The EV4 sedan was first announced as a concept in 2023, but it’s now a real car. It comes in two versions. One has a funky rear that stretches out to look like a traditional 4-door car. The other, a “five-door” hot-hatch-looking version will primarily be for the European market, according to Kia. These aren’t going to be Kia’s most-performant EVs though, as they will be single-motor front-wheel drive vehicles with just 150kW of power and a 0-62 mph acceleration time as quick as 7.4 seconds.
The EV4 will also run on a lesser 400-volt version of the company’s E-GMP platform instead of the faster-charging 800-volt versions used in the EV6, Hyundai Ioniq 5, and others. Kia says the system can still charge 10 to 80 percent in as little as 31 minutes.
The vehicles could shine in battery range. Kia says they’ll get up to 630km (about 391 miles) on a single charge with the larger 81.4 kWh battery option, and 430km (about 267 miles) on the smaller 58.3 kWh battery. However, those estimates are based on Europe’s more generous WLTP standards.
The EV4 still offers some of Kia’s cooler EV tech. It has a 30-inch widescreen display (really three side-by-side instrument cluster and infotainment screens) that run Kia’s latest “connected car Navigation Cockpit (ccNC) software. You get entertainment options like YouTube, Netflix, games, and more that will be available from an app store.. You can also get an AI voice assistant, Apple Watch digital key access, V2L for powering household devices, and a “Smart Cruise Control 2” advanced driver-assistance system with lane keeping.
Kia’s concept EV2, which had purportedly been spotted in camouflage last year, is supposed to be even cheaper than the EV4. The company says the mini-SUV will be its “smallest EV yet” and will have options to reconfigure seating to maximize front row space for lounging or for rear cargo. It will also have perks like removable portable speakers for tailgating.
The EV4 sedan will initially be built in Korea and will first launch there in the middle of March. The EV4 hatchback will be produced in Slovakia and will launch in Europe in the second half of 2024. The North American version of the sedan will be produced “later in the year.” The EV2, meanwhile, is coming in 2026 for Europe and other regions, although its US availability is yet to be confirmed.
Kia President Ho Sung Song announced at the event that EV4 pricing will start at 37,000 euros (about $38,500), Electrek reports. The initial run will include 160,000 units, of which 80,000 are destined to ship to North America.
With the EV4, US car buyers might soon have another affordable mass-market electric car option against the Tesla Model 3. The EV4 could fill some vacancies, too, as automakers like Volkswagen, which is no longer bringing the ID.7 stateside, re-tune their EV strategies amidst the Trump administration’s interests to eliminate electric vehicle incentives.
