Kia Corporation recently revealed the compact, electric Kia EV3, and while we have a few more details, we still have questions. Like when or if this tiny EV9 lookalike is coming to the U.S. Considering that the compact Volvo EX30 is making its way stateside as we speak, and the Chevy Equinox EV is hitting dealers soon, we’ll we’d assume it’s coming here, but well, we all know what assuming does.
So, here’s what we do definitely know about this new global EV.
Looks like the Kia EV3 Concept
Back in November of 2023, Kia showed off its EV3 Concept at the LA Auto Show, and the two SUVs are nearly identical – right down to the wheels and the hero color used for the press photos. There are some minor detail differences, and the exterior lighting signatures are more up to legal specifications than the show car. But switching to between photos of the production car and the concept, I’m hard pressed to see too many exterior changes. And kudos to Kia for doing that.
The interior is where you’ll see bigger differences. It looks less showy and more production worthy. In fact, it looks fairly similar to what we see in other Kia EVs with a floating arm rest and fixed open storage cubbies on the floor. That large gauge cluster to infotainment mono screen is also familiar.
373 miles of range
The Kia EV3 will be available with both standard- and long-range battery packs, which are 58.3 kW and 81.4 kW, respectively. Though Kia hasn’t stated what the standard range will be, it has said the long-range battery will deliver up to 600 km, or 373 miles, of range. That’s incredibly impressive considering it’s size.
In comparison, the EX30 max range is 275 miles, and the Blazer EV can go up to 324 miles.
Fast charging times
Though this doesn’t get the same 350 kW fast-charge capability, the compact size of the Kia EV3 allows for it to charge up quickly. In fact, you’ll be able to go from 10% to 80% in just 31 minutes. That’s just 7 minutes slower than the Kia EV9, makes can go to 80% in 24 minutes.
The interior of the 2025 Kia EV3 shows off a large mono screen that flows from the gauge cluster to the infotainment screen. (Image courtesy of Kia Corporation)
Packed with tech
We’ve been talking a lot recently about Vehicle-to-Load (V2L) or the ability for an EV to power external devices. Vehicles like the Chevy Silverado EV can even power your house. We don’t have any specs on the output for the onboard generator in the Kia EV3, but we don’t expect it to be enough to power a house. Instead, the press release states, you’ll be able to power things like laptops, small fridges, coffee machines or hair dryers.
Other tech features you’ll find in this compact EV include a 12-inch head-up display, i-Pedal 3.0 regenerative braking, the ability to use your phone as a key, a Harman Kardon audio system and NBA-inspired display themes. You’ll also see generative AI in the form of Kia’s voice assistant.
When the 2025 Kia EV3 will launch
The Kia EV3 is set to go on sale in in July of 2024 starting in Korea. It will roll out to the European markets in the second half of 2024. After that, Kia has plans to “further expand the sales of EV3 into other regions.” But those regions are TBA.
We make an education guess that it’s coming to the U.S. because 1) it was shown at an American auto show and 2) did you catch the part about NBA-inspired display themes? How could they not bring it to the U.S.? Assuming (there’s that word again) they do bring it stateside, we don’t think we’ll see it before the beginning of 2025.
The bottom line
Obviously, there’s still a lot we don’t know about this compact EV SUV. But if it’s anything like big-sib EV9, we expect it to be awesome. We’ll share more as we know more. But what we want to say is this: An SUV with range pushing toward 400 miles? Yes, please!
2025 Kia EV3 photo gallery
