This week kicks off the NY International Auto Show, and Kia is leading the charge with an early morning announcement. Introducing the Kia EV3, their new compact electric SUV. The Kia EV3 is a smaller, two-row SUV and aims to be an option within the growing affordable EV space. Yup! It finally made its way here to the US, as the vehicle arrived overseas a few years ago.
The EV3 was crafted using the company’s Opposites United design philosophy and borrows flush door handles from the EV6 and mirrors the vertically stacked LED headlights from the EV9. It also has a total of eight airbags in addition to Kia’s suite of smart driving assistance systems, offers 56.5 cubic ft behind the first row, 26.1 cubic ft behind the second row, underfloor storage, and a small frunk space.
Kia offers a 58.4 kWh battery, which offers up to 220 miles, or a long-range 81.4 kWh option, which provides up to 330 miles. The EV3 also supports DC fast-charging, which can power the battery from 10% to 80% in roughly 30 minutes. It also offers V2L (or Vehicle to Load) that allows the EV3’s battery to charge electronics such as laptops, e-bikes, coffee makers, etc., along with V2H (or Vehicle to Home) that can keep areas of your home powered during blackouts. The company’s GT trim gets up to 388hp as opposed to the 261hp from the AWD model.
As far as technology goes, its interior touts a 12.3-inch screen for your digital cluster, a 5-inch screen for HVAC, a 12.3-inch infotainment screen, wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, and its own voice-activated AI assistant. Other upgrades include a 12-inch heads-up display, an eight-speaker Harman Kardon system, wireless smartphone charging, a 360-degree surround view monitor, and a built-in garage door management system.
While Kia has been mum on the pricing, the EV3 is rumored to have a $30K starting price. Kia anticipates its smaller EV SUV to go on sale sometime later this year.
