Is the Kia EV3 the best mass market EV? We tested it in Perthshire

Is the Kia EV3 the electric car we’ve all been waiting for?

On paper everything looks spot on. It’s attractively priced. It’s practical. Range is excellent. It’s well equipped and it has Kia’s superb seven-year warranty.

I’ve been itching to try out the EV3 since Kia launched it in the UK a few months ago. When it arrived outside my home in Dundee I spent a couple of minutes familiarising myself with the car.

The EV3 has bold styling. Image: Jack McKeown.

It is, essentially, a shrink-wrapped version of Kia’s flagship EV9 and has similarly bold and futuristic styling. It sits below the aforementioned EV9, the EV6, and the forthcoming EV5 in Kia’s electric line up.

Range and price

The EV3 comes with two battery options. The standard range car has a 58.3kWh battery and an official range of 270 miles. Long range models have an 81.4kWh battery and a range of 360-375 miles, depending on which version you go for.

Prices start at around £33,000. Image: Jack McKeown.

Prices for the standard range car start at £33,000 with Long Range EV3s coming in at £36,000 and the most expensive models peaking at around £44,000.

I spent a week driving the entry level Long Range model. At £36,000 it’s very well priced. An extra £3k for the bigger battery and better range feels like a worthwhile investment.

Long range versions have an 81.4kWh battery. Image: Jack McKeown.

Standard equipment levels are good too. Even my entry level ‘Air’ trim came with heated front seat and a heated steering wheel, keyless entry, adaptive cruise control, LED headlights, and dual-zone climate control. Really the only thing I would have liked was a powered tailgate, but that’s only available on top spec GT-Line S versions.

Practicality

One of the things that impressed me most about the EV3 was its Tardis-like practicality. At 4.3 metres long its footprint is similar to a Ford Puma, Peugeot 2008, or Toyota Yaris Cross. But step inside and it is vastly more spacious than any of those cars.

This is because it was designed as an EV from the outset. Not needing to fit an engine under the bonnet allowed Kia to shorten the car’s nose and create more cabin space.

There’s plenty of room in the back. Image: Kia.

This gives it the kind of passenger room usually found in much bigger cars. I’m 6’5” and even with the driver’s seat fully back there was room for an average height adult behind me.

The lack of a transmission tunnel also means the floor is completely flat. Three adults can sit side by side without the one in the middle feeling short changed. At 460 litres the boot is an excellent size as well.

It has a false floor with additional space beneath that’s useful for stashing wet gear or hiding valuables. Meanwhile, a 25 litre space under the bonnet is ideal for keeping the charging cable in.

Cabin space

You also get a huge amount of storage in the centre console, which has various trays and cupholders as well as a cupboard under the armrest. Higher trim levels add a table that slides out from the centre console for rear passengers to use as a picnic table or laptop stand.

The cabin is well laid out and intuitive. Image: Kia.

Two screens swoop seamlessly from the centre of the dashboard to behind the steering wheel. They look terrific and are easy to use. Although some climate control systems are controlled by a touchscreen (which, annoyingly, is obscured by the steering wheel) the basic temperature and fan functions are adjusted using good old fashioned buttons.

What is the Kia EV3 like to live with?

Real-world range is impressive. I plugged the EV3 into my Ohme home charger and topped the battery to 100%. Then I drove from Dundee to Edinburgh, stayed overnight, pootled around the city a little bit, and returned to Dundee. When I parked up on my driveway the battery was showing 50%.

A work trip took me to Loch Tummel and again range was really good. You don’t quite get the 375 miles officially billed but as long as you don’t drive like a maniac it should easily cover 300 miles between charges.

It’s very pleasant to drive as well. A 201bhp motor powers the front wheels and whizzes the car from 0-62mph in 7.7 seconds. A soft suspension set up meant ride quality was smooth around town in Dundee and Pitlochry and at higher speeds on the A9 and M90.

It’s hardly an MX-5 when it comes to cornering but it has plenty of grip and I wouldn’t think many people shopping for an electric SUV are looking for something that handles like a sports car.

It’s at home around town and on the roads of Highland Perthshire. Image: Kia.

You can adjust the regenerative braking to drive conventionally in its lowest setting or have one-pedal driving in its strongest setting, where the EV3 can bring itself to a stop without using the brake pedal at all.

Verdict

I liked the Kia EV3 a lot. There are plenty of good electric cars but most of them cost north of £50,000, some considerably so. The EV3 is far and away the best mass-market electric car I’ve driven. It offers great value for money. It comes with a big battery and will easily cover 300 miles in real-world conditions. And its compact size belies its exceptional interior space.

It deserves to sell like hotcakes.