Autorin Sabine Metzer vor dem Kia EV3 am Resort Das Achental im Chiemgau. Foto: Robert Metzger

Kia EV3 driving report: On the road with the eMove360° award winner

Convincing. The electric compact SUV impressed the eMove360° Award jury. They unanimously selected the Kia EV3 as the 2024 winner in the “Electric Vehicle” category. Shortly after its market launch in October 2024, the designers among the jurors, such as Christian Labonte, Manager Design Experience at AUDI AG, and Prof. Peter Naumann, Department of Industrial Design at the Munich University of Applied Sciences, praised its sharp edges, curves, and lines, which combine to create a striking and harmonious overall appearance. And the eMove360° jury wasn’t wrong – the list of prestigious awards is now long. For the current issue of the eMove360° magazine in german language, we were able to test the Kia EV3 81.4 kWh for two weeks.

The Kia EV3 81.4 kWh is our travel companion for a weekend trip to the Chiemgau region, the Upper Bavarian region surrounding Lake Chiemsee. At 4.30 meters long and 1.85 meters wide, it’s a practical size for the needs of most drivers in this country. And thanks to its unusual wheelbase of 2.68 meters, there’s a surprising amount of space inside and in the trunk. We stow hiking backpacks, climbing boots, and suitcases in the trunk. Its volume is 460 liters, with another 25 liters under the double loading floor. With the rear seat backrests fully folded down (split in two, 60:40), it adds up to 1251 liters. Adults of normal height can sit in the back without feeling cramped. There’s plenty of room for heads, knees, and elbows. The Kia EV3 is unlocked either as usual using the remote unlocking on the key fob, or by pressing the sensor on the recessed front door handles, which extends the door handles.

Uncluttered cockpit: The interior design is minimalist and uncluttered. The cockpit has a pleasant feel thanks to grained plastic surfaces. According to Kia, the vehicle contains 28.5 kilograms of recycled plastic. Three screens combine to form a nearly seamless 30-inch unit. Operation is intuitive and straightforward via the clear menu, and the air conditioning features analog controls.

A large storage compartment rests beneath the center console, while rotating cupholders in the front section accommodate drinks bottles and mugs. The position of the inductive charging cradle for smartphones is also very convenient. For a pit stop at the charging station, a built-in table in the center console can be pushed forward and placed on it, for example, a travel backgammon set or work materials. If you’re more in the mood for a power nap, the front seats fold out to create a lounge area.

Relaxed cruising: But we’re ready to go. We’ll have to get used to the Kia EV3’s on/off switch. It’s located on the inner part of the steering column stalk, where the gear is selected or shifted back to “P.” Incidentally, it must also be turned off when the car is parked, otherwise a long beep reminds you that the car is still in Drive mode. Now a few facts about the drive: The 150 kW/204 hp electric motor is mounted on the front axle, with maximum torque of 283 Nm. In the base version, a 58.3 kWh battery provides power. For our test drive, Kia supplied us with the 81.4 kWh battery version. The EV3 accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 7.6 seconds. We merge onto the highway quickly. On clear highways, however, the EV3 slows down to a top speed of 170 km/h. But when is the highway ever clear—especially our stretch of the A8 from Munich to Lake Chiemsee?

iPedal 3.0: The suspension is very comfortably tuned. It drives along serenely and relaxed. Like in a large SUV, shocks from bumps in the road are simply absorbed. Incidentally, the Kia EV3 is the first Hyundai Group car with iPedal 3.0. This system enables intelligent recuperation and one-pedal driving with three levels plus coasting mode. Using the paddles on the steering wheel, we regulate the strength of recuperation according to our personal taste and the road conditions.

Overzealous assistants: The Kia infotainment system is very good. However, if you like, you can also replace it with Apple CarPlay or Android Auto. Exciting: the Chat-GPT implementation for voice control, which even reacts based on the driving context and can provide tips on weather, routes, restaurants, and charging options. The assistance systems reliably provide support, ensuring safety and making driving easier in practice. A navigation-based cruise control system with stop-and-go function, highway assist, intelligent speed assist, forward collision warning 1.5 with pedestrian and cyclist detection, as well as a turning function, lane departure warning, lane keeping and lane following assist, high beam assist, and a driver monitoring system are standard. The EV3 can reliably stay in lane when cornering, but it has some difficulty automatically changing lanes on the highway. It requires a lot of time and space for this. I quickly change lanes myself. The “Intelligent Speed ​​Assist” could definitely be described as a bit hyper-nervous. Excited beeps sound when the speed limit is exceeded by just three km/h. The attention assist, which monitors the driver via a small sensor on the steering column, is also extremely diligent. A long press on the volume button on the steering wheel or a customized adjustment with a few clicks in the menu promise salvation – or rather, peace of mind.

Charging: The EV3 cannot be charged quite as quickly as the EV6 and EV9 models. The reason: Instead of 800-volt technology, the compact SUV relies on 400 volts. DC fast charging (direct current) of the larger battery can achieve a maximum of 128 kW, while the smaller battery charges at up to 101 kW. Overall, we were able to charge from 15 to 80 percent in 31 minutes. Battery preconditioning is crucial here: The EV3 does this automatically if a charging stop is scheduled in the route. Or you can activate this function manually in the menu. The charging planning is somewhat overly cautious; no customer should ever be stuck with an empty battery. Even at charge levels sometimes exceeding 20 percent, the EV3 will want to head for the nearest charging station. A plus point is that you can easily customize the charging planning and the manual search for charging stations to your personal preferences using filters. Depending on the charging card you use or the operator’s prices, you can set the display to specific operators or charging capacities.

Conclusion: The numerous awards the Kia EV3 has garnered in recent months are no coincidence. This family-friendly electric compact SUV offers ample space, ride comfort, and range at an excellent price-performance ratio.

Author: Sabine Metzger

This article appeared in the March issue of eMove360° Magazine in german language. You can download the magazine for free as a PDF or order a print version at: sabine.metzger@emove360.com