Kia’s small EV is a bit of a risk. Not in the sense that it’s a compact SUV EV but more in the sense that it’s up against some pretty stiff competition from Europe and China. And it might be as good – or better – than all of them.

Kia’s run of form is no accident. Sharing a big chunk of core componentry with its Korean sibling, Hyundai, they’re both absolutely belting it out of the park, with things like the Inster and Ioniq 5 N.

Kia’s own EV6 won Wheels Car of the Year first time out and the EV9 is an absolute belter of a car. I’ve driven the EV5 and will report back soon.

The EV3 is up against some stiff competition – the Volvo EX30 and Zeekr X (same platform, obviously) are very good, the latter very sharply-priced. There’s a rash of stuff from China besides the Zeekr, some good, some bad, all with competitive stickers.

So the EV3 has a mountain to climb.

Words and images: Peter Anderson

How much is a Kia EV3 and what do I get?

All prices are driveaway based on NSW pricing in August 2025.

Kia EV3 Air – $46,990
Kia EV3 Air Long Range – $52,990
Kia EV3 Earth – $58,990
Kia EV3 GT-Line – $68,490

As you can see, the Earth sits sits one from the top of a (currently) four model range, with an all-wheel drive GT-Line version coming later in the year. There is a Euro-spec GT as well, but it’s not on the way, at least not yet.

At $58,990, it’s certainly up there, a few grand more than the rear-wheel drive Volvo EX30, but better-equipped and with a bigger battery.

You get 19-inch alloys, gloss black side mirrors and cladding, auto LED projector headlights with signature light cubes, LED taillights, roof rails, powered and heated side mirrors and a powered tailgate.

Inside you get a quite amusing colour scheme (the orange highlights grew on me), powered driver’s seat but both fronts have heating and cooling, heated steering wheel, six-speaker sound, head up display, wireless phone charging, dual-zone climate control,

Kia’s twin 12.3-inch screen setup familiar from, well, just about everything now. You get wired and wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, two USB-C ports front and back, DAB+ digital radio and satellite navigation.

Cabin

It’s pretty nice in here, I really like it. It was a bit much at first, but once I got used to it, I was keen. The synthetic leather I can take or leave but it was nice enough.

To be fair, it was just the orange highlights that got me. Aside from that, it’s a cracking cabin, it looks great, it’s comfortable and has plenty of room. My only real complaint is the one spoke steering wheel, which is a pet hate of mine.

There is heaps of storage, the wireless phone charger keeps your phone in sight and there are the usual assortment of bins and slots and cupholders.

I like the way the climate controls are pinned to the right-hand side of the centre screen but some complain that it is obscured for the driver by the steering wheel. There is also a physical roller volume control and temperature controls, which reduces everything in the screen annoyance.

The rear seat is very comfortable and had plenty of room for two adults behind two six footers up front. Headroom does decrease a little in the rear but only really tall folks will crick their necks.

Cargo space starts at 460 litres with the seats up and the front boot has another 25 litres. The boot floor is a falsie, with space underneath for all the charging cables and the tyre repair kit.

Safety

ANCAP Rating: 5 stars

Kia has opted for an interesting safety spec missing a nice-to-have but also something really useful. I’ll cover what it does have first.

The EV3 ships with seven airbags, ABS, traction and stability controls, forward AEB (including pedestrian and cyclist detection and junction assist), reverse AEB with cross-traffic-alert, safe exit warning, lane keep assist, blind spot assist, driver attention monitoring, front and rear parking sensors, (infuriating)speed limit assist, reversing camera and auto high beam.

What is missing is a surround view camera that I only mention because of the price but it’s also missing the really excellent blind spot monitor that flashes up a camera feed down whichever side of the car that corresponds with the indicator direction you’ve chosen.

While a small car with good vision out, you’ll be fine, but at this price point, these should be added.

Warranty and Servicing

Vehicle warranty: 7 years/unlimited kilometre
Battery warranty: 7 years/150,000km (battery)

Kia’s excellent seven year warranty covers both car and battery but the latter is only covered up to 150,000km if you reach that number before the seven years is up. I don’t think that’s a huge deal-breaker as most battery warranties are there or thereabouts.

Oddly, Kia’s capped-price servicing does not apply to EVs, instead offering prepaid servicing packs.

Pricing for the prepaid servicing runs from $688 (three years), through $1308 (five years) and on to $1929 (seven years). That’s not wildly cheap, but does come under $300 if you average it out over seven years, which is pretty good. And once it’s paid, it’s paid.

Servicing comes around every 12 months/15,000km, which seems a little short for others but I’m going to climb on my high horse (hello ABC Sydney listeners) and declare that your car should get the once every year.

You get roadside assistance for a year and then another year with every service you have done by Kia.

Drivetrain

Single motor, front-wheel drive electric with single-speed gearbox
Power: 150kW
Torque: 283Nm
0-100km/h: 7.7 seconds
Consumption: 16.2kWh/100km (claimed)
Consumption on test: 15.6kWh/100km

The EV3 is a front-wheel drive, single motor EV with two battery sizes – 58.3kWh and 81.4kWh. No prizes for guessing which one the GT-Line comes with, largely because it’s easy but also, I don’t have any prizes.

I managed to beat the WLTP consumption figure at 15.6kWh/100km which included a run from my home in Sydney up to the Blue Mountains, so that was pretty good going. Some owners are recording mid-14s, so it’s nice to see a conservative number from Kia.

Common across the entire (current) range is the 150kW/283Nm power and torque figure to shift its 1930kg kerb weight. It’s not flashy, but it does the job. It’s a permanent synchronous motor for those interested in these things.

Battery and charging

The 81.3kWh battery is a monster for a car this size, delivering a claimed WLTP range 563km on a single charge. The Air Long Range will eke out another 40km while the base car on the smaller battery will cover 436km. So the extra cash for Air LR and up buyers you over 130km of extra go, give or take.

The maximum DC charge rate is 127kW, which isn’t all that fast but, as ever, most chargers say they can do 150kW but deliver 75kW.

AC charging is up to 11kW but you’ll need three-phase power and a wallbox for that, so expect 3-6kW at home with the supplied charging gear.

The EV3 also has a domestic power plug that can power devices at up to 3kW, so a kettle or coffee machine is ready to roll. There’s also an adapter to plug into the charging port for external devices.

The external charge port is in the front right quarter panel.

If you’ve got a wallbox, you can expect an overnight or workday charge from 10 percent through to 100. Fast charging at the more probable 50kW in our shambolic charging infrastructure will be just over an hour between 10 and 80 percent.

Charging	Approximate time
50kW 10-80%	79 minutes
Max 127kW 10-80%	31m
11kW 10-100%	7h15

Chassis

Kia’s K3 GMP underpinnings lie under the boxy shell, with a 2680mm wheelbase and an overall length of 4310mm, which is reasonably small by today’s standards.

Front suspension is by the usual McPherson struts while the rear is a multi-link arrangement.

The front brakes are ventilated discs while the rears are solid, but they’re not drums which was a mild surprise to me.

Nexen Roadmax EV tyres measure 215/50, which is an upgrade from the Air’s 17-inch wheel and rubber combo.

Driving

I think the EV3 is one of the best-balanced EVs you can buy, and not just in the ride and handling.

While the 450kg battery is a chonk, it never feels like a particularly heavy car, even with the comparatively modest power and torque figures. It steps off the line nicely, heads up to urban speed limits with urgency and then settles.

It happily breezed along the M4 and took the climb up to Katoomba in its stride. It was such a nice car to be in for the four hour return journey.

The only thing that will annoy you, or at least annoyed me, was the regularly incorrect GPS-based speed warnings, a common Kia complaint and one that the Australian arm is acutely aware of.

It steers very nicely, turning into corners without fuss and even happy to be chucked at those corners with enthusiasm. It’s reminiscent of Kia’s own EV6 and EV9 in that it’s very composed.

Obviously the long wheelbase helps with the composure, but the iON tyres are surprisingly good, too. Only big bumps make their presence known, the rest of the time the car goes about its business as we’ve come to expect from the company.

What would I change? I’d do a Polestar/Volvo/Geely and make it rear-wheel drive. Then I reckon it would take on all-comers and flog them and would make me abandon my preference for the Volvo EX30.

The balance I referred to is that it has a big battery and swift but not neck-snapping performance to drag out the range. I don’t think everyone wants a sub 4 second EV in their lives, especially if they have teenagers in the house or, more importantly, a longish commute. But it’s lively enough to be interesting, the 7.7 second 0-100km/h time belying its true verve.

Redline Recommendation

This is a ripper of a car and I don’t think you’d have to go up to the Earth to get the best one. While the Earth has a ton of good stuff in it, I reckon the Air Long Range is the best price and spec, albeit with the smaller wheels and a few missing cabin bits.

The important stuff like the big battery and safety gear are all there and my only question mark – having not driven it – would be the handling on gooier tyres.

I really like the EV3. It’s a terrific machine from a known quantity in Kia and just adds to the long list of hits.