Kia's smallest electric car yet, the EV2, is now available to order.
It isn't an April Fool's joke – instead, the Kia EV2 is a great small SUV for a reasonable price.
The entry-level Air model kicks off at £24,245, which is exactly £2,000 less than the Ford Puma Gen-E. It's a bit more expensive than the base Renault 4, but the EV2 goes further on a charge and has more equipment.
Air, GT-Line (from £28,995) and GT-Line S (from £32,595) all come with the bigger battery, while there's a First Edition trim level that packs in the equipment but is paired with the smaller battery for £26,995.
It's worth noting that these prices include a £3,750 saving from Kia (£1,500 for the First Edition), because the carmaker expects that the EV2 will eventually be eligible for the top band of the Government's electric car grant. It's built in Slovakia alongside the EV4, and is designed specifically for Europe.
The Kia EV2 sits beneath the EV3 small SUV, the EV4 hatchback, the Sportage-sized EV5, the coupe-styled EV6 and the EV9 luxury seven-seater.
Trim levels and specifications
You might expect the Air trim to be quite basic, but it's far from it. Standard equipment includes 16-inch alloy wheels, LED lights all round, a heated steering wheel, heated front seats, four USB ports, three screens and a full suite of driver assistance systems.
GT-Line adds 19-inch wheels, upgraded headlights, two-tone artificial leather upholstery, a powered driver's seat, a wireless phone charger and a frunk. Top-spec GT-Line S includes a sunroof, cooled front seats, a powered bootlid, a three-pin power socket and smart parking assist, which can creep in and out of a parking space without you being in the car.
The EV2 looks chunky and confident, with echoes of the petrol-powered Volkswagen T-Cross as well as cues from larger Kia electric cars. The tail-lights are placed unusually low, making the car look taller.
Standard-range versions come with a 42.2kWh battery for a maximum quoted range of 197 miles, but most UK-spec cars will feature the long-range 61kWh battery that ups the range estimate to 280 miles. Both charge from 10-80% in half an hour at a powerful enough charger.
Inside, the EV2 comes with Kia's 'ccNC' infotainment system, which sandwiches a small touchscreen for the climate controls between two larger screens on top of the dashboard.
You can also have integrated EV route planning within the sat nav, access to the Plug & Charge scheme and bi-directional charging.
Unusually, the EV2 is available with either four or five seats. In the five-seater (the only choice we get in the UK) and you get a 362-litre boot, which is a bit less than the four-seater because the seats slide and recline.
Find your one-of-a-kind Kia
Read our Kia EV2 review to see what it's like to drive. Can’t wait for the EV2 to hit the road? Shop our used electric cars instead, with massive savings over new and instant availability.
