Kia EV3 review: I tested the 2025 World Car of the Year and entry spec 'Air' is where I'd put my money

Visually it looks like a scaled-down EV9. To be honest, I think Kia’s ’Tonka Toy’ lines suit the size of the EV3 compact electric SUV much, much better than the gargantuan EV9. It looks very appealing both stationary and on-the-move.

So, what are the basics? Prices for the EV3 start round £33,000. That gets you an Air trim model fitted with a 58.3kWh battery that’s good for a range of 270 miles. You can have the same trim, plus 17in alloys, but with the 81.4kWh battery, for an extra £3,000. That combo gives you the longest range of any EV3, at 375 miles.

Splash out around another £3,500 and you get the GT-Line spec, which obviously adds more standard kit. And yes, you guessed it … yet another £3,500 on top of that will buy you the current range-topping GT-Line S, which is the car I drove. On-the-road price? £43,905. We’ll come back to ‘standard kit’ later, but let’s focus on the driving.

Driving the Kia EV3

With its sole electric motor delivering 201bhp and 283Nm of torque, it’s a sprightly package for what is a fairly compact family car. The entry model’s lighter battery pack means it’s actually the quicker car, covering 0-62mph in 7.5secs, compared to the long-range model’s 7.7s.

In city driving the EV3 comes into its own. It’s very easy to drive at low speeds and the soft suspension is excellent at filtering out the bulk of the UK’s bumpy roads. Well-weighted and accurate steering helps further, as does a clever ‘adaptive mode’ which decides how much regenerative braking is needed based on road and traffic conditions.

The regen system is one of the best in cars of this size. Kia’s iPedal set-up has paddles on the steering wheel which can be adjusted on-the-move to deliver just the right amount of deceleration. Options range from full coasting to one-pedal driving, plus of course there’s that clever adaptive mode mentioned earlier.

Head for your favourite B-road or motorway and you’ll quickly realise the benefits of the soft suspension. The EV3 is clearly a car designed for being driven in a more relaxed fashion, and the result is a calm, quiet environment where motorway miles will disappear in near silence; yet it’s still fun to chuck about on a B-road.

Range figures I’ve mentioned previously. Worth mentioning that if you feel the need to mitigate the mileage-draining effects of things like the cabin heater, a heat pump is on the options list, but only for the top-spec GT-Line S; and it’ll set you back around £1,000.

As for charging? The longer range EV3 charges at 127.5kW, meaning the chunky 81.4kWh battery will charge from 10-80% in around 30-minutes. With its lower peak charging speed, the smaller battery will still take around half-an-hour for the same 10-80% recharge.

For those who have a typical 7.4kWh wallbox charger, the 58.3kWh model will fully recharge in less than nine hours, with the 81.4kWh version taking around 12.5 hours.

Inside the Kia EV3

Right, enough of the techie stuff: what’s it like inside? As you would expect, the cabin is modern, gently funky, well put together and sound ergonomically; its lines are clean and uncluttered. No surprise too that there’s a strong family look to the design which mirrors that of the larger EV6 and EV9, and that’s no bad thing. Thankfully there’s also a good balance between touchscreen tech and physical controls.

And if, like me, you find yourself searching for the starter button the first time you’re sat behind the steering wheel … it’s located on the column-mounted gear selector. Seems strange at first, but like everything in life, familiarity brings a sense of logic.

Safety equipment is top class on all EV3s with lots of safety assistance technology, including lane keep assistance with lane centring technology, a safe exit system that works with blindspot monitoring to help prevent you from opening your door into the path of oncoming vehicles such as cyclists, rear cross traffic alert, adaptive cruise control and blindspot assistance.

And my range-topping GT-Line S also boasted remote parking. Yup, if you get the urge you can get out of the car and guide it into or out of a parking space while standing next to the EV3. I know … but I guess it’ll impress the neighbours.

As for interior space, it’s pretty spacious with good amounts of leg and headroom. Forward visibility is excellent thanks to the high driver’s position and low, flat dashboard, and there’s a wide range of adjustment for the seats and the steering wheel.

Standard kit? There’s loads of it. Even the entry-level Air trim gets twin 12.3-inch displays, front and rear parking sensors, a reversing camera, sat-nav, heated front seats and a heated steering wheel, Kia’s self-steering Highway Driving Assist 2.0 system, plus 17in alloys.

GT-Line adds, amongst other goodies, wireless smartphone charging and 19in alloys, while the GT-Line S gets a 360-degree parking camera, heated rear seats, front-seat cooling, a head-up display and a Harman Kardon sound system.

As for storage? Inside the cabin there’s a roomy glovebox plus pop-out cup-holders and a large smartphone charging tray. Bootspace is an impressive 460-litres with the rear seats in place. Fold them down and stowage increases to 1250-litres.

Verdict - should you buy one?

So, what’s the verdict. There’s no denying that if you’re in the market for a compact electric SUV, the Kia EV3 has to at least be on your ‘test drive’ list. Of course, everything comes down to personal choice; but from me, being a self-confessed EV sceptic, this is a very attractive package combining a big battery, excellent range, comfortable driving dynamics, sharp and uncluttered interior and — and I never thought I’d be saying this — an exterior design which just looks so good.

Which one to choose? Sure the all bells and whistles GT-Line S is attractive, but at £43,905 it’s expensive. The GT-Line starts at £39,340 but, despite having the bigger battery and longer range, doesn’t really add much more standard kit to the Air. So my money would go on the entry-level Air but with the longer range 81.4kWh battery. Price? £35,940. And that’s before the government’s new Electric Car Grant, which just might see you save another £3750. Now that’s worth considering.