EV4 saloon is longer than even the EV6 SUV
Latest entrant to Kia’s range of bespoke EVs fills the gap between the EV3 hatchback and EV5 crossover
The new Kia EV4 will attempt to dethrone the Tesla Model 3 when it arrives later this year, priced from €37,000 (£30,600) and offering ranges of up to 392 miles.
Little changed from the concept shown in 2023, the EV4 shares its underpinnings with the smaller EV3.
It will be offered with both hatchback and saloon bodies, with the former roughly as large as the Hyundai Kona Electric and the latter’s stretched rump making it longer than the Model 3.
It will be sold primarily as the five-door hatchback in Europe, where it will be a natural rival to the Citroën ë-C4, Volkswagen ID 3 and Volvo EX40.
Both will be offered with a single front-mounted motor producing 201bhp, giving a 0-62mph in the mid-7.0sec range, depending on the chosen battery and trim level.
All Kia EVs are destined to receive hot GT versions, so a dual-motor, four-wheel-drive range-topper with power and pace to match the MG 4 EV XPower is expected down the line.
The entry-level EV4 gets a 58.3kWh battery pack that yields a range of 267 miles in the saloon and 255 miles in the hatchback.
In Long Range form with an 81.4kWh battery, the saloon gets 391 miles and the hatchback 367 miles.
A 10-80% charge takes at least 29 minutes for the smaller battery and at least 31 minutes for the larger one.
Inside, the EV4 gets the same 30in dashboard screen as the EV3, comprising two 12.3in segments for infotainment and instrumentation, divided by a 5.3in climate panel.
It will be the first Kia to integrate entertainment apps including Netflix, Disney+ and YouTube.