WITH 27% of their sales so far this year being electric cars, the arrival of Kia’s EV3 last autumn was an important moment for their Irish operation.
BY BRIAN BYRNE
The many thousands who saw the car in fleet at the Dublin St Patrick’s Day Parade will have noted it, but so too have the almost 500 motorists who have invested in the model during the first two months of 2025, punting it from nowhere to the second biggest seller for the brand.
Just behind it, the refreshed EV6 has doubled sales over the same period last year.
Electric cars are not the future – they are the now, regardless of misinformed social media meme-makers and naysayers, a number of whom quite likely don’t even drive but thrive on having contrarian opinions on everything.
In fairness, though, electric cars are not for everyone, no more than were diesels vis a vis petrol.
Like anything else, be it clothing, computers or cars, you should always buy the product that suits your needs.
Which means thinking about those needs.
The EV3 follows the large SUV EV9 in style cues, which means it stands out very strongly in its mix of competitors which in electric car terms includes the Volvo EX30, VW’s ID.3 and the Cupra Born.
In the wider powertrain perspective, the Nissan Juke and the Toyota C-HR offer more traditional alternative. Kia’s designers are on quite a roll at the moment, weaving angles, lines and curves in a way that brings to four wheels a very pleasing aesthetic.
Sometimes the lack of a grille makes an electric car front seem boring, but the EV3 style details in lights and other parts of its facia design make for a modern visual harmonic.
From the side the blockiness of the frame and the quirky alloy looks make it seem a much larger car — for the record, the EV3 is lower than the e-Soul it replaces, but longer and wider. The rear view is brave with skill, distinctive details well melded to the whole.
There’s a lot going on with the interior design, a single long screen area incorporating all infotainment and driving matters.
Graphics are mainly strong white on black, with colour flashes where appropriate.
The effect could have been rather overwhelming, but is in fact strangely restful. Physical volume and temperature controls earn points on my personal scaling.
The EV3 is by a good margin the widest car in its cohort and feels as roomy as it actually is.
That open sense applies also in the rear, where the roofline and long wheelbase combine to offer more room than most of this kind of model in its segment.
In the storage and trim details, there’s nothing that doesn’t look thought out absolutely before being incorporated.
Including the clever slide-out table in the centre console that can hold a laptop or tablet while the car is parked.
The boot capacity is generous.
There are three grades available in Ireland, the basic of which has a choice of 58.3kWh or 81.4kWh batteries rated at 436km and 605km respectively.
The other two come with the larger battery, in their case rated at 560km. My usual real-use caveats apply, but the review car did give me acceptable range.
After my time with the EV3, I left it back with a clear sense that it had been one of the most pleasant drives I’d had in a year.
It is currently the benchmark for me against competitors in all key metrics — style, perceived quality, driving experience. Safety tech is a given for any serious carmaker these days so we’ll just accept that.
I returned it reluctantly. Two more new EV models are upcoming, larger and smaller. Looking forward to them.
