Kia EV3 Review (2025)

Introduction

It is hard to believe it's already a decade since Kia introduced its first-ever production electric car.

When it first came out, the Soul EV was one of the first battery-powered cars on the UK’s roads. It could manage just over 130 miles on a single charge. But now it’s time for Kia’s electrified genesis to depart.

In recent years, Kia has refined its electric range with the introduction of a more consistent naming system.

The EV6, a fantastic blend of a hot hatchback-inspired SUV, wowed critics when it was introduced in 2021, followed by the large, new, imposing flagship SUV, the EV9.

Added to electric versions of some of its existing combustion-engined line-up, Kia is well and truly on the march, aiming to sell 15 types of electric vehicles by 2027.

Now the EV3i s here, too, promising more of the same goodness, but following in the Soul's footsteps, it has much to live up to.

It is slightly smaller than the Kia Niro EV, but it looks like a futuristic version of it. That said, the looks have even more in common with the comparatively gigantic EV9.

Can the EV3 follow in its larger siblings’ footsteps, though? We have taken it out for a test drive to find out.

At A Glance

While, in terms of size, the EV3 may have little in common with the EV9 seven-seater, they certainly follow each other in terms of appearance.

Like the EV9, the EV3 has a blank space in place of a traditional grille, with razor-thin LED bars appearing directly under the bonnet line out to the sides. The main headlights droop down from these LEDs while a frowning lower grille extends outwards.

Around the sides, there’s some shapely cladding towards the bottom of the doors, with chiselled lines which cause the thickly cladded wheel arches to bulge outwards.

The posterior also looks chiselled, albeit with rounded edges. The taillights extend horizontally beneath the rear windscreen and vertically down the sides.

A silver panel covers the lower part of the tail-end, including the area behind the number plate, while a roof spoiler overhangs the rear windscreen.

Even the wheels, in some designs, give the illusion of looking square. This is due to the shape of the alloy patterns, helped by the wheel arches, which are formed in a multi-sided shape rather than being entirely rounded.

Modern? Certainly. Contemporary? You bet. Futuristic? Definitely.

But good-looking? That is open to interpretation.

Key Features

The Kia EV3 is offered in three trim levels.

The entry-level Air gets 17-inch alloy wheels, a 12.3-inch infotainment touchscreen with Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and satellite navigation, a 12.3-inch driver display screen, and a separate 5.3-inch climate control touchscreen.

Heated front seats and a heated steering wheel are also included, along with flush door handles.

The mid-range GT-Line gets larger 19-inch alloys, automatic flush door handles, driver lumbar support, LED headlights and GT-Line sports styling elements. It also boasts artificial leather seats, privacy glass, a wireless phone charger, a dynamic welcome light, and a digital key.

The top-of-the-range GT-Line S adds rear heated seats, premium relaxation ventilated front seats with memory function, a 360-degree surround view monitor, a smart powered tailgate, a sunroof, a head-up display, and a Harmon Kardon premium sound system.

In terms of power, all models feature a single electric motor with 203PS.

Range & Batteries

Kia’s EV3 comes with a couple of battery options.

The Standard Range 58.3kWh (55kWh usable) battery has a claimed range of 270 miles, although this is only offered on the entry-level Air model.

There is also a Long-Range 81.4kWh (78kWh usable) battery, which increases the maximum distance to 375 miles depending on trim. That is enough to give the EV3 the biggest electric range in its class.

As with all electric cars, you probably won’t achieve these figures in practice. But generally speaking, anything above two-thirds of the claimed figure is about what you’d expect in the real world.

Any number of factors can influence the achieved range, including ambient temperature and driving style.

Performance & Drive

We are testing each end of the range – the entry-level Air and the top-of-the-range GT-Line S, both with the larger battery.

Given both cars have the same power, there’s nothing to be gained by choosing the more expensive model in terms of performance.

The EV3 isn’t built for thrill seekers, but it'll still manage 0-62mph in 7.5 seconds, which should be more than enough to meet most people's needs.

Many SUVs take at least a couple of seconds longer, so without really focusing on outright power, Kia has managed to give the car superior straight-line performance over plenty of its rivals.

Yes, there are much quicker SUVs, but the EV3 makes fairly light work of overtaking on dual-carriageways and getting up to motorway speeds.

Nevertheless, given that it's not a car built to wow you with straight-line speed, it didn’t change our expectations of the handling.

As we had anticipated, the EV3 isn't especially fun to drive on a twisty rural backroad. There is quite a bit of body roll through faster bends, and the car can struggle to grip the road if you accelerate too quickly.

If you read reviews of the EV6 and expect the EV3's handling to be similar or even better, you'll be a tad disappointed.

It is not all bad news, though, because handling usually comes at the expense of ride comfort. So, poor handling usually means a car has got a soft suspension setup – and few manufacturers can credibly claim to achieve both in the same car.

The softly sprung characteristic is certainly true of the EV3, which is absorbent and smooth, soaking up potholes, lumps, and bumps in the road surface.

As a result, and given the power is the same on all EV3 models, there's little to be gained by steering away from the entry-level Air trim. This version of the car is well-equipped and comes with smaller alloys, which will only add to the ride comfort.

If you drive it sensibly, the EV3 rewards you with a fairly sophisticated, refined driving experience that is comfortable and relaxing.

The Kia is quite serene, wafting along on a motorway in relative silence, with road and wind noise kept to a minimum. And at least you know that it’ll have no trouble getting to 70mph.

What’s more, the Kia's regenerative braking system, which charges the batteries when the vehicle decelerates, feels consistent and predictable.

Charging

The maximum charging rate depends on which battery you pick.

Choosing the Standard Range version gets you a charging speed of 100kW, while the Long Range tops up quicker at 130kW.

Timewise, the Standard Range battery charges slightly faster, although, given its smaller size. A 10-80% charge takes 29 minutes, compared with 31 minutes with the Long Range version.

Running Costs & Emissions

Naturally, the all-electric Kia EV3 means there's no refuelling to worry about, and it's emissions-free.

As a result, it’ll be exempt from charges in some congestion and low emissions zones, while the road tax is free until April 2025 and only £10 for the first year thereafter.

It is also be placed in the bottom band for Benefit In Kind tax, making it a good choice as a company car, although you could say the same about any other electric car.

The EV3 will be especially cost-efficient if you can charge it from home, given public charging points are far more expensive per kilowatt.

While the EV3 is too new to know how reliable it will be, Kia enjoys a good reputation, often coming in the top ten of customer satisfaction surveys.

Maintaining the EV3 will be fairly cheap, too, as electric cars have fewer moving parts. Servicing intervals are every two years or 20,000 miles, whichever comes first.

You will also get a free subscription to Kia Connect services and 12 months of complimentary roadside assistance.

Interior & Technology

The EV3’s interior has a premium feel to it.

It is certainly designed similarly to the EV9, with horizontal vents running from side to side.

The dashboard curves sharply downward towards the driver, and the gap from the bottom to the top is filled with the infotainment screen, climate control screen, and digital driver display.

They are all housed in one ultra-wide unit behind the steering wheel, with the infotainment screen to your left. This can make the climate control screen a little awkward to use, as part of it is obscured by the left-hand side of the steering wheel. Nevertheless, some physical controls lower down can adjust the temperature, while the voice control can also perform most functions.

Handily, the voice control technology is operated by ChatGPT, meaning it’s better at interpreting a wider range of voice commands compared with most systems we’ve experienced.

The infotainment system itself is lovely to use. It features pin-sharp graphics laid out clearly on the screen, and it's quick to respond to touches and prods from your fingers.

Plenty of soft-to-the-touch materials are also available, and most of the cheaper plastics in the Kia EV3 are hidden from view.

If we have one criticism, the design looks a little bland, but that's our opinion.

The car is still lovely, and in our GT-Line S test car, we get dual-coloured upholstery. The upholstery is light beige, which helps to brighten things up against the dark grey of the rest of the interior.

There is a choice of at least two colour schemes offered for each trim.

Practicality & Boot Space

Despite the Kia EV3 being a small SUV, the driving position is slightly higher than we’d expected.

This elevated positioning helps to improve forward visibility, aided further still by the front window pillars, which aren’t overly thick. However, they are incredibly thick at the back - in fact, we've not seen many more that are chunkier.

The third side window doesn’t extend far back at all, meaning it’s more of a bodywork panel than a rear pillar. And this, added to the sloping roofline and a shallow rear windscreen, hampers your rearward vision.

Happily, front and rear parking sensors and a rear-view camera are standard on all models, with the latter upgraded to a 360-degree camera on the GT-Line S.

All models have comfortable seats, although the entry-level Air doesn't come with adjustable lumbar support as standard. The GT-Line S also benefits from premium relaxation seats, which are even more comfortable.

As for space, the EV3 features plenty of it in the front, with a large amount of headroom and legroom. The cabin feels quite wide, given that it's not the biggest SUV on the market.

The rear is quite spacious, too, with enough legroom for a couple of adults to sit in relative comfort. However, the sloping roofline will leave very tall occupants a little tight on ceiling space.

The EV3’s boot capacity is 460 litres, which is better than many of its competitors. The cargo capacity unfurls to 1,250 litres if you fold the rear seats down. They only fold in a 60/40 configuration rather than the more flexible 40/20/40 split, but this is common for a small SUV.

What’s more, the boot floor is height-adjustable, meaning you can remove the loading lip to make it easier to slide heavy, bulky items in and out. You also get 25 litres of additional storage found under the bonnet.

There is plenty of storage space inside the EV3’s cabin. In fact, the entry-level Air model features more, as you lose the cubby in the central armrest in other models, which feature a slide-out tray table instead.

The door bins aren't huge, though.

Safety

The Kia EV3 is yet to be put through its paces by crash-testing experts Euro NCAP.

Nevertheless, there are few concerns, as seven of the last nine Kias to be assessed since 2017 have earned a five-star rating.

One of the seven was the most recent car tested, the EV9 in 2023, which earned 84% for adult occupants, 88% for children, and 83% for safety assists.

The Kia EV3 includes lots of safety equipment and driver assistance technology, including front and rear parking sensors and a rear-view camera.

All models also get automatic emergency braking, forward collision avoidance assist, highway driving assist and blind spot collision avoidance assist.

The GT-Line S upgrades the rear-view camera to 360 degrees.

Options

The Kia EV3's main body colour is sunset orange, but white pearl, midnight black, lithium silver, and frost blue (a bluey-grey colour) are also available for an extra fee.

As ever, Kia has kept to traditions by offering a huge list of other optional extras, many of which are items you wouldn’t necessarily have thought of.

Carpet mats, boot separators, mudguard kits, stainless steel boot trim lines, footwell illumination, detachable tow bars, safety kits, a roof box, bumper protectors, and a safety hammer are among the items offered.

There are various designs of alloy wheels available, too.

Brushed aluminium mirror caps, charging cables, sports pedals, and even silver or black racing stripes are also offered – the latter decorates the large pillars behind the rear side windows.

You can also opt for a ski and snowboard carrier, roof boxes, and LED door lights that project the Kia logo on the ground.

There is even a fluorescent yellow luminous safety vest so that other cars' headlights can illuminate you if you break down at night. Of course, given Kia’s good reliability record, that’s unlikely!

Rival Cars

There is no shortage of electrified competition from other manufacturers nowadays.

The Hyundai Kona Electric, Smart #1, Volkswagen ID.3 and Renault Megane E-Tech provide worthy competition.

Skoda has recently launched the very impressive Skoda Elroq, too – effectively a modernised, electrified version of its Karoq SUV.

Those wanting a car that focuses more on the driving experience should consider leasing the Cupra Born or possibly - at a push - the Ford Explorer.

And, at the premium end of the market, the Volvo EX30 is also worth looking at.

Verdict & Next Steps

The Kia EV3 is another highly impressive car from the South Korean automaker

It offers respectable performance, high levels of ride comfort and refinement, impressive range – especially if you opt for the larger battery – a decent interior, user-friendly infotainment and comes well equipped.

The handling is slightly subpar, but few drivers will lease the Kia to throw it around a bend. If you want performance, then the EV6 is the one to go for.

As for the trim level, although the GT-Line and GT-Line S offer some very nice creature comforts, they’re considerably more expensive than the entry-level Air trim, which includes most of the essentials that you really need.

As such, we'd be hard-pressed to recommend the higher trims, as even the gap between Air and mid-range GT-Line is very steep.

Sticking to the entry-level model maximises value for money; in that respect, the EV3 is near the best in its class.

Where to next?

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**Score based on Select’s unique meta score analysis, taking into account the UK’s top leading independent car website reviews of the Kia EV3.

**Correct as of 21/01/2025. Based on 9 months initial payment, 5,000 miles annually, over a 48month lease. Initial payment equivalent to 9 monthly payments, or £3,027.42 (Plus admin fee) Ts and Cs apply. Credit is subject to status.