Kia EV2 review

Our opinion on the Kia EV2

Right now the Kia EV2 seems like a real winner thanks to its impressive efficiency and refreshing focus on comfort. Practicality is a strong point too, with plenty of space in the cabin - though its design doesn’t quite match the exterior’s for wow factor. The EV2 feels competent behind the wheel, but some other small electric cars are more fun to drive. Thanks to Kia's own grant, the EV2's pricing is competitive too - though the upcoming big battery versions seem worth waiting for.

About the Kia EV2

Kia kicked off its all-electric line-up here in the UK with the Soul EV over 10 years ago, but since then we’ve seen its dedicated electric models take centre stage. The EV6 was the first, followed by the EV9 seven-seat flagship, the EV5, EV4 and EV3. 

As the name suggests, the new EV2 is the smallest electric car from Kia yet. A compact B-segment crossover, the newcomer enters a rapidly growing market. Existing rivals include the Renault 4, Peugeot E-2008 and Jeep Avenger, but the Kia will have the upcoming Skoda Epiq and Volkswagen ID. Cross to contend with as well.

Rather than focus on a sporty drive like the Ford Puma Gen-E or provide some off-road ability like the all-wheel-drive Suzuki e Vitara, the Kia EV2’s brief is “standout design, flexible cabin and intuitive technology”. 

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There are two battery options and range is in the right ballpark: the ‘standard-range’ car provides up to 194 miles of range, while the ‘long-range’ model with a larger battery offers 281 miles. The latter is expected to take the lion’s share of sales in the UK. 

Kia EV2 prices and latest deals 

Kia is confident enough of getting the government EV grant to offer its own discount while it waits for the paperwork - £1,500 off the First Edition with the smaller battery, and £3,750 off the rest of the line-up, as it expects Slovakian production to help to qualify for the higher grant level. 

With that, the entry point drops to £24,245 for the Air spec with a range of up to 281 miles, with the high-spec First Edition, the only trim available with the small battery, costing £26,995 with the discount. Then there’s the sportier-styled GT-Line and GT-Line S trims, which start from £28,995 and £32,595 after their respective discounts.

The EV2 will initially only be offered with the small battery in First Edition guise. The bigger battery versions will start production in June 2026 with entry-level Air followed by GT-Line and GT-Line S. If you don’t want to wait, the Kia EV3 can be had right now on the Auto Express Find A Car service with an average saving of over £3,000. 

Did you know you can sell your car through Auto Express? We’ll help you get a great price and find a great deal on a new car, too.

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While larger Kia EV models such as the EV6 and EV9 come with either rear or all-wheel drive courtesy of single and dual-motor layouts, the EV2 makes do with just a single-motor configuration and front-wheel drive, like the standard, non-GT versions of the EV3. 

Kia will admit that it didn’t set out to make a pure driver’s car with the EV2, although as with the rest of the firm’s EV range, a hot GT version is in the offing. The focus with the regular EV2 is very much on comfort, which is pretty refreshing compared with so many overpowered electric cars. 

Performance, 0-60mph acceleration and top speed 

So many pure-electric cars these days pin your head against the headrest with their brutal acceleration, thanks to high power figures and immediate torque – but the EV2 doesn’t follow this pattern. It has just a 144bhp electric motor, although with 250Nm of torque it doesn’t feel underpowered, despite being relatively portly at just over 1,600kg. 

The responsiveness of the motor means overtakes aren’t too much hassle on motorways, although they require a bit more planning than in other EVs (such as the sprightly MG4 and Ford Puma Gen-E). For the EV2, Kia designed new sound deadening under the bonnet to reduce noises from the electric motor and it works well; during our drive we barely noticed any intrusion. 

Town driving, visibility and parking

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Despite its miniature SUV look, the Kia EV2 feels most at home in tight urban streets. Overall visibility is excellent and while you can see the flat bonnet stretching out in front of you, the blocky proportions mean it’s easy to know where the extremities of the EV2 are. There’s plenty of adjustability in the driving position too. 

Light steering also helps give the EV2 a nimble feel, something that we appreciated on our test drive in Lisbon’s especially tight underground car parks and various tram-ridden roads. 

Adding to the EV2’s ease-of-use is its brake regeneration. There are several strengths to choose from, ranging from full coasting to enough force to almost provide one-pedal driving. What we really like (as in other Kia EVs) is how smoothly the brake regeneration comes on. 

Country road driving and handling

Adequate is how we’d describe the EV2 handling. There's a neutral feel to the steering and while it doesn’t give much feedback, the front wheels respond quickly and consistently enough to inputs. 

The same can be said of the EV2’s overall body control. We noticed a bit of roll in longer bends, but things like mid-corner bumps and potholes are dealt with pretty convincingly and there’s a decent level of front-end grip. The Kia didn’t spring any surprises – good or bad.

Motorway driving and long-distance comfort 

During the motorway leg of our drive, we found the Kia EV2 to be refined and comfortable with a secure feeling at high speeds - all traits that you might not expect from a car with a supermini-sized wheelbase. 

Entry versions of the EV2 come with 16-inch rims, while stepping up to GT-Line and GT-Line S brings you larger 19-inch wheels, which come with sound deadening within the tyre itself. Our First Edition car had 18-inch wheels, but while road noise was very well dampened, perhaps as a consequence, wind noise was slightly more obvious than we like. Overall, though, the EV2 is easily one of the most refined cars in its class.

In terms of ride quality the EV2 is also near the top of its class - even on the larger wheels. It doesn’t fidget over big bumps or broken surfaces, nor does it feel floaty and ungainly. 

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Electric range, battery life and charge time 

Sitting on a variant of the same E-GMP architecture as the EV3, you might expect the EV2 to use the same battery packs. However, along with the 42.2kWh battery, the larger 61kWh unit is different to the base EV3’s 58.3kWh unit. 

As a result, the 281-mile EV2 long-range actually goes further on a charge than the entry-level EV3 (270 miles). We’re yet to try the long-range model, but every EV2 uses a battery with LFP (lithium iron phosphate) chemistry. 

During our test we drove around towns, on motorways and along country roads, and the standard-range EV2 returned 4.3 miles per kWh – very impressive when the claimed figure is 4.5 miles per kWh. At our test efficiency, the EV2 would have returned a 181-mile range and with some steadier driving we have no doubt the full claimed 196 miles is achievable. 

Kia hasn’t provided a maximum charging speed figure for the EV2 just yet - but it says the standard-range will take 29 minutes to top up from 10 to 80 per cent of its battery capacity; the long-range car takes a minute longer. 

11kW charging is supported too, but for the first time in an electric Kia, there’s the option to have a 22kW charging cable as well. Like its larger siblings, the EV2 also offers bi-directional charging via vehicle-to-load or vehicle-to-grid. The GT-Line S is the only EV2 that gets a heat pump, but it’s a £700 option.

Tax

Being an EV, the EV2 should make sense for company-car drivers, and it slips into the three per cent Benefit-in-Kind (BiK) tax band. At the moment, it attracts a three per cent rate, but this will rise to four per cent for the ‘26 to ’27 tax year, and five per cent from ‘27 to ‘28.

Owners of EVs no longer enjoy free vehicle excise duty (VED) road tax, but at least the EV2 sits nowhere near the £50,000 luxury car tax surcharge.

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Kia has a knack for maintaining the design language of its concept cars in its production cars. The EV2 you can buy looks very similar to the EV2 Concept Kia previewed in February 2025, meaning it still has a boxy profile, distinctive star-map headlights, chunky wheel arch cladding and rear lights positioned low and wide. Despite its mini-SUV design, the EV2 is surprisingly aerodynamic - a 0.29 drag coefficient helps with its impressive efficiency figures.

As standard the EV2 Air gets:

• Body coloured door mirrors
• Chrome side accents
• Manual flush door handles
• ‘Air’ interior styling with green accents
• Grey cloth seat upholstery
• Manual driver’s seat adjustment
• Cream-coloured headlining
• Six-speaker audio system
• Heated front seats

Despite coming exclusively with the smaller battery, the launch version of the EV2, called ‘First Edition’ comes with more kit, featuring:

• Kia’s ‘Star Map’ LED headlights with adaptive driving beam
• Body coloured door mirrors
• Electric flush-fitting door handles
• Black side sills and wheel arches
• Chrome side accents with a gloss black window surround
• Tinted windows
• ‘Air’ interior styling with green accents
• Electric driver’s seat adjustment and lumbar support
• Customisable ambient lighting
• An Eight-speaker Harman Kardon Sound System
• Wireless mobile phone charger
• A 15-litre frunk

The ‘GT-Line’ adds: 

• ‘GT-Line’ exterior styling
• LED headlights with adaptive driving beam
• Gloss black door mirrors
• Automatic flush door handles
• Black side sills and gloss black window surround
• Privacy glass (rear windows and tailgate)
• ‘GT-Line’ interior styling with two-tone artificial leather upholstery
• Electric driver’s seat adjustment and lumbar support
• Electric one-touch front windows
• Alloy pedals
• Grey headlining
• Sunvisors with illuminated vanity mirrors (driver and front passenger)
• Six-speaker audio system
• Wireless mobile phone charger

GT-Line S is the best-equipped, gaining the following over the GT-Line:

• Front sunroof with tilting and sliding function
• Ventilated front seats
• A memory function for the electric driver’s seat 
• Smart power tailgate
• An interior three-pin power socket
• Vehicle-to-Load (V2L) capability with adapter
• 8-speaker Harman Kardon® Premium Sound System
• Digital Key 2.0
• A 360-degree surround view monitor
• Parking Collision-Avoidance Assist

As for paint there are quite a few options available on the EV2. The Air has Fusion White as the standard, no-cost option, with five £620 paint choices: Magma Red, Moonlight Mint, Frost Blue, Vanilla Blossom and Phantom Black. The ‘First Edition’ gets Frost Blue, Phantom Black and Wolf Grey at no extra cost.

The EV2 ‘GT-Line’ is offered in Fusion White as standard but has Magma Red, Dark Penta Metal and Wolf Grey as £620 options. The EV2 ‘GT-Line S’ is offered in the same choice of paint colours as the ‘GT-Line’ variant, but adds a £620 Moonlight Mint to the line-up.

Interior and dashboard design 

The EV2’s dash has two 12.3-inch displays, one for the driver and the other a touchscreen, split by a further 5.4-inch touchscreen that controls the climate functions. It’s the same set-up you’ll find in Kia’s much larger and more expensive models. Just as in other Kias, though, the central climate screen can be a little obscured by the steering wheel, but there are also physical controls for both the fan speed and temperature on the dash, so it’s a doddle to adjust on the move. 

Materials and build quality 

A lot of recycled material is used on the EV2, but it’s done in a way to enhance the styling and – mostly – the quality too. Inside, you’ll find bio-based plastics and seat upholstery, plus carpets and felts made from recycled plastic sourced from fishing nets. Some surfaces, like parts of the doors and the thin fabric on the dash, don’t feel particularly luxurious, but everything feels built to last and we experienced no knocks or rattles during our drive. 

Infotainment, sat-nav and stereo

The infotainment system is similar to other Kia set-ups, which means a clear and logical layout to most of the key functions. There’s a good amount of configurability on the main screen, and wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are fitted as standard. The embedded navigation isn’t our favourite – it’s simultaneously fussy but also lacking in detail – but most drivers prefer to use phone-mirroring apps, anyway. 

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Despite being the smallest model in Kia’s electric range, the EV2 has been designed with practicality in mind and there are a few helpful stowage solutions to make the most of the EV2’s proportions. For instance, the armrests on the doors (front and rear) have a gap in them to enable large bottles to be stored in the door pockets. Cabin space is improved by having the gear selector on the steering column instead of the centre console - which includes a pair of cup-holders and a large storage tray. 

There’s flexibility too, thanks to the option of either a five-seat or a four-seat model; the latter comes with individually sliding rear seats to allow you to choose between boot space or rear legroom. Roof rails come as standard too, in case you really need extra space for luggage. 

Seats & passenger space

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The upright profile of the EV2 means that headroom is very good for a car of this size. Up front there’s a spacious feel to the cabin, thanks to a low-set centre console - the rear has slightly tighter legroom and the rear bench in the five-seater is a little flat, although tall adults should be able to get comfortable for long trips. 

Boot space

Partly as a result of the Kia EV2’s length, its boot is quite shallow. However, it makes up for that in width – having a jacked-up crossover bodystyle means the rear wheelarches don’t encroach on the boot sides. 

As a result, there’s 362 litres of boot space. In other markets this rises up to 403 litres with a four-seater with the rear seats slid the way forward - however the EV2 in the UK is five-seat only. There’s an adjustable floor as standard, so you can make the boot floor level with the load lip, but the lip itself is quite high off the ground. There’s also a 15-litre ‘frunk’, which is ideal for storing charging cables but strangely doesn’t come on Air models. 

Towing 

The EV2 is the smallest EV Kia makes, but you can still tow with it. It’s rated for up to 750kg - enough for a light trailer, or perhaps more suited is the factory tow bar that can double as a mount for bike carriers. 

“It’s a shame the option of either a five-seat or a four-seat model isn’t offered in the UK, but in case you really need extra space for luggage, roof rails come as standard.” - Alastair Crooks, Senior News Reporter, driving the Kia EV2 in Portugal. 

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The Kia EV2 is yet to go through Euro NCAP testing so we can’t give a definitive answer about its safety just yet. The EV3, which shares the same platform and is the next model up Kia’s all-electric range, only scored four out of five stars when it was tested in 2025. A Safety Pack, which includes a more advanced emergency braking system, upped this to five stars. 

Kia’s electric models such as the EV6, EV9 and the new EV3 didn’t appear in the 2025 Driver Power survey and nor did the EV2, because it’s still too new to get real-world data from owners. What will encourage buyers is Kia’s seven-year, 100,000 mile warranty - which is upped to eight years for the battery with a guarantee of at least 70 per cent health in the battery.  

Standard safety kit is good, with driver-assistance features including Forward Collision Avoidance, Blind Spot Assist, Lane Keeping Assistance, Rear Cross-traffic Alert. Remote Park Assist, Blind-spot monitoring and park collision-avoidance assist come on First Edition cars. GT-Line S is the only trim to come with a 360-degree surround view monitor. 

• Best buy: Kia EV2 long-range

Though we’ve only tried the EV2 in standard-range form so far and Kia is yet to reveal pricing, we’re confident in saying that the long-range car is likely to be the pick of the range and worth the expected additional outlay. 

Kia EV2 alternatives

Right now, the alternatives to the Kia EV2 range from the Renault 4 to the Ford Puma Gen-E and MINI Aceman. The Ford and MINI are fun to drive but the Kia is more comfortable; the Kia also beats them for efficiency and, in long-range guise, range too. The Renault 4 comes with a larger boot, but it’s surprisingly tight in the back seats. 

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