2026 Kia EV3 First Drive: Doing More With Less

• Kia's newest EV takes great attributes from the EV6 and EV9 and bundles them into a smaller package.
• The EV3 comes with a stellar cabin and well over 300 miles of projected range.
• Sadly, it won't arrive in the U.S. until 2026.

Small outside, big inside

At 169.3 inches long and 105.5 inches wide, the EV3 has roughly the same footprint as the Chevy Bolt EUV (RIP), putting it firmly in subcompact SUV territory. It's about 15 inches shorter in length than the EV6 and 18 inches shorter than the Tesla Model Y, but somehow its diminutive size hasn't seemed to have a detrimental effect on interior room. In fact, the EV3 has my favorite form factor of Kia's entire EV lineup.

That's because the EV3 uses its space very efficiently. Kia was able to shrink the climate control system, in turn thinning the dashboard and opening up a wide swath of space in the footwells. The back seat is surprisingly roomy as well. I'm just under 6 feet tall and I could easily fit behind a driver of my height with plenty of legroom and headroom to spare. The seats themselves are comfortable and supportive, with the driver's seat offering a relaxation mode complete with a footrest. The second row also has a good amount of recline.

Cargo space is where the EV3 falls a bit short. It has 16.2 cubic feet behind the rear seats — less than the Niro EV (that the EV3 might someday replace, wink wink). But there's still enough room to fit a few pieces of luggage, and the cargo floor can drop down by about 6 inches so you can easily carry taller items.

Family resemblance

The EV3's familial resemblance continues inside. You'll find the exact same display setup as the EV9: a pair of 12.3-inch screens for the instrument cluster and the infotainment system and a 5-inch screen awkwardly wedged between them for the climate controls, most of which are blocked by the steering wheel.

Kia's infotainment system comes with wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay and a well-organized menu structure. Kia is also introducing a new AI-powered voice assistant with the EV3, but it's not operational for English speakers just yet.

The cabin materials themselves come from a variety of sources, none of them animals, and the overall quality is impressive for a vehicle of this class (and price). The EV3 also adopts one of my favorite things from the EV9: ultra-comfortable mesh headrests on the front seats that nestle your head like floaty pillows. Delightful.

There is one weird interior quirk, however: no center storage bin. The armrest lifts up to reveal more of a table-like platform that can slide forward, making it a good spot on which to eat a meal, and it could even work as a perch for a laptop. Still, some more small-item storage solutions inside the EV3 would be nice.

A brief drive through Seoul

The EV3 will eventually be offered in single-motor and dual-motor configurations, with the former launching first. Unlike the EV6 and EV9, the single-motor EV3 has its motor mounted on the front axle, not the rear. Power figures are a bit modest by EV standards, at 201 hp and 209 lb-ft of torque, which is enough to power the Kia from 0 to 62 mph in 7.7 seconds. That might not seem quick enough, but driving the EV3 around Seoul for the day, it never once felt underpowered.

There are also multiple levels of regenerative braking, and Kia's one-pedal driving mode can be used regardless of regen strength. Basically, that means you can keep higher or lower levels of regenerative braking as you wish, but the EV3 will still come to a complete stop.

Driving around Seoul, the EV3's ride quality was stellar, though, to be fair, South Korea's roads are for the most part immaculate. Because of this, the cabin is very, very quiet at all speeds. The EV3's suspension tuning could change for the U.S. version, but I hope it doesn't. An attempt to make this EV feel more sporty would be a shift in the wrong direction. That's what the upcoming EV3 GT will be for.

Range and charging

The EV3 will be offered with two battery sizes: 58.3 kWh for the short range and 81.4 kWh for the long range. We don't have EPA range estimates for the single-motor EV3 with either battery, just the more optimistic WLTP estimates used in other countries: 271 miles (short-range) and 373 miles (long-range).

But looking at WLTP estimates for the larger EV6 and EV9 compared to what these vehicles achieved in the Edmunds EV Range Test, the EV3's results might not be far off.

EV9 GT-Line Dual-Motor AWD

• WLTP: 314 miles
• Edmunds Tested: 306 miles

EV6 Wind RWD

• WLTP: 328 miles
• Edmunds Tested: 323 miles

If the EV3 can put up a similar result, that would place it near the top 10 on our leaderboard, which is populated by vehicles that, for the most part, cost significantly more. The EV3's range-per-dollar proposition could be unmatched.

However, its charging won't be. The EV3 uses 400-volt electrical architecture instead of the 800-volt system found in the EV6 and EV9. This cuts charging speeds quite a bit. The EV6 and EV9 posted maximum charging rates of 236 kW and 221 kW, respectively, on the Edmunds EV Charging Test, but Kia says the EV3 will only top out at 100 kW with the smaller battery and 130 kW with the larger pack. Charging from 10% to 80% in the EV3 will take more than 30 minutes.

We'll be waiting

Kia has only hinted at how much the EV3 will cost, with the best guesses estimating a starting price in the mid-$30,000s, while a dual-motor version with all the bells and whistles will push closer to $50,000. All that information will be revealed closer to the EV3's Stateside launch, something which won't happen until 2026. That's right, the EV3 is still two years away — possibly because the dual-motor version isn't ready quite yet, and Kia wants to have that one ready to go for the U.S. introduction. But who knows?

That's a shame, because the EV3 is fantastic, scaling the goodness of the EV6 and EV9 into a smaller form factor that makes it ideal for cities yet still big enough inside for families. If it can come close to hitting its impressive WLTP estimates, the EV3 is going to offer impressive range at a low price, with lots of style and tech to boot. It can't get here soon enough.

Photos by Brian Wong