Kia EV3 review: Tesla teaser hits the mark with range, re-gen, space and price

When the Norwegian branch of South Korea car maker Kia decided to promote the newly released Kia EV3 small electric SUV earlier this year, it chose to be deliberately provocative with a full page ad in a local newspaper, and online:

“I bought this after Elon went crazy,” the sticker said, in a not so subtle twist on the sticker that some Tesla owners are putting on their own cars: “I bought this before Elon went crazy.”

The campaign was quickly pulled, but  – like most car makers in the world – Kia is seeing opportunity in Tesla’s distress as the world’s most successful EV company becomes a symbol and lightning rod for the protests against US president Donald Trump and his DOGE-sidekick, the Tesla boss Elon Musk.

Which makes the arrival of the EV3 in Australia this month a matter of perfect timing, particularly given the influx of a number of competing models from China, such as the Geely E5 and XPeng 6, and the impending release of Tesla’s own refreshed Model Y.

The EV3 has already won some rave reviews and car of the year awards overseas, and Kia themselves describe it as one of their most significant vehicles: It is their smallest, lowest priced, and their longest range EV, and arguably the best value option when compared to its “halo” offerings of the EV9 and the EV6, and its slightly bigger sibling, the EV5.

The EV5 has already struck a chord with Australian buyers and was the third best selling EV in Australia in February this year. Along with the EV3, it will be key to helping Kia meet its targets under the new vehicle emission standards. Kia hopes to sell between 4,000 and 6,000 units of each this year.

So, if Kia are seeking to woo the disaffected would-be Tesla buyer, how does it stack up?

The answer is, pretty well: Even before you step into the car the price is attractive, ranging from $49,000 for the base Air model with the 58 kWh battery, all the way through the long range Air ($56,500), the Earth ($62,690), and the GT-Line (68,490), which offer driving ranges of up to 600 kms from the 81/4 kWh battery.

The EV3 is about 20mm shorter than the EV5, which drives well but to some it has the look and the feel of a brick. The EV3 looks less like a brick, it has much smoother, softer lines, and doesn’t feel at all like one from the inside. Kia EVs are fun to drive, with good suspension and road holding. The EV3 is no exception. And it’s quiet.

For those familiar with the brand’s petrol models, it it smaller than the Kia Sportage and bigger than the Stonic. For people aware of other EV models, it is slightly bigger than the Volvo EX5, and slightly smaller than the BYD Atto 3. But, as the Kia people were keen to point out, it’s got a lot more space inside than those other EV models, and in the boot.

So while it looks like a small car, and it is officially rated in the “small SUV bracket”, it doesn’t feel like a small car inside. And it’s fair to say it’s the best quality small electric SUV to be found in the Australian market.

Inside, there is an astonishing amount of room in the front row, including headroom, for the driver and the passenger, and a well appointed centre console with handy storage.

The front seats have plenty of room to move forward to allow a fully grown adult to sit comfortably in the back tow. The interior layout reminds me of the Ioniq 5 made by sister company Hyundai, albeit without the moving centre console.

There are so many different aspects of an EV to choose from over, but I am just going to point out a few that struck out for me from the EV3.

The first is the re-gen. Hyundai and Kia have been fiddling around with their re-gen settings without ever getting it quite right, not wanting to offend those that like their cars to coast unencumbered into corners or down the freeway. But there are many that really like and want one pedal driving – to me it is one of the pleasures of EVs – and Kia have just about got it about right here.

You do have three options, but if you do chose the i-pedal3 setting you barely need to touch the brake. And you don’t have to re-set it each time you get in the car, which is a relief.

The second thing to note is the range. It offers up to 600 kms in the long range Air model, and 563 kms in the GT- Line, which sounds like a bold claim, but after a week in the car it doesn’t seem far off reality, even on freeway driving. That is courtesy of course of that generous 81 kWh battery, and some decent aerodynamics (a drag co-efficient of 0.27).

Now, you can have a discussion about whether people really need 600 kms of range, and why we need such big batteries. As the price difference between the 58 kWh and 81 kWh Air variants indicates, a smaller battery means a lower upfront price.

But Australians have got it into their head that they need maximum range, and I guess they are willing to pay for it.

The other cool thing I noted was the range guide provided on the dashboard. EVs normally offer a single number – you have 483 kms left in your battery, or whatever. And that usually changes as you drive, depending on the geography, the wind direction, and your speed.

The EV3 offers three numbers – the expected range, the maximum range and the minimum range, and they adjust for each driving mode – sport, normal, eco and the driver’s personal style. But what it tells you that if you drive like a bat out of hell, and up steep hills, your range will be limited. But if are careful and the topography is your friend, you are going to get a long way.

I got an opportunity to test that range when returning the vehicle from Byron Bay to Brisbane. I left with 48 per cent charge and the car telling me it had 289 kms of range.  Now, some believe that number reflects how far a car will go down a freeway at around 110km/h. It doesn’t.

But the different numbers provided in the EV3 were useful. When I left Byron the car told me the maximum was 345kms and the minimum was 155 kms. By the time I got to Brisbane I had done 179 km, had 73 kms left on the dial and 14 per cent charge.

So its original estimate was pretty accurate. The EV3 did just over 16 kWh/100km on the freeway at 100-110km/h, which indicates a highway range of just under 500kms, which is still very good.

And it averaged 14.8 kWh for the whole trip. That suggests a driving range of 550kms – pretty much bang on what it says on the sticker for the GT-Line. And – for the short time when I did get a touch of range anxiety – the fact that the minimum range number exceeded my destination was comforting.

Then there is the vehicle to load, and the prospect of vehicle to grid. V2L is pretty common for most non-Tesla vehicles these days, but Kia do this well with an easily accessible plug under the rear seat, and a free adaptor to put into the charging port (which is situated on the front right hand side).

V2L is the most useful for Australian drivers because it allows you to use electric equipment when going away, doing some work, and to power key appliances in your home, such as the fridge and the pool pump – during a blackout via an extension cord from the car.

There is a lot of excitement about V2G – which is where a special two-way charging cable is used to connect the battery to the grid via the metre box, and could allow EVs to support the grid, and maybe generate revenue and savings for the EV owner.

Kia is coy about when V2G is arriving in Australia, but it has signed a deal with Wallbox to deliver it to the EV9 in the US and the company is aware of the huge interest in Australia.

Not every car is perfect, however. And there are still the issues with the Kia dings (noises) when the car drifts over the limit or drifts towards the lane edges. It does get annoying, although there are ways to turn them off – but you have to do so each time you get in the car.

The map is pretty good, but I was disappointed it would not tell me the expected charge at the destination. Maybe that information is in the app, which allows you also to control the charging, pre-heat or cool the car and/or the battery, and close it remotely. I didn’t get to try it out on this occasion. There are over the air software updates too.

I do like the display and layout, but some of the control functions are fiddly – such as the setting for lane holding and adaptive cruise, and even the radio – but that’s more likely to be a matter of habit.

The Kia people seemed very proud of the “frunk” under the bonnet, but it is only 25 litres, and would probably fill with a couple of good books. The rear boot, on the other hand, is spacious for a small SUV, and it might even be able to hold a full sized spare tyre, for those worried about such things.

The GT-Line has some extra goodies – such as the sun-roof, a better sound system, a heads-up display and some mood lighting. But it has done something funny with the centre console, and there seems to be less storage in the centre console than in the Earth and Air versions. Can’t think why.

But overall, Kia have ticked all the key boxes with the EV3. They have delivered a really nice car at an interesting price, great handling and have tackled the issue of driving range head one – by delivering lots of it, making it accurate, and offering plenty of reassuring information of what you can expect will happen to your range if you go fast or slow.

I’m not too sure how those stickers will sell, but I think the EV3 will do well. It looks set to be, along with its bigger sibling, among the best-selling EVs in the country this year.