00:00Happy 10th EV birthday, Kia! It was 10 years ago that they bought the Kia Soul to market.
00:06Since then we've had Soles, we've had Neros, we've had EV6s, EV9s, the latter a world car of the year
00:13last year. And now this, the new Kia EV3. And this car is just going on sale in the UK. It's
00:20already won a hat full of awards. People are loving it. But why?
00:33So why is everybody raving about the Kia EV3? Okay, let's start with some stats. The price.
00:39It starts at £32,995. Let's not get hooked up on list prices. Everybody pays monthly and the
00:45monthlies will be fairly affordable, I'm sure. £32,995 gets you a 58 kilowatt hour battery
00:52and that car will go 270 miles. Not bad, but for £35,995 you can get an 81 kilowatt hour battery
01:01and that car will go 375 miles. And in my experience with Kias, they tend to do what they say on the tin,
01:10unlike so many other cars that the ranges are realistic and the mileage tends to drop with
01:15the miles past. Not as some cars do, they just disappear at what seems to be twice the pace.
01:20So a realistic range, I reckon 350 miles, maybe a little less in the cold, but that is seriously
01:27good for £35,995. You will not go further for less money, which is impressive. You can spend £43,
01:35£895 on a car with that bigger battery, the long range, and that's a GT Line S. That car comes with a
01:41heat pump. Shame all cars don't come with a heat pump, but hey, you've got to cut the cloth accordingly,
01:47haven't you? What else do I like about this car? Do you know what? It's just really, really nice to
01:53drive. It's really comfortable on these pretty ropey California freeways. The car rides really nicely,
02:00it's relatively quiet as most EVs are. Visibility is good. Fords, big mirrors,
02:07good visibility out the back as well. And there's lots of space, there's lots of headroom. I could
02:13sit behind myself, there's enough legroom if I could possibly do that. So it's going to be easy for the
02:17family. The boots are good size. And in here you've got a twin 12-inch display screen. And yes, you've got
02:25separate buttons for the heating. You haven't got to delve into menus to try and adjust the temperature.
02:31Quality is pretty good too. Styling, you can decide on that. Personally, I think it looks modern. It's a
02:40nice development of the EV9, the seven seater and the EV6. Talking about the EV6, there's so much space
02:47in the back of this and it's just so nice to drive. Do you know what? I don't think I'll bother with the
02:52EV6, but don't tell Kia. So yeah, by and large, I think I'm falling in love with the EV3 too.
03:01So what do I think about the Kia EV3? Well, I'll be honest, it really is very, very good. It ticks
03:07so many boxes. It's got loads of space. It's got loads of kit. It goes a long way. It's well priced.
03:12I think it looks good too. I mentioned at the start, the 2024 World Car of the Year was the Kia EV9.
03:19Could it be a double for Kia? Could this be World Car of the Year for 2025? That's what I'm here judging.
03:26And you know what? It's so good. I reckon it stands a really good chance.
Comments