Kia EV3 bows in South Korea

Kia has finally introduced its affordable all-electric SUV, the EV3. It offers up to 600 km (373 miles) of WLTP-rated driving range and goes on sale in Korea in July this year, with Europe set to follow in late 2024.

The exterior design looks almost completely copied from the EV3 Concept. The bumpers look slightly simpler, the lights have been tweaked, the pillars have become visibly larger and normal side mirrors came to replace the video cameras, but the overall styling is still the same. The car is sized 4,300 x 1,850 x 1,560 mm (168 x 72.3 x 61 inches) large with 2,680 mm (104.7 inches) between the axles.

A sported-up trim called GT-line comes with different wheels and a more aggressive exterior. It also gets its own steering wheel design and a rather minimal-looking trim.

Things look admittedly less exciting in the cabin for the main version. Compared to the concept car, it looks downright basic with a squarish steering wheel, a dashboard assembly of two 12.3-inch displays and a 5-inch HVAC touchscreen. Physical buttons are kept to a minimum, there is no transmission tunnel, and you can unfold the front seats into a couple of beds.

The only electric motor announced so far drives the front axle with 204 PS (201 hp / 150 kW) and 283 Nm (209 lb-ft) of torque. It lets the Kia EV3 sprint 0-100 km/h (0-62 mph) in 7.5 seconds and max out at 170 km/h (105 mph). The base trim makes do with a modest-sized 58.3-kWh battery pack, while the top trim takes advantage of a bigger 81.4-kWh pack. Charging from 10 to 80 percent takes 31 minutes.

A high-end dual-motor Kia EV3 GT is in the plans, but the company hasn’t yet announced its availability date, specs or pricing.