Kia has revealed its strongest trump card - the EV3, a compact car with a large battery and an affordable price. Could this be a game changer for electric cars? The lines and overall design reflect what we've already seen in recent years.
Kia has decided to offer an important, clear footprint for its cars, especially when it comes to electricity. The car has personality, at 4.30 meters long, this crossover is able to optimize space with its true key element: the E-GMP platform, a real turning point in the Korean manufacturer's electrification process and a functional basis for the EV6 and EV9.
Exterior
The stylistic path of the motto “opposites attract“ is expressed in very thin epsilon-type headlights, but able to cut through the front, emphasizing the front cover, which is flat, but above all extremely clean in its lines. Similarly, the profile is also characterized by doors with extremely clean surfaces despite the usual sill motif. And then come the interesting wheel arches - square but tapered to make everything less angular.
The rear offers more dynamics without overflow. The rear window is angled but with very clean lines, covered by a prominent spoiler that also keeps carousels away. The stops take the usual motif, but overflow at the height of the fenders.
Kia EV3 (2024): dimensions
Model Length Width Height Wheelbase
Kia EV3 4.30 meters 1.85 meters 1.56 meters 2.68 meters
Interior
Getting in rear passengers is easy thanks to the opening angle of the doors, and the very wide rubber door skins are striking. So one guesses - the sound insulation level should be pretty good. There is room for the head as well as for the knees and feet. The EV3 also offers two air vents, but no independent climate control, except for cooling the seats.
On the front, however, things get interesting. We start with the triple monitor of 12.3 inches on the driver's side, a 5-inch in the middle and a 12.3-inch in the center of the infotainment control panel. We are talking about a module that repeats the concepts we have already seen on the Kia EV9, but with a ChatGPT system.
By the way: the car has a very ingenious sliding armrest, which also includes buttons for controlling cameras and parking. The dashboard as a whole is really well developed, with recycled materials that can also be scanned via QR code to better see the genesis of these items.
Returning to the software system, it is worth highlighting the evolution also in terms of ADAS (advanced driver assistance systems) for a car of this category, considering also the emergency system, presented so that in the event that the driver does not respond to commands - with cruise control activated - the car, in full autonomy, can reduce to a stop in a safety zone, change lanes, activate the four emergency indicators and even open the door.
Drive, Battery, Charging
Let us now move on to the more technical questions. The motor is a permanent magnet synchronous motor capable of delivering 204 horsepower. Included with this front-axle motor is a battery pack available in two different sizes: 58 kWh and 81 kWh.
This is probably one of the key elements of this car: having such a large battery pack in a 4.30 meter car can make all the difference. Not that some rivals don't come close, on the contrary, but to date this Kia practically holds the record for capacity.
This will make for a really interesting run given the very good power management that Kia has introduced in recent years. And we are not only talking about more calibrated and economical consumption, but also about the technological contribution in terms of the “return” of energy.
In fact, the Kia EV3 can also act as a powerbank and therefore feed energy back into the grid. It is therefore equipped with Veichle To Load, Veichle to Grid and Veichle to Home technologies.
Speaking of power and charging, while maintaining a 400-volt architecture, the EV3 recharges in AC with an output power of 11 kW (but a 22 kW charger will arrive as an option), while on DC it will reach 128 kW. Good power, not great.
When asked why this car doesn't have a higher peak power output, Kia engineers point out that it would actually be possible to increase that figure, but instead it's preferable to keep the power curve flatter and thus to constantly maintain 128 kW value.
The Kia EV3 will go on sale in October, but pre-orders may start earlier. Pricing for the two versions is yet to be finalised, but what has been promised is that the version with a smaller battery pack will come in “with a lot” in the range below 30,000 euros.