Kia EV2 Review – Is This the Small Electric SUV We've Been Waiting For?
Kia has been making some seriously impressive electric cars over the last few years.
We've had the EV6, the huge EV9 and, more recently, the EV3.
But now Kia has gone smaller.
Meet the Kia EV2.
This is Kia's smallest electric SUV, designed to sit underneath the EV3 and offer something compact, easy to drive and, importantly, more affordable.
And after driving it on UK roads, we've got a pretty good idea of what it's like.
The big question is simple:
Has Kia made the small electric SUV to buy, or are there better alternatives out there?
Let's get into it.
So, what exactly is the Kia EV2?
The EV2 is a small electric crossover aimed at people who want the practicality and driving position of an SUV without having to drive around in something enormous.
It's 4,060mm long in Air specification, so this really is a compact car. The GT-Line is only slightly longer at 4,065mm. It's front-wheel drive and comes with either a 42.2kWh battery or a larger 61kWh battery.
There are currently four versions in the UK:
EV2 First Edition – 42.2kWh
EV2 Air – 61kWh
EV2 GT-Line – 61kWh
EV2 GT-Line S – 61kWh
And this is where things get interesting.
Because despite being Kia's smallest EV, the EV2 doesn't feel particularly small from behind the wheel.
In fact, that's one of the things we really liked about it.
How much does the Kia EV2 cost?
Now, this is one area where it's important to use the current UK pricing rather than the figures from when the car was first announced.
The EV2 Air currently starts at £27,995, but Kia's qualifying versions are eligible for the Government's Electric Car Grant.
That brings the Air down to £24,245 on the road after the £3,750 grant.
The GT-Line starts at £32,745 before the grant, or £28,995 after the £3,750 grant.
The GT-Line S is £36,345 before the grant, or £32,595 after the grant.
The 42.2kWh First Edition is different again, with a £28,495 list price and a £1,500 grant, giving an on-the-road price of £26,995.
So, you're looking at an electric SUV for around £24,000 after the grant.
That's a very important number.
And which EV2 would we have?
This was one of the big questions we wanted to answer during our time with the car.
And honestly, we'd be looking very closely at the GT-Line.
The Air is the sensible choice if maximum range is your priority, because its 61kWh battery gives it up to 275 miles WLTP.
The GT-Line drops to 261 miles, largely because of its 19-inch wheels.
The GT-Line S drops slightly further to 257 miles.
So yes, bigger wheels look good, but they do come with a range penalty.
But the GT-Line gives you a nicer interior, better seats and a more upmarket feel.
And after spending time in it, that's important.
What's it like to drive?
This isn't a performance car.
And that's absolutely fine.
The EV2 Long Range produces 133bhp and 250Nm of torque, with a claimed 0-62mph time of 9.7 seconds in GT-Line and GT-Line S versions.
The First Edition, with its smaller battery, has 144bhp and gets from 0-62mph in 8.7 seconds.
But here's the thing.
You don't really notice the lack of performance when you're driving it normally.
It's actually quite nippy around town.
Pull out onto an A-road and you've got enough power to make an overtake without any drama.
We tried Sport mode, and yes, it makes the car feel a little more responsive and adds some weight to the steering.
But you're probably not buying an EV2 because you want to drive everywhere at 10/10ths.
You're buying it because you want something easy.
And that is exactly what this car is.
It is ridiculously easy to drive
This might actually be one of the EV2's biggest strengths.
The steering is light.
Visibility is excellent.
You can see the edges of the car.
You can see over the bonnet.
And when you're driving down one of those horrible narrow British country lanes, you don't have that feeling that you're trying to squeeze a bus through a gap.
The turning circle is around 10.2 metres for the GT-Line, and that makes the EV2 feel very manoeuvrable at lower speeds.
It's one of those cars where you can jump in, drive it for five minutes and feel like you've owned it for months.
And for a lot of people, that's exactly what they want.
What about the suspension?
This was another pleasant surprise.
We deliberately took the EV2 over some absolutely horrible roads with some pretty serious potholes.
And yes, you can see the car moving around.
It's a little bit soft.
But the important thing is that those potholes don't seem to send horrible, sharp thuds straight through the cabin.
Instead, the EV2 tends to move around a little and absorb the road.
It's comfortable.
It's not particularly sporty.
But that's not what it's trying to be.
And if you're using this as a daily driver around town, that softer setup makes a lot of sense.
What is the boot like?
You've got 362 litres of boot space.
That's usable, but it's not class-leading.
And this is one of the areas where some rivals have an advantage.
For example, the Renault 4 that we compared it with in the video has a larger boot.
Kia does give you a useful split-folding rear seat and some flexibility, but the UK car misses out on the sliding rear bench available in some other markets.
That's a shame.
Because sliding rear seats would give owners the ability to choose between passenger space and luggage space depending on what they were carrying.
The EV2 doesn't offer that flexibility in the UK.
And then there's the frunk...
Now, this is where we had a bit of a laugh.
The EV2 does have a frunk.
But it's only 15 litres.
And depending on the trim, you don't even get it.
The current UK specification gives the 15-litre front luggage compartment on the Air, GT-Line and GT-Line S, while the First Edition doesn't have one.
Fifteen litres isn't exactly massive.
It's enough for some charging cables, but you're certainly not going to be moving house with it.
And we couldn't help thinking that Kia could have made better use of the space under the bonnet.
The rear seats
This is another area where you need to remember what you're buying.
The EV2 might look quite tall and chunky from the outside, but it's still a small car.
Up front, there's loads of headroom and the driving position is comfortable.
Move into the back and things get a little tighter.
The seats themselves are comfortable, and you've got USB ports, vents and a flat floor.
But legroom isn't exactly limousine territory.
You also get a slightly upright seating position.
And if you're a taller adult sitting behind another tall adult, you're going to notice that this is a compact SUV.
It's not a deal-breaker.
It's simply one of the compromises that comes with choosing a smaller car.
But visibility is brilliant
This is something we really liked.
The EV2 feels small.
And that's a compliment.
You can see where the corners are.
The A-pillars don't get in the way too much.
The driving position is high enough to give you a good view of what's happening around you.
And that makes the EV2 particularly good for urban driving.
If you're someone who doesn't like large cars but still wants a high driving position, this could be right up your street.
Range – the big question
Now we get to the part that every electric car buyer wants to know about.
Range.
Our GT-Line has the 61kWh battery and an official WLTP range of 261 miles.
The Air gets up to 275 miles, while the GT-Line S is officially rated at 257 miles.
But what did we see?
During our test, the car was showing around 3.0 miles per kWh over our particular journey.
Based on a 61kWh battery, that's roughly 183 miles of theoretical range.
That's obviously well below the official figure.
However, this is where we need to be fair.
That wasn't a controlled range test.
We weren't trying to achieve maximum efficiency.
We were driving normally, testing the car, using different drive modes and generally doing what you would expect during a road test.
The car had also only covered around 674 miles when we drove it.
So we wouldn't take our particular 183-mile calculation as the definitive real-world range of every EV2.
What it does show is that, just like every EV, your actual range can be significantly different from the WLTP number depending on how and where you drive.
And our earlier long-term figure of around 3.8 miles per kWh would equate to roughly 232 miles from a 61kWh battery.
That's much closer to what we'd expect from a sensible real-world use case.
Charging
The EV2 supports DC charging at up to around 118kW.
Kia quotes roughly 30 minutes to go from 10 to 80 per cent on the 61kWh versions.
The car also supports up to 11kW AC charging, although that requires a suitable three-phase supply.
For a typical home wallbox, you're more likely to be looking at 7kW-ish charging.
In that situation, you're talking about an overnight charge rather than something you need to think about during the day.
And that's exactly how most EV owners should be using a car like this.
Plug it in when you get home.
Wake up with a full battery.
Simple.
Regen braking is excellent
This is something Kia does particularly well.
You've got the paddles behind the steering wheel, allowing you to change the level of regenerative braking.
And then you've got i-Pedal.
Select it and you can drive using one-pedal-style driving, with the car capable of bringing itself to a stop.
We really like this.
It's one of those features that, once you've got used to it, makes driving around town incredibly easy.
You can lift off the accelerator and let the car slow down while putting energy back into the battery.
And you can adjust it depending on how much intervention you want.
The interior
Inside, the EV2 feels unmistakably Kia.
There are some interesting materials, including recycled fabric-based elements, and there's a nice mixture of textures.
Some of the plastics aren't going to fool you into thinking you're sitting inside a £60,000 luxury car.
But that's not what this car costs.
And overall, the interior feels modern and functional.
The GT-Line also gets the nicer two-tone steering wheel and upgraded seats.
And, for us, the seats make a difference.
If you can stretch to the GT-Line, we think the cabin feels considerably nicer.
The technology
You've got Kia's familiar dual-screen setup, with two 12.3-inch displays.
They're sharp, responsive and easy to use.
And we particularly like Kia's clever shortcut for the speed-limit warning.
Press and hold the volume button and you can switch the warning sound off.
Anyone who has driven a modern car knows exactly why that's useful.
The EV2 also gets Kia's new in-cabin monitoring system, which monitors the driver for signs of fatigue and inattentiveness.
There is plenty of safety and driver-assistance technology too, including Highway Driving Assist, Lane Keep Assist, Smart Cruise Control and Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist.
But Kia has started playing the trim-level game
And this is one of our biggest criticisms of the EV2.
The car itself is very good.
But some of the equipment decisions are a little frustrating.
For example, the heat pump is optional on the GT-Line S, rather than being standard across the range.
The GT-Line also doesn't get a 360-degree camera.
You have to move up to the First Edition or GT-Line S for the 360-degree surround-view monitor according to Kia's current specification.
And the frunk situation is another example.
Some of the Chinese manufacturers arriving in the UK are throwing enormous amounts of equipment into their cars as standard.
Kia is taking a more traditional approach.
Want more equipment?
Move up the range.
And that's something buyers need to consider when looking at the headline price.
Kia EV2 vs Renault 4
During our test, we happened to have a Renault 4 nearby, so we couldn't resist comparing the two.
And this is where things get genuinely interesting.
They're similar in size and both target people looking for a relatively affordable electric crossover.
The Renault 4 has more power in the version we were comparing, and it offers more boot space.
The EV2, however, has its own advantages.
It's taller.
Visibility is excellent.
It's incredibly easy to drive.
And the long-range version offers up to 275 miles in Air specification.
So, this isn't a case of one car destroying the other.
They're two very interesting alternatives for the same sort of buyer.
And we'd definitely want to drive the Renault 4 properly before making a final choice between them.
The good stuff
✔ Easy to drive
This might be the EV2's biggest strength.
It's light, compact and incredibly easy to place on the road.
✔ Good range options
The 61kWh battery gives you up to 275 miles WLTP in Air specification.
✔ Comfortable
The softer suspension setup does a good job of dealing with Britain's less-than-perfect roads.
✔ Great visibility
You can see the corners of the car and it's easy to manoeuvre.
✔ Excellent regenerative braking
The adjustable paddles and i-Pedal system are very good.
✔ Lots of technology
Even the lower trims get a strong collection of driver-assistance and infotainment technology.
✔ The price
With the current £3,750 grant, the EV2 Air starts at £24,245, which puts a genuine electric SUV into relatively affordable territory.
The not-so-good stuff
✘ Rear space isn't huge
It's a small SUV and you can feel that in the back.
✘ Boot space could be better
362 litres is useful, but there are rivals with more.
✘ No sliding rear seats in the UK
This would have made the EV2 considerably more flexible.
✘ Tiny 15-litre frunk
It's better than having no frunk at all, but it's hardly enormous.
✘ Heat pump isn't standard
It's an optional extra on the GT-Line S, rather than being standard throughout the range.
✘ Range depends heavily on specification and driving
The 275-mile figure applies to the most efficient Air version, while the GT-Line we tested is officially rated at 261 miles.
Car Chat TV Verdict
So, what do we actually think of the Kia EV2?
Well, we like it.
And perhaps more importantly, we understand exactly who it's for.
This isn't the car for someone who wants to blast around country lanes.
It isn't the car for someone who needs a huge boot.
And it isn't the car for a family of five who regularly travels hundreds of miles with loads of luggage.
But for someone who wants a small, comfortable, easy-to-drive electric SUV, the EV2 makes a huge amount of sense.
It's easy to park.
It's easy to see out of.
It's comfortable.
It's got good technology.
The 61kWh battery gives you useful range.
And with the current Government grant, you're looking at an entry price of just over £24,000.
That's significant.
We also think the GT-Line is the sweet spot.
Yes, it costs more than the Air, but the nicer seats and interior make a difference, while you're still getting 261 miles of official WLTP range.
The main things holding it back are the limited rear space, relatively modest boot and Kia's decision to keep some desirable equipment higher up the range.
But overall?
The EV2 is a really good little electric SUV.
It's not trying to be exciting.
It's trying to make electric-car ownership easy.
And that's something Kia has achieved.
⭐ Car Chat TV Score: 8.5/10
The Kia EV2 is comfortable, practical enough for its size, packed with technology and incredibly easy to drive.
It's not perfect, but at around £24,000 after the current grant for the Air, it's a very interesting proposition.
And if you want something small, electric and easy to live with, the EV2 absolutely deserves to be on your test-drive list.
But what would you choose? Kia EV2, Renault 4, or something else entirely? Let us know in the comments.
