New Kia EV3 electric car revealed: plus details on new Kia EV4 and EV5

Kia is losing its Soul – but not in the way you might think. You see, the Kia Soul EV small SUV will be leaving the Korean manufacturer’s line-up in the near future. In its place? The new Kia EV3 you see here.

The new EV3 sits below the EV6 – a former What Car? Car of the Year – as well as the luxurious, seven-seat Kia EV9 and (just about) the similar-sized Niro EV, and counts the Hyundai Kona Electric, Smart #1 and Volvo EX30 among its rivals.

On the outside, it looks a little like a shrunken EV9, and the same can be said of the interior.

The two cars share the same infotainment setup with a digital driver display, 12.3in touchscreen (now with ChatGPT AI voice control, so you can talk to it using natural language, and ask it questions) and a 5.3in climate control screen – which we found frustrating when we sat in the EV3, because it could too easily be blocked from view by the steering wheel. At least physical rocker switches are present to adjust temperature and fan speed. And all of this is standard.

We were impressed by the material quality of the pre-production model we sat in. While the interior of the EV9 is not hugely special considering its £65,000 price tag, virtually the same layout up front in a car half the price suddenly becomes much more appealing.

Leg room in the back is great for adults; head room isn’t quite so generous but still fine unless you’re more than six feet tall.

Its 460-litre boot is roughly the same size as the practical Kona’s, and gets a height-adjustable boot floor as standard (the Kona’s 40/20/40 split-folding seats beat the 60/40 ones in the EV3). There’s a charging cable-sized 25-litre front boot, too.

Two different batteries will be available: a Standard Range model with a 58.3kWh battery and expected 255-mile range, and a Long Range model with a bigger 81.4kWh battery and massive 348-mile range. Big numbers for the small electric SUV class.

The maximum charging speeds don’t impress, though, at 102kW and 128kW respectively – you’ll get a 10-80% top up in 30min.

All models get a 201bhp electric motor driving the front wheels, but a dual-motor four-wheel-drive performance-focused EV3 GT is expected in the future.

With a starting price expected to be around £32,500, the EV3 will undercut the rival Smart #1, while the Volvo EX30 will cost you more still.

The EV3 isn't the only new Kia coming soon, with the Korean car maker's electric range soon to be bolstered by two additional models – the Kia EV4 and EV5 – which you can read more about below.

New Kia EV4 and Kia EV5 – first details

The Kia EV4 (pictured above) has only so far been revealed in concept form, but is described as an "electric saloon". With its sleek lines and aggressive nose, it’s clearly designed to be a sportier option than the EV3, and we wouldn’t be surprised to see an EV4 GT at some point.

It features a slightly wacky sounding feature called Mind Modes, which lets you pick one of four settings – including Perform and Serenity – that set the lighting and what’s shown on the wide digital driver display and infotainment screen to match your mood.

The Kia EV5 (pictured above) – which has been confirmed for China, South Korea and other countries, and may come to the UK later on – is an electric family SUV that resembles a smaller EV9.

It’s being offered in three versions: Standard, Long-Range and Long-Range AWD, as well as a performance-focused GT, with official ranges expected to go from around 330 miles to as much as 450 miles (based on Chinese testing procedures).

The EV5 is designed to offer families a combination of car and camping vehicle. Kia says the rear of the vehicle can be transformed into a bedroom by folding down the back seats, and there’s also a fold-out table and a cooler/warmer for drinks and food.

Read more: Best and worst electric cars >>

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