Kia EV3 2025 review: The new leader of affordable electric crossovers, with up to 375 miles per charge
The magic number
When people ask why demand for new electric cars has slumped, I remind them that, actually, sales of EVs are still increasing, thanks to the tax breaks on plug-in company cars. But yes, private buyers aren’t exactly snapping them up right now.
Then I mention that the government took away all incentives for private buyers (the plug-in car grant, for example, and EVs will attract VED road tax from April 2025). And that we’re going through a cost of living crisis; when you can’t afford to heat your house, why would you consider buying any new car, let alone one that costs more up front? An EV is usually cheaper to run, but that initial cost can be quite off-putting to the uninitiated.
The new Kia EV3 isn’t here to change this perception that electric cars are expensive. With prices starting at £32,995, the five-seat crossover, which in size terms slots in between Kia’s Soul and Niro models (both of which can also come with electric power), couldn’t be called cheap.
But it’s also not expensive versus rivals like the VW ID.3, Cupra Born, Honda e:Ny1 and Volvo EX30, and Kia argues that its latest entry in this hotly contested segment leads the field in one key area that EV buyers should increasingly be looking out for: “pounds per mile of range”. In other words, the firm is arguing that you can’t go further on one charge for the money you pay upfront.
Strangely, the £32,995 entry-level model isn’t the star performer on value for money, as it comes with a battery that holds 58.3kWh of energy and is good for a claimed 270 miles over a mix of roads. That does beat the Honda by around 15 miles but it’s not the EV3 to go for, because for an extra £3,000 you can get the same EV3 Air with a larger 81.4kWh battery, and that will take you a claimed 375 miles per charge.
It makes the EV3 Long Range, according to Kia, a leader in “pounds per mile of range” — which is a new bit of jargon you might want to look out for — and still around five grand cheaper than the most basic e:Ny1. Buy the Kia on PCP finance and the monthly cost difference between the standard and long range batteries is negligible.
All of which makes you wonder why the Korean carmaker is bothering with the standard version at all. The sort of person who will go for it is the same sort of person who’d look at the Honda e:Ny1 and think they were getting a good deal.
What’s more, having driven the EV3 Air and the range-topping EV3 GT Line S (there’s a GT Line in between, too), which costs £43,895, it’s also hard to work out on paper why you’d want anything else except the Air. The GT Line and GT Line S are kitted out with 19in wheels, versus the 17in rims on the Air, and the range-topper comes with a Harman Kardon premium sound system, heated rear seats, ventilated (cooled) front seats, sunroof and wireless phone charging pad, among other bits and bobs. According to Kia, more than 80 per cent of buyers will go for the GT Line and GT Line S versions of the EV3.
But when you’re sitting inside the EV3 Air, surrounded by the same screens, which feature Apple Carplay and Android Auto, heated (and very comfy) front seats and a heated steering wheel, you do wonder why on earth anyone would fork out for the higher grades.
And the Air even beats them in one regard, as it comes with a neat storage tray in the floating console that for some inexplicable reason is blanked off in the GT Line models.
Whichever version you go for, though, the cabin is comfy, spacious and well laid-out, with plenty of physical switchgear to go along with the screens. The buttons on the steering wheel aren’t haptic jobs, unlike in the VW ID.3 and Cupra Born, which means you won’t accidentally switch radio stations by brushing them with your palm while turning the wheel.
Kia is making an effort to become more sustainable and so the cabin can’t be had with animal hide and instead features plenty of eco-friendly materials, including polypropylene and bio-based polyethylene, as well as bio-polyurethane and recycled PET fabrics, including for the seats. There are some scratchy hard plastics, sure, especially in the EV3 Air, but Kia has made a good fist of creating these with an interesting mix of tones and textures, resulting in an attractive, light and airy interior.
The rear of the car has a generous amount of legroom, thanks to the fact that the front and rear wheels are as far apart as they are on the larger Sportage, which enables the second row to be positioned further back, and headroom is generous, too. Those in the rear also get USB-C charging ports, so kids will be able to keep their devices topped up on long journeys.
There’s also plenty of room for their stuff, as the boot is a generous 460 litres thanks to the boat-tail rear end and a deep storage area under a false floor, which sits flush to the bumper and allows you to slide bags in and out easily. Making this slightly less convenient in the EV3 Air is the lack of a powered tailgate, and I wasn’t able to spot a 12v charging port in the boot; a feature that can prove handy during a road trip.
While on that subject, let’s talk recharging times. Being built around 400v electrical architecture, rather than 800v like the EV6 and EV9, the EV3 can draw only around half the kilowatts from rapid chargers in the same amount of time.
The smaller battery has a max charging speed of 100kW, while the long range version can be topped up at 128kW. That’s still competitive with segment rivals, though, and translates to DC rapid charging times from 10-80 per cent full in 29 minutes and 31 minutes respectively — enough time to have a coffee and a loo break, then hit the road again.
It’s also worth noting at this point that if you want to be able to use your EV3 as a mobile powerbank, and use it to power three-pin devices such as e-bikes and electric camping stoves, then you need to go for the top spec GT Line S version as that tech isn’t available on the lesser models.
If you can go without that feature, even the entry-level EV3 is a good place to be behind the wheel for long stints. The driver’s seat is supremely comfortable, even for tall people, and the ride quality is superb over all types of road surface; even bumpy country lanes are ironed out nicely. That’s regardless of whether you have an EV3 fitted with the 17in or 19in wheels, though the smaller rims mean you have larger tyre sidewalls, and so the ride is especially supple.
Obviously, that means cornering is a little less sharp, but this isn’t a sports car (accelerating from 0-62mph takes between 7.5secs and 7.9secs, depending on the version), and you couldn’t call the handling of the EV3 with smaller wheels blancmange-like by any means. Yes, there’s some pliancy and roll to the chassis under hard cornering, but not overly so and the balance is excellent, with the low centre of gravity helping plant the car to the deck.
The steering is a little on the light side, unless you put it in Sport mode, but there’s a finesse to the handling and a sense that you’re connected to the road because you can feel the road surface through the wheel.
The feel through the accelerator and brake is solid and progressive, too, even when ramping up the regenerative braking level via the paddles behind the wheel (which isn’t always the case with EVs). You’d think this goes without saying these says, but take a look at what one of our writers said on this front about a new Chinese EV he drove recently.
Regardless of the battery or trim level, the Kia EV3 is a lovely thing to drive. But there’s one gripe that can’t be ignored, and that’s related to the nannying driver aids, including lane assist, speed warnings and driver attention alert — all of which are now required on new cars by law, but can all result in irritating binging and bonging on the EV3.
Yes, they have their place, but when all the other cars on the road drive at 23mph in a 20 zone, you’ll want to turn off the audible alerts… and fortunately it’s easy to do so in the EV3. I recommend setting the steering wheel shortcut (the star button) directly to the driver aids section of the main menu, and from there it’s easy to set your preferences.
So, we may be going through tough times, economically-speaking, and the EV3 may not be the cheapest electric crossover on the market, but it does what Kia says it does: represents excellent value for money when considering pounds per mile of range. And that makes it a canny buy.
But just as importantly, it’s quite simply a great family car — to drive and be driven in — and a new segment leader that should go straight to the top of the list for anyone who can afford to buy a new car right now.
Related articles
- If you were interested in this review of the Kia EV3, take a look at our review of a chief rival, the Cupra Born
- Also check out what we said about the latest Kia EV6, updated for 2024
- Need something bigger? Check out our review of the Kia EV9 electric seven-seater
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