or play around with Kia’s AI digital assistant. Thankfully, Kia does include a comprehensive suite of driver aids to make sure you’re not left too distracted, aided by a heads-up display, and some smart parking assists. More impressively, Kia is the first carmaker to bring Vehicle-to-Load (V2L) to the compact electric SUV segment, showcasing that small can indeed still be mighty.
