Kia EV3

Kia EV3 at a glance

From concept to production

Kia showed the EV3 Concept at its EV Day on 12 October 2023 and at the Los Angeles Auto Show in November 2023. The production car was revealed on 23 May 2024. It is the fourth model in Kia's electric line-up and follows the Soul EV globally and the Niro EV in North America.

The design shares elements with the larger EV9: the "Digital Tiger Face" front and vertical "Star Map" lights at both ends. Inside there are a 12-inch instrument display, a 5-inch climate touchscreen, a 12-inch central screen and an optional 12-inch head-up display. The centre console has a sliding table, and the front seats fold back into a relaxation position. The EV3 was the first Kia with the i-Pedal 3.0 regenerative braking system.

Batteries, power and range

Autonotizen.de gives 283 Nm, 0–100 km/h in 7.7 seconds and a top speed of 170 km/h for the front-wheel-drive car. Wikipedia lists up to 230 kW for the all-wheel-drive version sold in North America; ADAC gives 195 kW for the German car. A high-performance EV3 GT was released on 9 January 2026.

Charging

According to Autonotizen.de the 81.4 kWh battery accepts up to 128 kW of DC power and the 58.3 kWh battery up to 101 kW; a charge from 10 to 80 percent takes 31 minutes. The EV3 uses a 400-volt system; Wikipedia describes it as Kia's second dedicated electric car with 400 volts after the EV5.

In the first drive in November 2024 the on-board computer showed 16 kWh/100 km after the test drive, compared with 14.9 kWh/100 km in the WLTP cycle.

Interior and practicality

The boot holds 460 litres including the space under the two-level floor, which can be adjusted by more than 140 mm. With the rear seats folded the volume grows to 1,251 litres. A 25-litre front compartment holds charging cables. The EV3 also offers Remote Smart Parking Assist and a digital key for smartphones.

Trims and markets

In Europe the EV3 is offered as a standard model and as the sportier GT-Line; ADAC calls the entry trim "Air". Australia started sales on 20 March 2025 with Air, Earth and GT-Line versions, and New Zealand on the same day. For North America Kia showed the EV3 at the New York show in April 2026 as a 2027 model with the trims Light, Wind, Land, GT-Line and GT; there the 81.4 kWh battery comes with all-wheel drive. In Mexico, where the car is now also built, sales started on 17 July 2026 and first deliveries followed in August 2026.

EV3 compared with the Škoda Elroq

• The EV3 is 188 mm shorter than the Elroq but offers up to 25 km more WLTP range with its larger battery.
• The Elroq 85 has 60 kW more power and 10 l more boot space.
• Per kilometre of WLTP range, the EV3 Long Range costs about €69 and the Elroq 85 about €76, by our calculation from the ADAC prices of 2024 and 2025.

Safety

Euro NCAP tested the 150 kW front-wheel-drive EV3 in 2025: 83 percent for adult occupants, 84 percent for children, 77 percent for vulnerable road users and 67 percent for safety assistance. ANCAP published a matching result with 81 percent for safety assistance. The driver assistance package includes electric Dynamic Torque Vectoring Control.

Sales

Kia sold 20,686 EV3s worldwide in 2024, including 7,060 in Europe. In 2025 global sales reached 97,649, with 72,650 in Europe. Kia's target for Europe is about 60,000 a year, so the EV3 exceeded it in its first full year.

Prices in Germany

Photo gallery