Our opinion on the Kia EV4
The Kia EV4 is the electric family hatchback the Volkswagen ID.3 wishes it could be. The quiet and spacious cabin features intuitive tech and a big practical boot. It’s complemented by a smooth cushy ride and highly efficient powertrain that should deliver the promised class-leading range. Sure, it won’t set your pulse rating, and the styling might not be to everyone’s taste, but neither are likely to be dealbreakers for those in search of an easy-going family car.
About the Kia EV4
It’s easy to see the Kia EV4 just as the latest rival to the Volkswagen ID.3, Renault Megane and our reigning Car of the Year, the Skoda Elroq. Or merely as the sleeker sibling of the award-winning Kia EV3 SUV. While all of that is true, this is also the brand’s first electric car designed specifically for Europe, which was also fine tuned for European roads and is being built right here in Europe. It’s made in Slovakia, to be precise, where the now-deceased Kia Ceed was produced for nearly 20 years.
At least that’s true for the EV4 hatchback. Kia has also launched a much less conventional-looking EV4 Fastback that’s being built in the brand’s homeland of South Korea. It adds a sloping roofline and 300mm to the car’s back-end, and competes more with electric saloons like the Tesla Model 3, plus the newly launched MG IM5.
Underneath, the Kia EV4 uses the same E-GMP platform and is offered with the same powertrains as the EV3. The most entry-level version of the hatchback uses a 58.3kWh battery to provide up to 273 miles of range, while all other models get an 81.4kWh powerpack for as much as 391 miles of range.
Kia EV4 prices and latest deals
Prices for the Kia EV4 hatchback start from just over £33,000 thanks to the entry-level Air trim qualifying for the government’s £1,500 ‘Band 2’ electric car grant (ECG). This discount also applies to the longer range 81.4kWh Air, but the rest of the EV4 line-up is ineligible since they cost more than the £37,000 upper limit.
The EV4 Fastback starts from nearly £41,000. Part of the reason is that only the hatchback is available in entry-level (but still very generously equipped) Air trim, whereas the Fastback is offered exclusively in sportier-looking GT-Line specifications.
- Air (from £33,245)
- GT-Line (from £39,445)
- GT-Line S (from £43,945)
You can now spec your ideal Kia EV4 through the Auto Express Buy A Car service and choose the best offer from dealers around the UK, with customers already able to save more than £1,000 using us.
Kia wanted the EV4 to feel like a more dynamic car than the EV3. It helps that the driving position in the new hatchback is 40mm lower than the SUV’s, and its centre of gravity is 20m lower to the ground, too. The suspension and steering have been tuned differently.
We’re told Kia’s engineers also spent many hours and thousands of miles thrashing the car around the gruelling Nürburgring race track. Although the impression we get from driving the EV4 is that this car’s priority is comfort rather than handling, because it’s supremely comfortable and quiet inside.
We should note that our first taste of the Kia EV4 was on the smooth sun-soaked tarmac surrounding Malaga, Spain. So we’ll have to wait a little while longer to find out how it copes with the gaps and gorges of UK roads, however we’re confident it’ll be unfazed.
