Kia EV3 Review – The Everyday Electric SUV That Hits the Sweet Spot

YOU don’t expect a compact electric SUV to feel this polished. The Kia EV3 doesn’t just tick the boxes for range, practicality, and family-friendliness – it does it with enough style and tech to make some premium brands look a bit overpriced. With sharp looks, a long-range option of up to 375 miles, and Kia’s trademark value, the EV3 could be the one that makes you wonder why you’d ever spend more.

Design – Bold, But Not Shouty

Kia’s been on a design hot streak for years, and the EV3 continues the run. It wears the brand’s “Opposites United” design with crisp lines, a chunky stance, and just enough futuristic detail to make the neighbours look twice.

At the front, intelligent LED lighting is standard across the range and gives the car a pixel-like pattern at night that looks properly high-tech. Even the base Air model (from £33,005 OTR) manages to avoid looking basic, rolling on 17-inch alloys, while the GT-Line (from £39,405) and GT-Line S versions (from £43,005) get sharper 19-inch wheels and the added theatre of some glossy exterior trim and pop-out, flush-fitting door handles.

Yes, you can even power a Christmas Tree from Kia’s EV3

Roof rails and a palette of colours – including a cheery Pistachio Green and the subtle Frost Blue of my press car – add to the personality. There’s even a boot liner made from recycled sea plastics, which ticks the eco box while reminding you that Kia knows how to work a press release. In truth, though, the EV3 doesn’t need gimmicks. Park one next to a Volkswagen ID.3 and suddenly Wolfsburg’s team looks like it needs a rethink.

Interior – Minimalist Meets Practical

Step inside, and the EV3 continues its trick of punching above its weight and if you’ve seen the bigger-brother’s interior – the EV6 – it will all look quite familiar.

The dashboard is dominated by a wide twin-screen setup — a 12.3-inch driver’s display flowing seamlessly into a 12.3-inch central touchscreen. It’s modern and clear without demanding a PhD in menu navigation. Also, a big ‘Hooray!’ for some physical buttons for the climate controls as well as some haptic shortcut buttons across the central dash that are useful and easy(ish) to hit when on the move.

My only criticism would be part of the infotainment screen being covered by the upper-left quadrant of the steering wheel – Just like on the EV9 – and you find yourself having to ‘nod’ your head around a bit to see just where the climate air is being directed. I suppose it’s the price paid for having the two screens look like a single unit.

However, there’s a big thumbs up to whoever at Kia decided to make banishing the annoying bings and bongs so easy. A couple of quick presses of an easily found toggle and you have driving bliss. I wish it was so easy in our Suzuki Swift.

Cabin space is generous for a compact crossover, in fact it’s very close to the Sportage, especially in the rear where seats offer good legroom and the headroom is generous thanks to the EV3’s high roofline. There are also USB-C charging ports both front and back, so family road trips won’t descend into charging-cable warfare.

The boot is a particular highlight: 460 litres with the seats up, expanding to 1,250 litres with them folded flat. That’s more space than most in this class, and it makes the EV3 feel like a car that’s been designed with actual families in mind. For those who enjoy a bit of extra indulgence, the GT-Line S model throws in a Harman Kardon sound system with subwoofer and centre speaker.

Performance and Range

Kia offers the EV3 with two battery packs: a 58.3kWh standard-range version and an 81.4kWh long-range. Both are front-wheel drive for now, though there’s every chance a dual-motor version will appear later.

The big talking point is the range. With the larger battery, the EV3 will officially cover up to 375 miles on the WLTP cycle, which makes several more expensive rivals suddenly look sheepish. Even the smaller pack, with its 270-mile range, covers the needs of most families without turning every journey into a maths exercise.

Out on the road, performance is exactly what you’d want – brisk enough for overtakes and slip roads, calm and composed when cruising. Steering is light but accurate, and the suspension strikes a neat balance between comfort and control. It’s not pretending to be sporty, and that’s fine. What it does instead is make daily driving easy, pleasant, and a little more relaxing than most EVs in this bracket.

Refinement is good, too – even in my longer-range Air model – with little wind or road noise intruding – though sharp-eared passengers might notice a whisper of turbulence around the wing mirrors.

Technology and Safety

Kia has turned the EV3 into a rolling tech showcase. Even the entry-level model comes bristling with driver assistance systems, including Highway Driving Assist with hands-on detection, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, forward collision avoidance with cyclist and junction recognition, and the full suite of lane-keeping functions.

That’s a lot of letters and numbers on the spec sheet, but in practice it means the EV3 takes a big chunk of stress out of both city and motorway driving.

Move up to the GT-Line S and the tech goes up another notch. There’s a blind-spot view camera that displays a live feed in your instrument cluster, a 360-degree surround camera for tricky manoeuvres, and Remote Smart Parking Assist, which lets you move the car in and out of spaces while standing outside with the key. Perfect for those moments when someone’s parked too close and you don’t fancy climbing in through the boot.

Over-the-air updates keep everything fresh, and Kia’s partnership with Parkopedia means you can search for and pay for parking through the central screen. Some may scoff at paying for a car park without leaving your seat, but once you’ve tried it, you’ll quietly appreciate the laziness . . .

Warranty and Ownership

This being a Kia, the sensible side of the ownership story is just as appealing as the flashy tech. The EV3 comes with the brand’s familiar seven-year, 100,000-mile warranty, backed up by an eight-year cover for the battery and motor.

Servicing is required every two years or 20,000 miles, which is refreshingly relaxed compared with some rivals. A year’s roadside assistance is also included, though given the warranty coverage, you might rarely need it. Compared with the stingier warranties offered by most premium brands, Kia’s package is still one of the strongest reasons buyers keep coming back.

Rivals

The EV3 lands in one of the busiest sectors of the market, but its balance of range, space, and equipment makes life difficult for several rivals.

The Volkswagen ID.3 is the obvious comparison, but its interior looks drab in contrast and its software is famously half-baked. Hyundai’s Kona Electric offers similar range in long-range form, but it’s smaller and feels more cramped inside.

Volvo’s EX30 demands a significant price premium without really giving you much more, unless you’re a badge loyalist. And then there’s the excellent Skoda Elroq, which remains a strong contender and worth a look if the radical look of the Kia doesn’t appeal.

The truth is that Kia has carved out a Goldilocks spot. The EV3 is more interesting than most of the competition, more practical than the Kona, and considerably cheaper than the premium brands. For most buyers, that’s a compelling combination.

Verdict

The Kia EV3 is the car that makes you question whether you actually need anything more. It’s spacious enough for a family, efficient enough for long journeys, loaded with safety kit, and covered by a warranty that still shames half the industry. No, it doesn’t carry the cachet of an Audi badge, and performance enthusiasts will have to wait for a hotter version, but for the vast majority of buyers, this is the EV sweet spot: range, practicality, and tech at a price that doesn’t take the mickey.

If the EV6 is Kia showing off, then the EV3 is Kia showing sense — and it might just be the smartest family EV you can buy right now.