The South Korean automaker Kia has a brand-new electric compact SUV on the way. The Kia EV3 is the fourth of the brand's EV models, a high-range SUV that slots into Kia’s lineup below the flagship Kia EV9. No starting price has been announced for the EV3 just yet, but it will be considerably cheaper than the EV9, which WIRED rates highly.
The Standard model comes with a 58.3-kilowatt-hour battery, while the Long Range variant has a 81.4-kWh battery that has a range of up to 372 miles (600 kilometers). With a proper high-speed charger, the battery is capable of being filled from 10 percent to 80 percent in 31 minutes. Both motors can accelerate the EV3 from zero to 60 mph in 7.5 seconds, though the vehicle maxes out at 105 mph (170 km/h).
The EV3's roomy interior holds five people. In between the front seats is a massive center console that has a slide-out table in the front, so the driver and passenger can enjoy a meal or study a map together. The console also has storage area beneath it that can fit a couple of small backpacks. There’s a 30-inch screen on the dash that extends a bit over onto the passenger side, so the person riding shotgun can better access the media and A/C controls. Streaming services and video games come preloaded, and a Harman Kardon surround-sound system is situated throughout the whole car.
All of the software is built on Kia's webOS-powered system, which was developed in partnership with LG. We first got a look at this operating system earlier this year on the EV9, and it looks to be a big improvement over Kia's older software system.
Kia is boasting a long list of additional software features for the EV3, including a new generative AI assistant that can answer questions, help with navigation, and control basic cabin functions. This is the first Kia EV to get the company's new bespoke assistant—it previously showed up in the compact Kia K4 and will make its way to other EV models soon—so while we haven't tested this yet, we of course cannot wait to put it through the rigor of daily use. The onboard driver assistance features include dynamic torque vectoring for smooth acceleration, lane assist, a collision-avoidance system, and a highway self-driving mode. There's also a remote parking assistant that can shimmy the SUV into a parking space while you stand on the curb and watch.
The EV3 is emerging into a booming EV market. While there has been lots of chatter about flashy, performance-minded EVs like Tesla’s Cybertruck and Porsche's Maycan, automakers like Kia, Hyundai, and Ford have been regularly churning out affordable EVs that are fueling a multibillion-dollar global market. The EV3's reveal also comes at a time when US officials have been wringing their hands over EV imports. The US recently instituted tariffs on Chinese EVs to prevent them from flooding the market. But cars from South Korean manufacturers like Kia and Hyundai currently make up a bigger portion of imports into the US than vehicles from China, Japan, or any other countries outside the EU.
Kia’s EV3 isn’t coming to the US just yet. Kia says the car will be released in South Korea in July, followed by a launch in the European Union in the latter half of 2024. It says it plans to consider expanding to other European regions and possibly elsewhere sometime after that.
The launch event is being livestreamed today; watch the reveal live or as a replay below:
