Kia EV3 GT-Line S review

KIA EV3 GT-Line

Kia EV3 GT-Line S review.

**** out of 5
£43,895
For – stunning looker, great quality, well equipped, calmability
Against – hopeless on the autoroute
Competition – Tesla Model 3, Skoda Enyaq, Audi Q4 e-tron, Volkswagen ID.4, Volvo EX-30, BYD Atto3, Renault Megane e-tech, Jeep Avenger.

Kia’s stunning EV3 is the smallest and most affordable of its impressive new range of electric vehicles, although it’s not very small and not really affordable.

Prices start at £32,995 and this top-of-the-range version adds more than £10,000. The EV3 looks stunning and futuristic, although it may be a little too in-yer-face for some. 

It wasn’t that long ago that Kia sold cars and SUVs because of low prices and long guarantees. Now it can compete with the Germans for all-round quality. The Kia name, and its Korean sibling Hyundai, doesn’t have quite the pulling power of brands like BMW, Audi and Mercedes, but it certainly doesn’t have to cut prices to score sales against Volvo, Volkswagen and its brands or Renault, or anything in the Stellantis empire led by Peugeot, Citroen and Fiat.

The EV3 represents the latest iteration of electric technology and unfortunately is a reminder that, despite the claims of the electro evangelists, still leaves a lot to be desired compared with combustion power. 

Regenerative braking felt efficient without much impact.
Kia claims a full battery will provide 361 miles (WLTP) but after 4 home charges, my test car averaged only 271.5 miles. That’s a 25% shortfall. On the highway the legal but high-speed cruise was pretty hopeless, with an average 62% penalty. In other words, if the range promised is 100 miles you’ll only get 38 miles in the fast lane. Cruising around country lanes and the A272 the regenerative braking felt efficient but didn’t have much of an impact. One 24-mile journey removed 34 miles from the range available, other trips revealed a similar performance 37 versus 47, 54/73, 47/58.

This data will have little impact on EV3 buyers with average daily motoring needs and who charge at home, although some may balk at the fact that such an impressive and expensive beast is really only a glorified town car.  We can only dream of the day when solid-state batteries will be able to make EVs a match for ICE.

Four-wheel drive
Meanwhile the EV3 was a delight to drive. It oozed quality, comfort and calm ability. Every mod-con was provided from the head-up display to the automatic tailgate. This range-topper had four-wheel drive.

There are three trim levels – ‘Air’, ‘GT-Line’ and ‘GT-Line S, and a choice of two battery packs – 58.3kWh and 81.4 kWh. There’s a 12.3-inch digital cockpit and 12.3-inch touchscreen fitted as standard. GT Line S models have eight-speaker Harman Kardon premium sound systems.

“The Kia EV3 is an amazingly versatile vehicle, built and designed to accommodate the diverse needs and distinctive lifestyles of customers across Europe,” said Marc Hedrich, President & CEO of Kia Europe. 

“It also shows how a high-volume EV can be part of a broad ecosystem that includes in-car payments, over-the-air updates, bi-directional charging, digital upgrades and much more, to make driving more convenient than ever before,” Hedrich said.

Under the bonnet, the EV3 offers a ‘frunk’ with 25 litres of additional storage space.

An optional heat pump is offered with the ‘GT-Line S’ that allows for heating and cooling the interior, with 18-to-43% better energy efficiency compared to a conventional system.

The flagship EV3 ‘GT-Line S’ features the same 81.4kWh battery pack. All GT-Line models have four-wheel drive

What to buy?
 There is a stunning range of candidates if you are in the market for a EV costing around £40,000. In the list below you can see some magnificent choices. Just about everything can boast almost irresistible qualities. Chinese opposition will be hitting top gear this year so choices will become impressive and almost impossible and prices will point downwards. It’s getting to the point where a reviewer might well say – go to your nearest EV dealer and negotiate a price. It doesn‘t really matter which model you choose, quality and driveability will be terrific. The only trouble is of course range. If your range needs are mainly local an EV will be perfect. If you race to the ski slopes and the sun every year, don’t go near pure electric. A plug-in hybrid will be a necessity, or any petrol or diesel model until governments price them out of the market.

KIA EV3 GT-Line