Advert
The electric Kia EV3 has a long driving range of up to 375 miles, comfortable ride quality, practical amounts of space, and ‘GT-Line S’ trim adds larger wheels to enhance its bold, purposeful SUV styling.
We drove the Kia EV3 ‘Air’ entry-level model at the UK launch event for a relatively limited time; we’ve now lived with the top of the range ‘GT-Line S’ model for a week, and driven it over a much longer distance – so what have we learnt?
The Kia EV6 and EV9 both gain an extra electric motor in ‘GT-Line S’ trim, resulting in the rear-wheel drive layout becoming all-wheel drive and gaining more power. Not so with the EV3. There’s no difference in the powertrain between the three grades, ‘Air’, ‘GT-Line’ and ‘GT-Line S’ – all EV3 models have 201bhp, 283Nm of torque, front-wheel drive only, and an 81.4kWh long range battery (or the option of a 58.3kWh standard range battery in ‘Air’ trim).
One of the key differences between the three models is the wheel size: the EV3 ‘Air’ has 17-inch wheels, whereas the ‘GT-Line’ and ‘GT-Line S’ models both have larger 19-inch wheels. A difference in wheel size doesn’t sound like a key differentiating factor between the trim levels, but it does have a clear visual outcome: the ‘GT-Line S’ looks much more like a purposeful SUV, in keeping with its bigger brother, the EV9.
One downside of the larger wheels is that the electric driving range of the ‘GT-Line’ and ‘GT-Line S’ models with the 19-inch wheels is worse than the ‘Air’ trim level.
The EV3, as per the EV6 and EV9, is built on Kia’s dedicated EV architecture, the Electric-Global Modular Platform (E-GMP). This contrasts with the Kia Niro EV, which is designed to accommodate petrol, hybrid and electric powertrains. The result is that the EV3’s platform has a flat floor, providing more interior space than an equivalent petrol or diesel car, with a large storage area on the floor between the front seats.
The ‘Air’ model has a ‘floating armrest’ which features a storage area for a mobile phone. Interestingly, Kia has ditched this storage space in the ‘GT-Line’ and ‘GT-Line S’ models for a central armrest without any storage, but which instead features a sliding ‘table’ – the idea being that you can use this when having lunch during charging stops. We think the storage area for a mobile phone in the ‘Air’ model is more useful on a day-to-day basis (how many times do you need somewhere to put your phone compared to how many times you need a flat surface for lunch in the car?).
The EV3 also has a big boot, with 460 litres of luggage space and a large area under the boot floor (the luggage space increases to 1,250 litres with the seats folded down), and there’s also a storage compartment under the bonnet, although this is relatively small at only 25 litres in size. Rear legroom is good but not as expansive as some other similarly-sized EVs.
Unusual in this segment, the EV3 also has a towing capacity of up to 1,000kg with the 81.4kWh battery pack, or 500kg with the 58.3kWh battery pack.
Thanks to the larger wheels, the Kia EV3 ‘GT-Line S’ may look more like a chunky SUV than the entry-level ‘Air’ model, but the driving experience of the two models is similar: it’s very comfortable and easy to drive. Once you’ve started the car and selected gear – the controls for both are on a stalk on the right-hand side of the steering column – you’ll appreciate the normal responsive acceleration of an electric powertrain and the excellent ride quality.
You’re also likely to become aware of the fact that the EV3 is front-wheel drive, because the combination of an electric motor and front-wheel drive can result in torque steer under acceleration. The EV3 has good ride quality and is generally quiet and refined at motorway speeds, but more road noise is evident on some motorway surfaces than in the super-hushed EV6 or EV9.
Combined with the suspension being tuned for comfort, the steering is weighted with the aim of being easy to drive. In fact the entire cabin feels like it has been designed with ease of use in mind. The key point is that unlike in some rivals – such as the Volvo EX30 – you don’t just have a central touchscreen on the dashboard. Like the EV6 and the EV9, the EV3 has a well thought out mix of screens and physical controls such as shortcut buttons for the touchscreen. There’s one big, wide screen unit and within this there’s a 12.3-inch driver’s instrument display, a 12.3-inch central touchscreen, and a small climate screen sandwiched between them. As per the EV9, this means that the climate screen is partially obscured by the steering wheel rim.
Two buttons on the steering wheel are perfect examples of how user-friendly Kia’s interiors are. The drive mode button on the steering wheel (positioned in a slightly different position on the ‘Air’ trim compared to the ‘GT-Line’ and ‘GT-Line S’) provides five modes of Eco, Normal, Sport, My Drive and Snow; just one press selects Sport mode. The lane departure warning system can be deactivated by the simple press of a button on the steering wheel.
Another user-friendly feature is the ability to control the level of brake regeneration by means of the steering wheel-mounted paddles, which is so much better than having to do this via a setting buried in the touchscreen. A control for the media volume sits right in the middle of the dashboard, and buttons for the heated driver’s seat and steering wheel are conveniently located on the driver’s door.
You also get physical buttons for the cabin temperature, mode and fan, which again is easier than having to delve into a touchscreen for these controls when driving, although they feature writing that is hard to see in some light conditions.
The Kia EV3 with the 81.4kWh long range battery pack has an impressive WLTP combined electric driving range of 375 miles, although this decreases to 361 miles with the larger 19-inch wheels on the ‘GT-Line’ and ‘GT-Line S’ models (as tested). After a week on test in winter the EV3’s real-world range averaged 300 miles.
The official range increases from 375 miles to 479 miles on the City cycle, and energy efficiency of 4.2 miles/kWh is excellent.
The EV3 has a maximum rapid charging rate of 127.5 kW – which is significantly slower than the 233 kW of the EV6 when it was first introduced. However this should still allow a 10% to 80% charge in 29 minutes for the 58.3 kWh battery version, and 31 minutes for the 81.4 kWh version. Up to 125 miles of range can be added in just 15 minutes.
The EV3 features Vehicle-to-Load (V2L) charging as standard, which allows you to power domestic electrical devices from the EV charging port or the dedicated UK 3-pin socket located beneath the rear seats – but this is only available on ‘GT-Line S’ versions.
Kia also says that every EV3 is capable of bi-directional charging, including Vehicle-to-Grid, Vehicle-to-Home, and Vehicle-to-Building – however it also qualifies this by saying bi-directional charging is not currently available in the UK.
The EV3 features a compact, thin HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) system that aims to delivers consistent cabin comfort in all weather conditions, with minimal impact on the driving range in cold weather.
A heat pump is available which enables interior heating and cooling with 18%-43% better energy efficiency compared to a conventional system – but this is just offered as an option, and only with the ‘GT-Line S’ model.
The EV3 is supported by Kia Charge, the brand’s network that offers access to more than 800,000 charging points in 28 European countries.
The Kia EV3 is available in three trim levels: ‘Air’, ‘GT-Line’ and ‘GT-Line S’. All trim levels feature the larger 81.4kWh long range battery, but the ‘Air’ is also available with the 58.3kWh standard range battery. There’s more equipment as you climb up the trim levels, including the larger 19-inch wheels on the ‘GT-Line’ and ‘GT-Line S’ models, but there’s no difference in power, and there’s no all-wheel drive option.
Prices start at £32,995 for the EV3 ‘Air’ Standard range with a 58.3kWh battery and a range of 270 miles. The EV3 ‘Air’ Long range with an 81.4kWh battery and a range of 375 miles is priced at £35,995. The ‘GT-Line’ Long range 81.4kWh with a 367-mile range costs £39,495. The ‘GT-Line S’ Long range 81.4kWh with a range of 362 miles costs £42,995, or £43,895 with the option of a heat pump. Interestingly, with a heat pump (as tested), the official WLTP range decreases by one mile to 361 miles! The GT-Line trim is expected to be the biggest seller. Kia plans to introduce all-wheel drive EV3 variants to Europe in the future.
The EV3 is available in seven colours in the UK: White Pearl, Midnight Black, Sunset Orange, Shale Grey, Lithium Silver, Pistachio Green and Frost Blue.
Kia In-Car Payment, in association with Parkopedia, allows drivers to locate available parking and pay for it through the navigation screen.
The EV3 features over-the-air updates, a seven-year/100,000-mile vehicle warranty, and an eight-year battery and motor warranty. Service intervals are every two years or 20,000 miles, whichever comes sooner.
Kia’s strategy is to launch 15 EVs globally by 2027 with nine to be sold in the UK, and its product line-up in Europe will be fully electric by 2035. Kia ‘PBV’ electric vans will also launch in the UK in 2025 – starting with the PV5.
The Kia EV3 offers an easy driving experience with very comfortable ride quality, an excellent driving range of up to 375 miles (or 361 miles for the ‘GT-Line S’ trim level as tested), and practical amounts of space.
The EV3 also has modern, bold styling, which is more SUV-like with the ‘GT-Line’ and ‘GT-Line S’ models due to the larger wheels – one of the key differentiators compared to the ‘Air’ model. Although the ‘GT-Line’ and ‘GT-Line S’ models feature more equipment, unlike the EV6 or EV9 they don’t have all-wheel drive or more power.
A key selling point is that the EV3’s prices are at the more affordable end of the EV pricing spectrum, starting at £32,995 for the Air model, and from £42,995 for the ‘GT-Line S’ trim level as tested.
There are many excellent EVs on sale at the moment, but many of them still have a few frustrations relating to the operation of basic car controls, which is often only possible through a touchscreen interface. In contrast, the EV3 has a well thought out mixture of screens and physical buttons in the cabin, which contributes to the car overall having very few areas that we can find fault with. The Kia EV3 ‘GT-Line S’ is awarded a Green Car Guide rating of 9 out of 10.
Drive an EV for less than you think with Select Car Leasing 
Save 20-50% on an EV through salary sacrifice with The Electric Car Scheme 
ClearWatt supports buyers, sellers and owners of EVs with app-based battery health testing and detailed EV data insights available for every used EV in the UK. Take the stress out of buying a used EV with ClearWatt and save 10% on all their products with promo code “GCG10”. 
Zapmap: UK's No.1 EV charging points app 2025. Zapmap helps EV drivers search for EV chargers, plan longer journeys and pay for charging. 
With Pod, you're in good hands. With over 15 years of EV charging experience, drivers trust Pod to keep their EVs charged and ready to go. 
Paul Clarke, GreenCarGuide Editor
