2026 Kia EV4 Arrives To Take On The Tesla Model 3 And VW ID.3
Sedan and Euro-only hatch launch with the same 201 hp, single-motor, FWD setup as the EV3 SUV
February 27, 2025 at 06:30
- Kia has unveiled the $35k/£31k EV4 sedan and hatch at its Kia Day event.
- Launch models get a 201 hp motor and 58.3 kWh or 81.4 kWh batteries.
- The EVs made their debut alongside the smaller EV2 concept and PV5 vans.
A recent facelift wasn’t enough to stop Model 3 sales sliding in 2024 and today Kia debuted something bound to make Tesla’s pain even worse. It’s the EV4, which goes on sale later this year for around $35k / £31k.
The Korean automaker unveiled its new compact EV at the Kia Day event in Spain this week alongside the little EV2 SUV concept and the PV5 van, and although Kia had previously revealed exterior images of the EV4, this was our first chance to find out exactly what was going on under the skin.
Related: Kia EV2 Concept Previews Small Electric SUV For 2026 With Funky Styling
Or maybe that should be skins, because Kia is building the EV4 in both fastback sedan and hatchback body styles on the same 2,820 mm (111 inches) wheelbase. Europe will take both versions, but only the sedan will be offered in the US.
One motor, one power level
The powertrain spec closely follows the template laid down by the EV3 last year. That means slower-charging (but cheaper to build) 400-volt electrics instead of the 800-volt type fitted to the EV6 and EV9, and just one available motor, a single 201 hp (204 PS / 150 kW) unit driving the front wheels. Dual-motor, all-wheel drive and GT versions will follow.
Go for the smaller 58.3 kWh battery and you’ll go faster, but not as far. Zero to 62 mph with that configuration takes 7.4 seconds in both the sedan and hatch, though the sedan will travel 267 miles (430 km) on a charge, and the hatch a less useful 255 miles (410 km).
Almost 400 miles of range
Choose the bigger 81.4 kWh battery and the extra weight delays your arrival at 62 mph by 0.3 seconds, but the range gains seem more than worth it. The hatch does 367 miles (590 km) before needing plugged in and the sedan can go 391 miles (630 km). Those numbers all relate to cars on the 17-inch wheels. Up the hoop size and you’ll shrink the range.
There’s not much difference in fill-time between the two batteries: 29 minutes for the small one and 31 for the big’n. Both look glacially slow next to the sub-20-minute times EV6 drivers currently enjoy.
Watch Netflix or sing karaoke
Sedan and hatch EV4s get the same 30-inch, triple display dashboard and allow passengers to stream YouTube, Netflix and Disney+, play games and even sing karaoke. The identical wheelbases should ensure they match each other for rear space, but the 4,730-mm (186.2 inches) sedan’s 300 mm (11.8 inches) of extra body length means it wins the cargo war, offering 490 liters (17.3 cu-ft) to the hatch’s 435 liters (15.4 cu-ft).
The EV goes on sale in Korea in March with the Korean-built sedan and Slovakian-produced hatch arriving in European showrooms in the second half of the year. America gets its US-manufactured sedan later in 2025.
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