The Soul EV introduced the idea of zero emissions driving to Kia buyers, but its replacement, the 2025 EV3, promises to be better in every way, and doesn’t cost any more to buy.
On-paper at least, the EV3 seems to tick every box. It borrows its EV9 big brother’s confident, modern design, delivers a great driving range and is well equipped. But it’s got some strong rivals in the Volvo EX30 and Skoda’s new Elroq.
QUICK FACTS
What’s Under The Hood?
Choosing an EV3 at launch in Europe means first deciding how far you want to go between charges, though every version lasts longer than the old Soul EV. The base Standard Range battery – only available in the entry-level Air trim (pictured on the left above) – measures 58.3 kWh and is good for 270 WLTP miles (435 km) on a charge, which is probably fine for people planning to use the SUV for urban duties.
Related: New Kia EV3 Confirmed For US, Gets Sporty GT Too
But if you do want to stretch its legs, or don’t have easy access to a charger at home, the Long Range option adds a bigger 81.4 kWh battery that can take an Air to 375 miles (604 km). Plusher GT-Line (right of pic) and GT-Line S (center) models only come with the bigger pack, but their extra weight and bigger wheels reduces the range to around 362 miles (583 km), which is still great. Even the EV9 with its huge 96 kWh battery can’t touch those numbers.
Kia is working on adding dual-motor and even faster GT versions, but those will come later. At launch the only power option is a single, front-mounted motor making 201 hp (204 PS / 150 kW).
How Does It Drive?
Kia’s European cars have a different suspension tune to those in the US and Korea, and tend to err on the sporty side of comfortable. But the engineers took a more relaxed position with the EV3 and the result is a car that rides bumps incredibly well in Air form on the stock 17-inch wheels. GT-Line cars upgrade to 19 inches and don’t feel anywhere near as supple, but even they aren’t uncomfortable, and the shorter tire sidewalls sharpen the steering.
The EV3 isn’t the kind of car that encourages you to go crazy as soon as the road turns twisty (maybe that will change when the GT arrives), but it has a well-rounded chassis package that’s still fun to to drive, feels well suited to family use and is good match for the single-motor drivetrain.
Fastest of the bunch is the lightest, the Air SR, which runs from zero to 62 mph (100 km/h) in 7.5 seconds, while the bigger battery adds a 0.2 second penalty and the heavier GT trim the same amount again. So you won’t be hanging with a Rimac Nevera from the lights, but you always feel like you’ve got enough go to keep up with real traffic, to nip through gaps and overtake when you need. The base EV, remember, takes more than 9 seconds to hit 62. Tapping the steering wheel paddles lets you switch in multiple stages between almost no regenerative braking effect to virtually one-pedal driving.
What’s The Interior Like?
If you’re a fan of the way Kia has shrunk the EV9’s exterior styling down to work on the EV3, you’ll love the smaller car’s cabin, too. As on the three-row SUV, you get a pair of 12.3-inch screens, one for the instruments and a second that’s a touchscreen, separated by a smaller display used to operate some of the climate control functions.
It looks great and works well with a couple of minor exceptions. One is that the main touchscreen is a bit of a stretch away and the second is that the climate section is partially hidden behind the steering wheel, though you do at least get hard keys on the dash to tweak the temperature.
Another minor complaint is just how grey it is inside the Air-spec cars (shown above). There’s acres of light-medium grey plastic everywhere, which helps make an otherwise stylish cabin look a little drab. The fact that the GT-Line cars have extra trim that lifts the ambience, plus a sportier three-spoke wheel, might be enough to persuade you to upgrade.
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But even the base £32,995 Air is well equipped. It gets a heated wheel and front seats, parking sensors and a rear camera, various electronic safety features and wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Stepping up to £39,495 GT-Line, as Kia expects most drivers to do, brings 19-inch wheels, privacy glass, artificial leather and lumber support for the seats, a wireless phone charger, LED headlights and a digital key.
On GT-Line cars you also get a strange slide-out, front-seat armrest that’s meant to work as a table for your laptop, but it does ruin the armrest storage space and kind of looks like a kitchen counter. And lastly, £42,995 GT-Line S trim adds ventilated relaxation seats, a 360-degree camera, power tailgate, sunroof, head-up display, a Harmon Kardon audio system and the option of a £900 heat pump.
How Roomy Is It?
You don’t expect limo-like comfort from an affordable SUV riding on a compact 2,680-mm (105.5 inches) wheelbase. But the EV3 is a surprisingly useful family tool. It’ll accommodate four adults easily and dropping the two-deck cargo area floor to its lower setting gives a handy 460 liters (16.2 cu-ft) of luggage space.
Volvo’s EX30 only offers 318 liters (11.2 cu-ft), though the Skoda Elroq just tops the Kia by serving up an additional, though hardly deal-breaking, 10 liters (0.35 cu-t). A sliding rear seat would have made the EV3 even more practical, but then the Volvo and Skoda don’t get that feature either.
How Long Does It Take To Charge?
One of the few EV3 disappointments is that it makes do with 400-volt electrics rather than inheriting the 800-volt setup used by the more expensive EV6 and EV9. The result is slower charging speeds, the SR battery models charging at a maximum of just 101 kW and needing 29 minutes to fill from 10-80 percent, while the LR pack can accept a slightly better 128 kW so only needs 2 additional minutes to go from 10-80 despite its bigger capacity.
Related: Skoda’s New Elroq EV Aims For The Mainstream Sweet Spot
A Skoda Elroq charges at between 145-175 kW depending on the model, so can be topped up a few minutes faster, though the difference isn’t huge. But it’s a shame the EV3 can’t fill up in 18 minutes like the 800-volt EV6 can.
Verdict
Kia has done it again. In the EV3 it’s built a fantastic small EV that’s great to look at, well built, comfortable, and has a usefully large range and trunk. A dual-motor option and sporty GT model coming later will broaden its appeal, and some extra interior color and faster charging would be welcome, but most buyers looking for an affordable electric SUV are going to find the EV3 just fine the way it is.
European drivers can get their hands on a an EV3 now, but America won’t be able to buy one for at least a year, the one upside being that it will cost far less – around $30,000-35,000 when it does go on sale. And by the time the EV3 does arrive stateside, both Europe and America will also be introduced to the bigger EV5 already on sale in China. Based on our experience with the EV3, it could be the best family EV of its generation.
