Kia EV2 review: Is this small electric SUV one of the best affordable EVs yet?
The Kia EV2 drives really well and, despite being aimed primarily at the urban buyer, it acts really well on the open road too.
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KIA EV2 |
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★★★★★ |
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from €28,660 - €33,810 in long range Earth trim |
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Fully electric with 147bhp |
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Claimed to be over 450km, but 375km is a reasonable average expectation |
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Very well equipped and share a lots with bigger Kia models |
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Excellent driving companion that beats the pants of many small EV competitors |
It’s a definite sign of the times that we have been testing rather a lot of small, electric cars which have suddenly come into the ‘affordable’ bracket – and this week’s one is a fine example.
Kia has been plundering EV sales for quite some time now with its range of EV-labelled vehicles, from the EV9, through to the EV6, the EV5, the EV4 and the EV3. Now they’ve rounded things off by making their smallest yet – the EV2.
On top of all that, they also launched their PV series of vehicles – vans/MPVs – and all told, the last couple of years have seen a stunning array of EV product launches from the Korean brand. This might not seem unusual at this point in time given the cultural switch away from internal combustion engines that’s been going on globally, but it is one with a marked difference: these are all damned good cars.
Not every manufacturer has hit the marketplace with confidence exuding from every pore about the capability of their electric products – most haven’t, in fact, largely because what they’re selling is ordinary at best – but Kia has, and rightly so.
The EV6 was the first, and it was a rip-roaring success from the outset, blending as it did considerable good looks with both performance and excellent range – a characteristic so many other find hard to combine. So popular was it that ordering one was initially quite an ordeal, but that issue’s been long sorted.
The big, boxy, EV9 was next, and despite its somewhat gawky look, it too was a winner by any measure of its performance parameters.
And so it went on; one after another excellent cars that weren’t just good, but extremely affordable by comparison with what other manufacturers were charging for what, after all, were merely things that people expected to get from an EV anyway. Far too many car makers were charging premium prices for moderate products – and getting away with it.
Kia has effectively rewritten the rule book here, and it is to be hoped that they reap a deserved reward for doing so. By the look of their growing sales figures – here and elsewhere – that certainly seems to be the case.
This week’s tester is another excellent vehicle to add to their growing canon, and the version we had was the Earth spec model in ‘Long Range’ format, which means it will cover a claimed 453km on a single charge – a claim, Kia says, that makes it the longest-range car in its segment.
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Picky as we are, we did not quite find the car matched up to that boast, but by our reckoning a real-world range of about 375km was quite achievable and definitely up there with the best of what’s out there right now.
It does have to be said, of course, that things on the EV front are developing dramatically across the board lately – and not before time either – so it will probably not be long before others start to catch up with Kia. For the moment, however, they do appear to have a discernible advantage over most rivals.
The battery capacity is 61 kWh, and there’s 147bhp generated by the electric motor, providing enough grunt for an 8.9-second 0-100 km/h capability. It’s not dramatic, or anything, but more than pokey enough to keep even speedsters happy. It will also charge from 10-80% in just under 30 minutes.
It drives really well too and, despite being aimed primarily at the urban buyer, it acts really well on the open road too. Kia has put a lot of effort into the refinement of this small car, and that has included paying a lot of attention to padding and sound insulation.
Importantly, though, aside from the NVH aspects of the EV2, they’ve done stuff like adding a damper to the steering wheel to lessen vibration and built in special bushings to the suspension to further sophisticate the driving experience.
These tweaks, added to the wheel-at-ear-corner demeanour of the car, give it a truly excellent ride and a handling ability that’s well above the norm in this class. It doesn’t roll unduly in corners, and the steering is precise and accurate. Although front wheel drive only, there are no undue understeering traits and little or no torque steer.
Like most cars these days, it does ‘bing’ and ‘bong’ quite a bit, what with speed warnings and such, but these are easily invalidated, even if you have to do it every time you set out. That said, the so-called twin screen layout works really well (even if, in fact, it is three screens – two of 12.3”, one for the infotainment and one for the digital instrumentation; there’s a further 5.3” screen between the two controlling climate).
This, in reality, is the same system Kia uses in its larger models and is testament to the egalitarian view of the company when it comes to its customers – everyone pretty much gets the same stuff, although the navigation system here is optional.
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What is really notable on the inside of the car is the amount of space on offer – for such a small car it offers way more shoulder, head and leg room than most of its competitors and this is testament to the clever use of space by the designers.
They have certainly been helped by the car’s boxy shape, but they’ve pretty much extracted the max here. Thanks to the flat floor and the lengthy wheelbase (by class standards), there’s plenty of passenger space. Notable too is the amount of storage space they’ve built in, with loads of cubbies throughout the cabin.
The result is a vehicle which comfortably seats four (five is a bit of a pinch, but no more so than most other superminis or crossovers) and has a decent boot as well, with a capacity of 362 litres, further space underfloor and a 60:40 rear seat split if you’ve got to ferry bigger stuff around.
It is worth pointing out too that the cabin and seating are clothed with a variety of materials that are pleasing both to the eye and the touch, so, all-in-all, it’s a very nice place to ride around in.
With its reasonable prices tied in with Kia’s excellent warranty, this is a car that will strike a chord with many people in the market for either a second family car or single owners looking for an EV with no range anxieties and potentially excellent second-hand values.
We’ve actually tested quite a lot of new-generation small EVs in recent weeks and the upturn in ability has been quite evident to note. Things are finally turning around for the small EV, and not before time either.
What we have here, however, is a car that will surpass most expectations and is fully deserving of a five-star rating.
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